Does new technology mean the end for the traditional car park barrier?
UKPC will be hosting its inaugural ‘Retail Parking Summit’ next month.
The number of trips predominantly oriented to shopping is on a falling trend.
Why do people shop at regional and out of town centres, what are the key drivers that influence their choice and would a change in how regional shopping centres charged for their service drive customers away and back to town centres? asks Chris Wortley
Owners and operators are encouraged to be creative when thinking of methods to enhance the experience for car users. Here are some simple ideas for improving the quality of parking provision...
New research shows that consumers are increasingly price-sensitive when it comes to parking. So can excessive charges have a real impact on footfall?
Parkex 2013, Europe’s largest parking exhibition, will take place in Hall 5 at the NEC Birmingham from 16 - 18 April 2013
Gravesham Borough Council (GBC) is installing 42 solar-powered Parkeon Strada Transfer parking terminals to replace the old, off-street machines in Gravesend
A project to install a protective dual function waterproofing and anti-skid system to the car park of the IKEA store near Leeds has been completed using Stirling Lloyd’s Decseal
Founded by Ian Betts, former president of the British Parking Association, Parking Data & Research International started collating a database of UK ‘publicly accessible’ car parks in 1996.
Until the internal combustion engine is superceded, car parking is not going to be agreen activity. But there’s plenty that can be done to reduce the carbon footprint of a typical car park
Vinci Park is looking to bring a fresh approach, based on its international experience, to the UK parking scene
Disabled spaces are a challenge for car park operators everywhere, and new research suggests legislation is forcing them to provide too many spaces
The typically shady and inhospitable environment of underground car parks has been radically transformed in Brighton, where the 350-space ‘The Lanes’ facility has received a welcoming and flawless finish thanks to the Sikafloor System
Fire safety and air quality are key considerations in shopping centre car park design. Lee Hewings, car park specialist at the SCS Group, explains how it is possible to cut energy costs and help the environment while achieving safe conditions, even in older car parks.
Parkex, Europe’s largest dedicated parking event, took place in Earls Court at the beginning of March with some new products designed to shake up the retail sector in particular.
A new iPhone App has been created to help shoppers find the cheapest car park when they make a trip into town. The Nosey Parker is the only application to provide specific car park locations and prices in the UK, with a database containing 13,400 car parks offering a total 1.8 million spaces.
In 2012, ROI Team interviewed 170 shoppers inside County Square shopping centre, Ashford, Kent. More than two thirds of those shoppers said they choose where to shop based on provision of car parking facilities, with this factor of particular importance to the wealthiest shoppers.
Thought to be a first in the parking industry, Amano has launched a new fully funded rental offering at parking exhibition Parkex- on this week at the NEC in Birmingham - allowing car park operators to see profits from day one of installation.
Parkex, Europe’s largest dedicated parking exhibition, will be returning from 16 - 18 April in Hall 5 at the NEC in Birmingham, and is free to attend. Visitors will be given the chance to meet and greet over 350 specialist suppliers and get to grips with the latest products and services.
The car park at Eastgate in Basildon is nearing the end of a much-needed comprehensive refurbishment.
This year’s Parkex saw the typical range of quality product launches and new innovation. One area of heightened focus was the relationship between parking and retail. Having been a hot topic of discussion for years, parking companies are finally turning ideas and research into enhanced technology and marketable products.
Amano, with its long-established Xparc range of pay on foot equipment, has appointed Metric Group as its exclusive UK sales distribution channel.
New research shows high parking charges reduce footfall in small centres
Outsourcing car park management hasn’t always been the first choice for shopping centre landlords, with most preferring to retain control and do it in-house. But those that strike partnerships with private car park operators are finding the pros outweigh the cons
Wheel clamping is to be banned from 1 October under the Protection of Freedoms Act. What impact will it have? asks Rupert Williams.
Visitors to Westfield London will now be able to park at the centre all day for a maximum charge of £5 Monday to Friday and £8 at weekends.
St George’s shopping centre in Preston has become one the first North West centres to introduce an electric vehicle charging station.
Data on who uses a car park and when is a useful planning tool, as airports are already discovering
When Jon Brewer damaged his car after driving into a hidden kerb in a car park, he set out to make protection from low walls, barriers, kerbs, bollards and other vehicles commercially viable.
The recent snow has underlined the need for the correct equipment to keep car parks and access roads open.
