A retail environment is a space of leisure for most, and the flooring provides the biggest canvas for creating a first impression. Utilising flooring in this way can enhance brand experience through colour, texture and the overall ambience that this generates.

Take IKEA for example; a store brimming with iconic flat-pack furniture, and often large areas that need to facilitate a functional and safe site for staff and customers, while reflecting the high standards of the global brand.

The black signage here stands out against the light grey flooring

The grey hues shown here can be found in most IKEA stores. The simple, clean and sleek epoxy system reflects IKEA’s global image, but also strikes a contrast with the black signage used to direct customers. As a fresh foundation for displaying products, this flooring needed to be easy to clean, which is made possible by its seamless nature. Heavy footfall, wheeled equipment and the potential for heavy items being dropped or dragged is a lot for a floor to go through. Luckily the epoxy system used has extremely hard-wearing properties, ensuring that it maintains its properties for the long term.

Stores that sell the same products can have very different visual appeal. This luxury furniture store in South Africa used Flowshield to reflect a clean, minimalist yet lavish style desired by the client. The Scandinavian-inspired designs use authentic textures of mother nature, which provide juxtaposition to the stark and pristine foundation, creating contrast and character.

Contrast can be complimentary

As well as being pure in colour, the flooring system is extremely durable, with properties such as impact and wear resistance, as well as being seamless and therefore easy to clean without dirt hiding in joins.

The use of colour in retail environments can have useful and dramatic effects, from highlighting different areas, such as walkways or pay points, to emphasising an area of focus, such as around store mannequins showcasing featured products.

Colourful resins used in flooring can help to reflect the vibrancy of the brand, which can be further enhanced with bespoke solutions, featuring brand colours and even logos.

Colourful resins used in flooring can help to reflect the vibrancy of the brand

The gold and silver hues used in this store in Hong Kong clearly mirrors the bold brand and cosmopolitan setting, whilst also being ideal for a busy retail environment. Epoxy systems such as Flowflake Kristalina have a hardwearing nature, meaning they are resistant to the stains, scratches and scuffs naturally caused in areas with high numbers of people and staff moving clothing racks for the best store composition.

Have you been in a retail environment with a truly outstanding interior? We’d love to hear about it in the comments below.