Installing a toilet in store for public use has the potential to bring in new customers and boost sales, according to British Toilet Association’s (BTA) managing director Raymond Martin.
The comments come after ACS chief executive James Lowman suggested independent retailers should take note of the opportunity available.
Speaking at the Local Shop Report Launch 2021, Lowman said: “Retailers now have a deeper relationship with their customers than ever before, and they are stepping in to offer new services.
“Why are there not many toilets in convenience stores. Is there an opportunity here?”
The BTA has confirmed to Better Retailing it is renewing its plea to local businesses to become part of a community toilet scheme (CTS), which has seen a cut in provision since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
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Martin said: “We are moving away from a culture of toilets only being for customers, so there is a chance local retailers can help councils through community toilet schemes.
“Toilets are not a loser – they bring in customers. However, there is a resistance over Covid-19, and many schemes have stopped over the past two years.”
The first CTS was launched in the UK in 2004, but more businesses, including shops, began participating following a 20% cut in the discretionary service grant awarded to councils in 2010, resulting in a 50% drop in the provision of public toilets over the past decade.
Christine Hope, of Hopes of Longtown in Herefordshire, has a toilet in store. “It’s an added extra for visitors, especially seasonal ones – and works well because we are in a rural location,” she said.
However, Alan Mannings, owner of Shop on the Green in Chartham, Kent, said he was faced with logistical problems when considering opening his on-site toilet up to the public.
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“Environmental health said a member of staff would need to wait outside while the customer uses it and then escort them back because they’d need to pass the kitchen,” he said. “This isn’t feasible.”
In response, Martin recognised the concerns, but suggested there were solutions. “Health-and-safety issues are there, but the service could be more discretionary, such as adopting security-coded toilets that retailers could charge for,” he said.
He added that he is in discussions with suppliers about a hygiene rating scheme to overcome Covid-19 fears and renew customer confidence.
It’s understood the topic is scheduled to be discussed next week at the London Assembly Health Committee, which is investigating toilet access in the capital.
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