Keeping shopping centre car parks in good condition is a great way to improve customer experience and increase loyalty in a lean time when keeping customers coming back is vital to revenue streams. Refurbishments also help to save on future maintenance costs and ensure the car park is safe. So, what products and services are available to prevent the deterioration of car parks? And what are the best practices for keeping car parks in top condition?
Colder than average months in October and November are already driving sales at workplace equipment supplier Slingsby’s purpose-built salt facility as increasing numbers of retailers choose to prepare early for winter.
Life care plans are an intrinsic part of car park maintenance but is there a more effective way of managing the process? Russell Simmons of Pyle Car Park Consultants provides his view on the future of life care planning.
£500,000 Olympic parking operation launched at Brent Cross shopping centre, London
One of the twenty-eight recommendations outlined in Mary Portas’ High Street Review focused on the provision of free parking in town centres. But if adopted, how will this affect in-town shopping centres which rely on parking fees as one of their biggest revenue generators?
Free parking in out-of-town retail destinations is the norm but could parking costs be waived, if only for limited periods, in town centre shopping centres too?
Parking technology has moved on considerably in recent years, as has the desire of landlords to make their car parks as inviting and efficient as possible.
Information systems can make the most efficient use of available parking spaces, and improve the customer experience.
WPS provide complete integrated parking solutions with a continuous focus on innovative end-to-end solutions, reliable products and trustworthy support and maintenance providing customers with a tailor-made solution to every unique challenge.
Standard Life‘s UK Property Fund has bought the Rockingham Street car park in Sheffield for £13m
Few shopping centres run their own car parks but it is becoming more common. Should centre owners consider taking the management of their car parks in-house? And what are the benefits of doing so?
Automated number plate recognition cameras are becoming a car park mainstay but striking a balance between fair enforcement and protecting motorists is proving difficult, even for seasoned operator.
Fire safety is one area where strict guidelines need to be adhered to, writes Keith Elves
Shopping centres are prioritising car park refurbishments, investing in keeping them not only well maintained but looking fresh and welcoming – making those all important first impressions count for shoppers arriving by car. In Inverness Grosvenor has just refurbished the car park at the Eastgate Centre
The multi-storey car park at Gloucester Quays Designer Outlet has achieved the coveted Park Mark award for safer parking.
Fire safety and air quality are key considerations in shopping centre car park design. Lee Hewings, car park specialist at the SCS Group, explains how it is possible to cut energy costs and help the environment while achieving safe conditions, even in older car parks
Car parks are often the first and last points of contact for shopping centre visitors and customer service in this area is often overlooked. So, how can customer experience be improved before people even set foot in the mall?
USL StructureCare and BASF Construction Chemicals have been working together for the past decade to provide integrated solutions for multi-storey car parks.
New technology is transforming parking payment systems, with a plethora of competing solutions. WPS remains a firm advocate of the humble barcode
Vinci Park has acquired Meteor Parking from the Go-Ahead Group, in a move which will double the specialist parking operator’s size in the UK
A municipal multi-storey car park in South-West London has been given a facelift thanks to the application of the Tremco illbruck MMA decking system. The 15-storey Bittoms Car Park in the centre of Kingston Upon Thames was refurbished in a phased programme lasting just six weeks.
Could a national network of charging points give a much needed boost to sluggish sales of Electric Vehicles?
Data processing giant cements position in UK parking sector
Access control and parking solutions from supplier APT Skidata – whose UK clients include the Bullring – are helping its clients to collect and utilise invaluable customer relationship management data, implement loyalty reward schemes and ultimately improve customer retention levels.
Electric Vehicle charge points could be a point of difference for shopping centre car parks
A Rugby shopping centre has received Park Mark status following an independent audit by the British Parking Association and a local Police Officer specialising in measures to help crime reduction.
Parking technology specialist APT Skidata has implemented a substantial software
and hardware upgrade to the parking systems at Telford shopping centre in the West Midlands
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has removed centrally-imposed restrictions on how many car parking spaces can be provided in English town centres
Parkex 2011, Europe’s largest dedicated parking exhibition, which takes place between 29 – 31 March at the NEC in Birmingham, has revealed its programme.
Is the end in sight for clamping on private land? And if it is, what other enforcement measures can centres take?
The government has announced that wheel clamping on private land – including shopping centre car parks - will be banned in England and Wales.
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