WH Smith case study

The Four Seasons Group was asked to tender for this project as Retail and Commercial outlets are our core business and upon winning this tender we were responsible for the specification, design and full mechanical services installation. This includes the air conditioning, and ventilation systems, toilet extract system, hot and cold water service installation, sprinkler protection and smoke vent systems.(For the sprinkler system and smoke vents, specialist contractors were employed to carry out the design and installation under our supervision).

We have an excellent working relationship with WH Smith and we work on many of their new installations, providing the maintenance and servicing for 170 of their stores across the UK, covering M&E services and building fabric repairs.

Darren Hicks, the Property Services Manager for WH Smith was recently quoted as saying,

"On a day to day basis they are one of the better maintenance contractors we deal with."

It was felt that we had the necessary experience and expertise to manage a retail project of this size and having worked with other similar sized  highstreet retailers, we understood how important it was to minimise disruption to staff and shoppers.

Equipment

We installed twelve Toshiba Split  heat pump systems with cassette indoor units which provide flexibility for the client as each one-to-one split serves a particular area of the store and if there is a failure of one unit, the air conditioning will still be available from other units. The indoor cassette units can also be easily relocated which is advantageous if the shop layout changes or the system is expanded in the future. Ducted splits were installed in the café area with ducted Toshiba SMMS VRF system installed in the entrance area.

Temperatures are closely controlled to parameters determined by WH Smith Ltd Property Division, which provides comfortable conditions and optimum energy saving capabilities. The control is by a Trend building management system, which allows the client to vary the temperature in different parts of the store. It utilises space sensor located within the store and also external temperature sensors to create optimum control based on real temperature requirements and the external environment.

Further energy savings are made by the ventilation system. The "Recouporator" air handling unit , located on the roof, provides a fresh air supply whilst extracting a similar amount of air to maintain a balanced environment within the shop. This is the latest technology as it incorporates a heat exchanger which enables wasted heat within the extracted air to be reclaimed and transferred to the supply of air entering the building.   

Feedback

Feedback on this site has been very positive and it is felt that the Air Conditioning which we installed throughout the store has contributed to creating a comfortable indoor environment for shoppers who are staying longer to enjoy the total shopping experience.