De Boer meets Toys “R” Us challenge

De Boer Structures has created two temporary stores for Toys “R” Us to enable the market-leading retailer to continue business as usual during major refurbishment works.

Replacement stores
The replacement stores, which are each expected to remain in place for around five months, have been constructed on car parks alongside existing retail units at Western Esplanade in Southampton city centre and at Brent Cross in north London.

Shop-floor areas
As well as supplying shop-floor areas for customers, De Boer provided behind-the-scenes storage facilities, while sections of the temporary Brent Cross store had to be raised by up to a metre because of the slope of the car park. In total, each store measured more than 1,200 square metres.

Cabin-style offices
The assignments have involved De Boer arranging a broad range of facilities and services in addition to the structures themselves. These have included the supply of cabin-style offices, toilet facilities, fire alarm and smoke alarm systems, lighting, temperature control, internal partitioning and electrical services such as distribution and sockets.

Strong facilities 
The replacement stores have also demonstrated the strength of De Boer’s temporary structures – by withstanding gale-force winds that swept across the UK recently.

Satisfied customer
Iain Sutton, Toys “R” Us Project Manager, said: “The structures have certainly worked extremely well and have done precisely what De Boer said they would. They also withstood the ferocious winds during the violent storms that hit the South.”

Adaptable A-frames
De Boer provided Toys “R” Us with highly adaptable A-frame structures, which can be erected in a range of lengths and widths. The structures supplied at Brent Cross and Southampton were fitted with a range of innovative features including five-metre-wide, glass-panelled, automatic doors for use by customers and roller-shutter doors in the rear loading bays.

Sourcing of sub-contractors
De Boer Business Continuity Director Mical de Boer said: “The work at Brent Cross and Southampton saw De Boer offering a complete service, including sourcing and management of a broad range of sub-contractors.

Minimal disruption
“As with previous assignments for retailers, De Boer needed to liaise closely with Toys “R” Us to minimise any potential disruption during the build process. We needed to follow a meticulously prepared timetable to ensure the temporary facilities could be created alongside existing stores without any inconvenience to customers.”

Responding to technical challenges
De Boer Senior Project Manager Jackie Gregson-Brown said: “Creating facilities for retailers provides specific technical challenges. As well as issues such as access and visitor safety, we need to provide solutions that are secure, that are of a very high standard of finish and that accurately reflect the specific needs of each client. For Toys “R” Us we needed to tackle the assignment without the client losing a single day’s trading!”

Business continuity services
De Boer’s business continuity service has been used by a broad range of organisations including retailers, wholesalers, emergency services, energy firms and airport operators. Individual facilities have ranged from storage units to motor showrooms and from office suites to airport baggage-handling halls.