The retail industry has been having a challenging time since the pandemic, with shoppers having had to tighten their purse strings thanks to the cost-of-living crisis.

However, retailers still need to protect themselves to ensure they can survive if they need work after becoming damaged or deteriorating.

This is where reactive maintenance services come in handy, as they enable shops to get repairs so they can continue operating and making money. 

Shops have struggled to remain in profit over the last few years, and a particularly wet and dreary summer hasn’t helped recently, with the British Retail Consortium (BRC) showing that footfall declined by 1.6 per cent in August from the previous year. 

Instead of buying inflatables, bikinis and barbecue foods, Brits were keeping themselves dry in the comfort of their homes, which is likely to have a knock-on effect on sales. 

This could mean fewer stores are spending money on regular maintenance, as they are trying to cut costs wherever possible. 

One thing they should maintain though is their reactive services, as this can protect them if something unexpected, and otherwise unaffordable, happens. 

They include repairs to signage, leaking roofs, non-functioning roller shutters, locks, shop fittings, windows, electrics and the building fabric. 

Floods and storms are also covered, which means these natural disasters do not have to mean the end for these businesses, particularly independent stores.

Indeed, reactive services are often popular among smaller premises, as they typically have fixtures and fittings that are not too costly. Additionally, shops that are not part of big chains do not have the same budget to pay for frequent maintenance checks.

They still want some level of protection though, particularly in unexpected events, such as a break in when they could require damage to the store to be repaired and locks to be changed.