Even in freezing conditions just one-in-20 shops along London’s Oxford Street has its doors closed to stop heat escaping, with their temperatures - recorded using a thermal imaging camera - reaching 24.1 degrees C (Russell & Bromley, Footlocker and Global Luggage – see table below).
However, Loughborough University’s Professor Ken Parsons, who researches the body’s response to heat, says: “Heating above 20 C is not necessary and can be uncomfortable. One of the reasons for keeping shops at high temperatures is the ‘thermal pleasure’ felt when moving from a cold to a warm environment. So when a shopper moves from cold to warm there is a rapid change in skin temperature and it feels welcoming. However soon after entering the shop in outdoor clothing, the shopper will be too hot and suffer discomfort.”
Jonathan Elliott, managing director of Make It Cheaper, commented: “Hot shops may be welcoming but can also be pretty annoying when you’re dressed up for the Arctic. What sense does it make if the owners are simply burning a hole in their pockets as well as the ozone layer? So hats off to those operating with a sensible thermostat and closed door policy.”
Oxford Street shops with their doors closed include department stores - such as M&S, Debenhams, John Lewis and House of Fraser - as well as a handful of smaller retailers such as Watches of Switzerland.
A study conducted by Cambridge University in 2010 calculated that retailers could reduce their energy consumption by up to 50% simply by keeping doors closed. It also concluded that the number of visitors that a shop receives is not affected by having its doors closed. On this basis, the 300 shops on Oxford Street would save an average of £15,000 a year per shop if the shut their doors (as the same applies in Summer with air-conditioning). That’s a combined total of £4.5m for the whole street.
Professor Parsons added: “Retailers clearly do not want to restrict access to their shops but maybe it is time to give guidance to all retailers on requirements to avoid wasting energy in this way. Mechanisms such as revolving doors are effective at reducing energy waste.”
FACTFILE:
Established in 2007, Make It Cheaper is the number one destination for businesses to get a better deal on their utilities and other services. Based in Central London with 110 staff, the self-styled ‘saving experts for business’ receive more enquiries and arrange more new contracts than any other business price comparison service.
These include the business customers of major domestic price comparison services with whom Make It Cheaper has partnerships, as well as many trade associations and charity membership organisations. Acting on behalf of all these customers with total impartiality and free-of-charge, Make It Cheaper offers year-on-year savings across a range of products including: business energy, telecoms, insurance and merchant services (chip & pin).
By switching suppliers or helping to renegotiate deals with existing ones, it will typically save over 30% of costs - as well as a considerable amount of time that its customers can then spend on running their businesses. Make It Cheaper is currently ranked 39th in the Sunday Times Fast Track 100.
* http://www.closethedoor.org.uk/images/misc/basarir_presentat...
In-Store Temperatures Recorded on Oxford Street & Regent Street – Thursday 9th Feb
CENTIGRADE SHOP
• 24.1 Footlocker
• 24.1 Global Luggage
• 24.1 Russell & Bromley
• 24.0 Hackett
• 23.9 Skechers
• 23.8 Jane Norman
• 23.5 Zara
• 23.5 Ernest Jones
• 23.5 Guess
• 23.4 Aldo
• 23.3 Scottish Collection
• 23.3 Dorothy Perkins
• 23.1 La Senza
• 22.9 TM Lewin
• 22.8 Mango
• 22.7 Ecco
• 22.5 Muji
• 22.5 Moss Bros
• 22.4 H&M
• 22.3 Intimissimi
• 22.2 Monsoon
• 22.2 Phones4U
• 22.1 Clinton Cards
• 22.1 H.Samuel
• 22.1 Office
• 22.1 Global
• 22.1 Virgin Media
• 22.1 Mamas & Papas
• 22.0 Next
• 22.0 Carphone Warehouse
• 22.0 Tmobile
• 21.9 Vodafone
• 21.8 Superdrug
• 21.8 GNC
• 21.7 Phones4U
• 21.7 Clarks
• 21.7 The Body Shop
• 21.6 Soccer Scene
• 21.6 Game
• 21.4 Swarovski
• 21.4 Perfume
• 21.4 Tommy Hilfiger
• 21.3 Russell & Bromley
• 21.3 River Island
• 21.3 Boots
• 21.3 Karen Millen
• 21.3 Folli Follie
• 21.2 Vodafone
• 21.2 Uniqlo
• 21.2 Clarks
• 21.1 AVERAGE
• 21.1 Sunglasses Hut
• 21.1 Samsung
• 21.1 Esprit
• 21.0 Evans
• 21.0 French Connection
• 21.0 Niketown
• 21.0 United Colours of Benetton
• 20.8 Whittard
• 20.8 Officers Club
• 20.8 Furla
• 20.7 Moss
• 20.7 The Body Shop
• 20.7 Zara
• 20.7 Miss Selfridge
• 20.7 Sony
• 20.5 Lacoste
• 20.3 Boots
• 20.3 Clarks
• 20.3 Calvin Klein
• 20.2 Boots
• 20.2 Tenzenis
• 20.1 Next
• 20.1 Schuh
• 20.0 Claires
• 20.0 Disney
• 19.9 Massimo Dutti
• 19.9 Thorntons
• 19.9 Jane Norman
• 19.7 Accesorize
• 19.7 Swatch
• 19.7 H.Samuel
• 19.6 BHS
• 19.6 Holland & Barrett
• 19.6 Specsavers
• 19.6 Jessops
• 19.6 Zara
• 19.6 Levis
• 19.5 Aldo
• 19.2 Primark
• 19.2 Monsoon
• 19.2 Boss
• 18.8 TM Lewin
• 18.7 River Island
• 18.7 Apple
• 18.1 Timberland
• 18.0 Ann Summers
• 17.9 Gant
• 17.5 3 Store
• 17.4 Uniqlo
• 16.8 TM Lewin
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