News

ITS Technology Supporting Retails Parks

This year we have seen a large increase in demand for our products from industries such as retail for new applications, namely COVID related. However, we have been working with select retail business for a while, predating COVID and demonstrating that our products bring benefits to customers in the retail industry who invest in them.

One retail customer we have been working with for around 5 years now is Middlebrook Retail & Leisure Park in Bolton. Over the years, they have turned to our portable Variable Message Signs (VMS) to help with wayfinding and traffic management applications across their large site. The use of signs in this location has been essential for communicating with drivers and customers across the site, helping to minimise traffic and issues.

This year, however, was the truest test of our solutions in the retail environment, where we saw certain stores forced to close on and off since March. Such a situation necessitates clear messaging, especially from retail park site managers, who are required to deal with the level of customer confusion as drivers come to their location.

Our signs are solar powered, requiring no fixed power making them portable. They can also be updated quickly and easily online or via our mobile app, allowing site managers to stay responsive to changes in situations.  

Just like with past deployments, Middlebrook Retail & Leisure Park used our VMS A signs to help with wayfinding and traffic management, however more recently, they were used to help direct drivers and pedestrians to the stores that were still open in accordance with the government guidelines.

Signs can display text, pictograms or even a combination to allow for the ideal solution that works for the site required. As this was a wayfinding application, our signs were able to display store names with directional arrows to help direct drivers the correct way for the relevant store.

Dom Bridge, Operations Manager at MVIS comments, “Over the years we have worked with Middlebrook a few times, but this year especially has been a demanding one for retail. It’s great to be part of the solution that helps keep things flowing smoothly during a time where there is so much uncertainty.”