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Applications

Flood Protection for Shops and Retail Stores

A shop sits at street level behind a glazed front, with an entrance that opens straight onto the sidewalk and stock close to the floor. These are the barriers we propose for store entrances and shopfronts.

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Red ABS flood barrier panels set along the front of a cafe on a wet street in the rain

Where water gets in

The openings to plan for

  • The main entrance and automatic sliding doors at street level
  • Glazed shopfronts where the glass meets the sill or the floor
  • Rear and service doors off lanes and parking lots
  • Stockrooms and back-of-house areas with doors to the outside

Barriers that suit this site

Products to consider

Aluminum Flood Barriers

Aluminum Flood Barriers

Each set is made to the width of the entrance or shopfront, with panels in 200 mm (about 8 in) increments up to 2,000 mm (about 6.5 ft). One person can fit or remove a set in under 10 minutes, and the panels lift straight out so the store can reopen once the water has gone.

Best for: Owned premises and glazed frontages

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ABS Portable Flood Barriers

ABS Portable Flood Barriers

Nothing is fixed to the building: the panels are set down across the front, lock together by hand and are held down by the weight of the water on their base. They hold back and divert water, and some seepage can occur.

Best for: Leased stores and long frontages

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Oxford Barriers

Oxford Barriers

It adjusts from 15 cm to 130 cm (about 6 to 51 in) wide and protects up to 900 mm (about 35 in), with no tools needed. It folds flat to store behind the counter and seals best on a flat, smooth sidewalk; minor seepage can occur on uneven ones.

Best for: Single entrance doors

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Water-Activated Sandbags

Water-Activated Sandbags

Stored flat, they take little room in a stockroom and swell to 18–22 kg (about 40–49 lb) in 2–3 minutes once wet with fresh water. They are reusable and cover rear doors and the gaps at the ends of a barrier.

Best for: Rear doors and gaps

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Choosing between them

Owners who can fix side channels to the shopfront usually get the closest fit from aluminum panels, made for that opening with seals clamped against the frame and floor.

Tenants often cannot fix anything to the facade. ABS panels and Oxford barriers need no installation and can be kept in the stockroom; ABS suits a long frontage and Oxford suits a single door. Both hold back and divert water, and some seepage can occur.

Whichever barrier goes across the front, check the rear and service doors as well. Sandbags are a compact way to cover them.

What we need to quote

  • Width and height of each opening
  • Photos of each opening and the ground on both sides
  • How high the water has reached before, or the flood height to plan for
  • Whether power is available at the opening, and what traffic crosses it
  • The city and country of the site
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FAQ

Questions we hear about shops and retail stores

Can I fit a barrier if I lease the shop?
ABS panels, Oxford barriers and sandbags need no fixings, so they suit leased premises. Aluminum barriers need side channels fixed to the shopfront, which usually needs the landlord's agreement.
How quickly can the store be protected?
An aluminum set takes one person under 10 minutes, and Oxford barriers set up in minutes without tools. ABS panels are carried out and locked together by hand, so the time depends mostly on the length of the frontage.
Can you quote for several stores at once?
Yes. Send the entrance sizes and photos for each store and we can prepare one proposal covering all of them. Bulk quantities of sandbags are quoted per order.

Related applications

Shopping centers and malls

A shopping center (shopping centre) combines basement parking, many public entrances, loading docks and street-level tenancies on one site. These are the barriers we propose for each type of opening across it.

Commercial buildings and offices

Office and commercial buildings usually have a glazed lobby, a vehicle entry and several service doors at street level. These are the barriers we propose for each of those openings.

Hotels, cafes and restaurants

Hospitality sites need their doors open to guests until the last moment, then closed quickly when water comes. These are the barriers we suggest for lobbies, dining-room doors and hotel parking.

Send the opening sizes and a few photos.

We reply within 1 business day with a recommendation for each opening and a quote for the whole site.

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