Customers need 10 sq. m. each in store
Website Editor • June 8, 2020
Each customer needs 10 sq. metres in your store for safe social distancing according to the latest detailed research from behavioural scientists who have analysed retail space.
"Going forward, agreeing capacities across retail environments will help reassure visitors returning to high streets," says the report's authors.
They note that previous Government advice had asked retailers to work out “the number of customers that can reasonably follow 2m social distancing within the store" but gave no basis for that calculation.
The High Streets Task Force commissioned this research to work out the answer and applied theory from retail space allocation, crowd dynamics, operational research, ergonomics and biomechanics. The report was written by experts at the Institute of Place Management and the Manchester Metropolitan University
To quote directly from the report, "Based on a hexagonal tessellation, each person will require a space of π (x + 1)2/0.9069m2 (13.856m2 when x = 1m). " Translated to a typically independent flooring store of less than 500 sq. m, that means 10 sq. m per person!
This recommendation works alongside the official Government guidance on social distancing for retail which covers the arrangement and management of staff and customers in store andbest practice for hygiene. (see our detailed guide - click here).
"Getting all this right is especially important during the COVID-19 crisis, to keep the rate of transmission down and ensure customers, and staff, feel safe," says the High Streets Task Force report.
The full report can be downloaded from here.
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