Retailers can improve the shopping experience for their customers and potentially increase their profits by providing greener, healthier stores, according to a major report from the World Green Building Council.
The report, Health, Wellbeing and Productivity in Retail: The Impact of Green Buildings on People and Profit, says that although there is a surge in interest in health and wellbeing in the property sector, most retailers are currently missing a key opportunity to better understand how the physical retail environment can affect staff and customers – including the retail experience – and therefore the impact on overall business performance.
This is despite emerging evidence which shows that greener, healthier retail stores – those which typically have good levels of daylight, fresh air and greenery – are becoming more attractive to consumers and potentially more profitable for retailers.
The report breaks new ground by presenting ways in which retailers can measure the impact of place on profit using data – particularly on consumer behaviour – which may already be available at their fingertips.
Terri Wills, CEO of the WorldGBC, said: “The days of ‘grey box retailers’ are numbered. A new breed of businesses is emerging which understands that better shopping environments lead to better experiences for consumers which, in turn, lead to better economics for retailers.
“This report is about empowering retailers to look within their own properties to understand and monetise how better, more sustainable physical environments can potentially drive profit, and in doing so, ultimately strengthens the business case for greener, healthier buildings.”
The report was led by the UK Green Building Council and forms one of the first major outputs of WorldGBC’s global campaign Better Places for People, designed to increase the number of green buildings which support people’s health, wellbeing and productivity.
Click here to read the report.
