Big Box and Retail Construction Services

Big Box and Retail Construction Industry Solutions

Commercial construction is expected to experience 12.4% growth this year, according to Construct Connect. As a subset of this industry, big box and retail construction will experience growth in new ways. The big box and retail industries are innovating to remain competitive, stay relevant, and accommodate changing consumer demands. In turn, construction companies serving these industries will need to adapt to keep up with the changes.

As seen in other areas of construction, retail construction is experiencing an ongoing shortage of labor. Using technology to automate certain processes and outsourcing mundane tasks will be essential to staying competitive in the changing landscape.

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The Evolution of Retail

Instead of completely dying out, experts believe retail shopping is evolving to provide great experiences to consumers, rather than focusing solely on the material items they sell. With this shift in mind, “experiential” designs are expected to be more common. For example, providing space for shoppers to lounge, offering free wifi, and adding in more coffee shops and restaurants will encourage shoppers to hang out for the experience and incentivize them to shop in person rather than online. According to Dimensional Innovations’ 2019 Retail Trends Forecast, 50% of digitally-savvy consumers prefer to shop in stores rather than online. Retailers who can provide great experiences can encourage these shoppers to stay loyal to them.

Another shift in consumer expectations involves health consciousness and sustainability. With this preference trend of the millennial generation, the big box and retail industries are forced to innovate the setup of their spaces to be more earth-friendly, by installing energy-saving lighting or providing recycling centers, for example. In addition, building centers such as fitness studios and health food restaurants will attract consumers by providing a fun experience and sustainability hand in hand. Construction resources will be in demand to retrofit commercial spaces to accommodate these changes.

Some new building construction is expected as well. For example, online stores such as Amazon are building brick-and-mortar locations to provide an omnichannel experience, an in-person extension of their brand. Other international companies are also looking to have a presence in the U.S. For example, Sneakersnstuff from Sweden and Line Friends from Korea both established their first U.S. locations in New York City last year. Another example of increased new building construction is the forecasted increase in medical office construction. This trend is partly due to aging baby boomers’ increasing medical needs. Similarly, an increase in senior living renovations is forecasted to trend upward.

The Growth of Big-Box and Retail Construction Services

Big-box is big business in North America, where the growth of e-commerce has helped the sector claim more than 10 percent of non-auto retail sales. A record 128 million square feet of new big-box developments were constructed in the second half of 2017, yet vacancy rates remained at a record low of 6.9 percent, according to a 2019 report from Colliers International. Colliers predicts the local big-box market will continue growing thanks to strong economic conditions and interest in e-commerce. This growth should buoy the entire retail sector in 2019 and beyond.

As demand for retail construction services grows, especially in the big-box sector, so should demand for construction companies experienced in the retail industry. Any construction company with years of experience in retail is crucial when big-box retailers face resistance in many communities across the United States.

Maintenance of Big-Box and Retail Stores

After their establishment, big-box and retail stores require maintenance to stay fresh and inviting to clients. This maintenance occurs in several areas including:

• Parking lots: Surfaces need regular sweeping and power washing, along with repairs from time to time.
• Exterior signage: Signs need regular cleaning, and bulbs must be replaced when they fail.
• Exterior lighting: Lights around parking lots and stores also need replacing for security and the safety of staff and late-night shoppers.
• Site cleaning: Big-box and retail stores need regular power washing to look their best. More intense cleaning may be needed if stores are vandalized with graffiti.
• Landscaping: Tree and hedge trimming, planting of flowers, and lawn maintenance enhance the appeal of big-box and retail stores.

Commonly Used Equipment in RCS

Big-box and retail construction companies use a variety of equipment to perform their tasks. These activities may include:

• Demolishing existing buildings.
• Preparing job site for building foundations for retail stores, warehouses, retail headquarters, and other key industry buildings.
• Pouring concrete.
• Framing the buildings.
• Erecting steel.
• Installing the exterior and glass.

To get these jobs done efficiently and effectively, big-box and retail construction companies need the best equipment. This construction equipment might include:

• Excavators: These construction vehicles can dig holes, level land, and move large objects. An excavator has two key parts: a driving base, with a cab where the operator sits, and a boom arm. The operator controls the excavator’s motion and the boom arm from his cab. A digging attachment for the boom arm lets the operator dig holes. Big-box and retail construction businesses use excavators to clear and level ground and prepare it for building foundations.
• Cranes: These machines lift heavy weights using pulley or level systems. Construction businesses might use mobile cranes, truck-mounted cranes, all-terrain cranes, tower cranes, and more. Cranes make lifting heavy building materials up multiple stories much safer and more efficient.
• Concrete mixers: These powered devices mix cement with water with aggregate, such as sand or pea gravel, to create concrete. They feature a rotating drum, a motor, and in many cases, a chute. Concrete mixers may be small, portable units, or large mixers attached to trucks. Once the mixer prepares the concrete, it can be poured for foundations and walls.
• Manlifts: While cranes move building materials, manlifts move construction workers to upper stories and roofs. They consist of a platform large enough for workers to stand on, situated on a base, with a lifting mechanism in between the two parts. Boom lifts and scissor lifts are the most common types of manlifts.
• Front-end loaders: These heavy vehicles can move materials like soil and sand from one part of a job site to another. The front features a large permanent or detachable bucket, which is connected to the base with hydraulic arms. An operator sitting in a cab behind the arms control the movement of the loader and its arms. Front-loaders with removable buckets are very versatile, as users can add other attachments, such as lift forks, ground clearing tools, snow plots, and bale grapplers.
• Road-paving equipment: contractors may use a variety of road-paving equipment to create parking lots and roads around their retail and big-box complexes. These might include tamping machines to flatten gravel or dirt and paving machines to smooth newly laid road surfaces. Concrete mixers, excavators, and front-end loaders are also used when creating roads and parking lots.
• Masonry tools: Masonry is a timeless construction technique prized for its green credentials, strength, durability, and beauty. Modern masons use a variety of tools when preparing and creating the exterior of retail and big-box buildings, including hammers, pitchers, masonry saws and power cutters, and stonemasonry trowels.
• Compaction equipment: Rammers, vibratory plates, and roller compactors remove air and water particles from the soil, compacting it down so it provides a flat, supportive base for buildings, roads, parking lots, and other structures needed for retail and big-box construction projects.

Renting Construction Equipment

Renting construction equipment holds several benefits for retail and big-box construction companies compared to buying brand new equipment. These benefits include:

• Cost savings: Rentals cost less up front, a real blessing for new big-box and retail construction projects, which can be expensive. They also usually incur no extra charges for repairs and maintenance tasks, like filter changes and oil checks on excavators.
• Access to cutting-edge, specialized equipment every time: It would cost a retail construction organization a lot of money to regularly update equipment and buy the specialty goods rental companies can always provide.
• Flexibility: Once businesses buy equipment, they’re stuck with it until they sell it, usually at a significant loss due to depreciation. Renters can keep construction equipment for as long as required. If a retail business starts constructing fewer new stores or changes their construction techniques, they can simply rent less or different equipment.
• No maintenance and repairs: When businesses rent construction equipment, maintenance and repairs aren’t their responsibility. This lets their teams focus on other jobs like building new stores or maintaining existing ones.

Conclusion

At BigRentz, we have all the construction equipment for your retail and retail construction services company need. We have years of experience in the retail and big-box construction industry, so we can help you determine what equipment you need on your job sites. Browse our website to learn more about our products and how renting construction equipment from us will benefit your construction company.