The UK’s leading resin flooring specialist
From Shop Floor to Showroom: A Retail Flooring Guide
In retail, from the lighting above to the flooring underfoot, your environment influences how customers move, browse, and buy. From the moment a customer steps inside, your store environment begins to speak for your brand. Retail flooring isn’t just a surface to walk on – it’s a critical part of the retail experience. It guides footfall, reduces risk, supports product presentation, and reinforces your brand identity. But not all flooring is built for the pace and pressure of a retail space.
This guide breaks down what to look for (including slip resistance, durability, design, and more) when making an informed decision about upgrading your retail floors.
The Demands of Modern Retail Flooring
Retail environments are some of the most demanding spaces for flooring. Unlike offices or private venues, shops, supermarkets, and shopping malls are public-facing, high-traffic areas. From the moment doors open, there’s a steady flow of heavy foot traffic – staff, customers, delivery trolleys, even wheeled displays moving across the space. Spills and scrapes are inevitable. At the same time, retailers can’t afford to compromise on appearance. An uneven or worn surface sends the wrong message, and the floor is one of the first things customers see.
Whether you’re running a department store, a luxury boutique, or a high-end showroom, the right retail flooring quietly does the hard work of keeping your space looking professional, clean, and welcoming, and – if done right – requires minimal maintenance. Floors in these spaces must balance multiple priorities:
- Safety – particularly in wet weather or areas with increased slip risk.
- Aesthetics – customers expect visually pleasing environments.
- Durability – floors must cope with trolleys, pallet jacks, prams, spills, and constant footfall.
- Minimal disruption – installations and upgrades must happen outside business hours.
- Hygiene – regular cleaning is critical in food retail or hybrid hospitality spaces.
And all of this must be achieved without compromising the brand presentation or the customer experience.
Retail Flooring Essentials: What are the Must-Have Features
What exactly should you look for in a retail floor? There’s more at stake than just what looks good underfoot. The right surface plays a critical role in how your store functions day to day. Here’s a breakdown of the features that matter most when it comes to retail flooring.
Slip-Resistant Flooring for Customer Safety
Slips and falls are one of the most common causes of injury in retail settings and a significant liability concern, whether you’re managing a high-street shop or a department store. Wet entrances, spilt drinks, or water tracked in on rainy days can all increase the risk. Customer safety is a legal and reputational priority in any public-facing space. That’s why anti-slip flooring should be a baseline requirement, which starts with choosing the right surface finish.
Specialist non-slip coatings can be added to resin or epoxy systems to meet key safety standards, such as the HSE’s Pendulum Test Value, which measures slip resistance. With resin flooring systems, you don’t have to compromise on appearance either. Clear coatings allow flooring to remain on-brand while providing the necessary grip to prevent accidents.
Durable Low-Maintenance Flooring That Lasts
Retail flooring doesn’t get a day off. With heavy foot traffic, regular cleaning, and back-and-forth movement of stock, your flooring must be built to last. Floors need to hold up through seasonal rushes, back-to-school waves, Black Friday chaos, and more. Retail managers don’t have time for constant floor upkeep. Cleaning schedules need to be efficient, and repairs shouldn’t mean closing the store. That’s why durable, low-maintenance materials are the backbone of any commercial flooring strategy.
Epoxy and resin flooring systems, for example, are engineered for endurance, with a lifespan of many years when properly maintained. They resist abrasions, staining, impact, moisture ingress, and chemical wear. This kind of performance isn’t just about longevity – it’s seamless, with no joins to collect dirt, and it’s easy to clean.
Aesthetic Appeal: Flooring as a Brand Experience
Retail is visual, and flooring is a powerful part of a customer’s sensory experience. It sets the tone the moment someone walks into a store. In premium retail environments – think jewellery stores, bespoke showrooms, or floor exhibits – the floor does more than support footfall. A clean, visually appealing floor subtly reassures customers that they’re in a safe, trustworthy place. Scuffed, discoloured, or damaged retail flooring has the opposite effect.
Visual appeal supports a better retail experience. Are you aiming for understated minimalism or bold visual impact? Flooring finishes can reinforce your brand through colour, texture, and even pattern. Impact Flooring regularly works with retail clients to create custom-branded flooring, incorporating brand colours, logo inlays, or wayfinding designs that feel native to the space. From high-gloss finishes to cementitious textures, flooring can meet both aesthetic and practical demands.
Flooring by Retail Venue Type – What Works Best?
Different retail venues call for different flooring specifications. Retail flooring isn’t a one-size-fits-all situation, but certain materials consistently deliver across settings. Here’s what we recommend based on years of hands-on experience.
Department Store Flooring
Bigger stores come with bigger demands. Flooring in department stores, supermarkets, and warehouse-style outlets must cover large areas, be tough enough to withstand high traffic, and still look great at the end of the day. High-performance resin flooring systems are designed for scale – it’s easy to clean, resistant to impact and staining, and colour-consistent across thousands of square feet. We also advise on zoning, using contrasting colours or finishes to help with wayfinding and department layout.
Showroom Flooring
In showrooms, flooring takes centre stage. It has to showcase your product – whether it’s luxury cars, electronics, or furniture – while also handling a high volume of stock movement and foot traffic. Super smooth, high-gloss epoxy flooring is visually clean and reflects light beautifully, creating a polished environment that highlights your products rather than distracting from them. It’s also incredibly hard-wearing and durable.
Boutique and High-End Retail Flooring
Luxury retail environments need flooring that reflects exclusivity. High-end fashion, jewellery, and lifestyle brands rely on aesthetics to complement the overall brand experience and product display. Visual merchandising relies on clean, attractive floors that don’t detract from the focus but still enhance the overall experience. These environments thrive on attention to detail, and the flooring is no exception. Scuffed, dated floors undermine even the best-designed shopfit. Resin flooring is a wise choice because it provides a seamless finish that complements premium interiors. It’s available in a variety of colours, is durable, and easy to clean.
Why Choose Impact Flooring for Retail Floors?
At Impact Flooring, we recognise that retail success hinges on delivering a great customer experience, ensuring safety, and optimising logistics. Every project starts with listening: What does your space need to do? What do your customers expect? From there, we recommend retail flooring systems tailored to your environment, foot traffic, maintenance regime, and aesthetic goals.
Our team has worked with retailers of every size and delivered flooring solutions for:
- Supermarkets and grocery stores
- Fast food and restaurant chains
- Boutiques and high-street stores
- Museums and galleries
- Shopping malls and department stores.
We don’t just install floors – we solve problems. We know what works and how to install it without interrupting trading. Downtime isn’t an option in retail, so we plan every project to minimise disruption. We work overnight (or outside trading hours) and use rapid-curing resins to ensure you’re ready for trading by morning.
FAQs
What type of flooring is best for retail stores?
Epoxy and polyurethane resin flooring is ideal for most retail environments. It’s hard-wearing, anti-slip, easy to clean, and available in a wide range of coatings, seals, and screeds to suit your branding.
Can retail flooring be customised to match my brand?
Absolutely. We can integrate your brand colours, logo, and various textures into the flooring system. Decorative flakes, gloss finishes, and colour zoning are all options available to you as well.
Is slip-resistant flooring necessary in retail stores?
Yes. It’s essential for customer safety, especially in areas such as walkways or entranceways. Our non-slip coatings are transparent and discreet, supporting safer movement across your store.
How do I comply with health & safety guidelines?
Public-facing spaces have a duty of care, and the HSE guidelines are clear: floors must be suitable, in good condition, free from obstructions, and people should be able to walk without the risk of slipping. The easiest way to comply is to apply an anti-slip resin coating.
How long does it take to install retail flooring?
We specialise in overnight installations using fast-curing resin systems. This means we can often prep, install, and cure the floor fully between your store closing and reopening.
How durable is resin flooring under high foot traffic?
Very. Epoxy and resin flooring can handle continuous use with minimal wear. They resist scratching, impact, and staining – ideal for busy retail spaces.
Can you install flooring in food preparation areas within retail stores?
Yes. We regularly install hygienic, slip-resistant flooring systems in the back-of-house areas of cafés, bakeries, restaurants, and food courts.
Ready to Upgrade Your Retail Flooring?
Retail floors work hard. Constant footfall, heavy equipment, and frequent cleaning mean you need functional flooring that’s resistant to wear; something that’s durable, easy to maintain, and visually appealing. Resin flooring is ideal for retail settings because it’s quick to install, tough under pressure, and can be customised to fit your store’s branding. Want to find the right flooring solution to suit your operational needs and retail space? Contact us today to learn more about our resin flooring options and how they can enhance your retail space.