With our unpredictable UK weather, a commercial awning provides a convenient way to keep your customers feeling comfortable at all times. Of course, they provide shelter from the sun’s heat and glare. But they also protect your customers, clients or coworkers from unexpected drizzle and light showers. Some awnings even provide a little wind protection for your outdoor area. There are many types of awnings for businesses – read on to find out which might be the right choice for you.
Different uses of awnings for businesses
Restaurants and cafes
In the summer months, commercial awnings can be used to expand your available seating and increase the number of covers you can have in your restaurant on busy days.
If you own a café with a little on-street seating, a branded awning serves two purposes. It provides an inviting shaded area for your customers to enjoy, and it also provides more visibility for your business.
Bars and pubs
It’s no secret that when people drink, some also like to smoke. If your bar doesn’t have a designated outdoor space, a branded awning over the entrance provides a welcoming area for customers to congregate.
And who doesn’t love sitting outdoors in a pub garden on a sunny afternoon? In the summer, many would prefer to soak up the sun’s rays. But there are plenty of days in spring and autumn where a little shelter allows guests to sit outside without getting cold or wet.
Retail shops
Customers are more likely to come and look in your windows if your shop looks appealing from the outside. An eye-catching branded awning in your signature colours is a great way to make sure your business stands out on the high street.
If there is a sudden shower, people tend to head for the nearest source of shelter. Some will likely end up popping into your store to have a browse while they wait for the rain to stop. Therefore, branded awnings benefit retail stores for two reasons: they help existing customers locate your shop more easily, and they can also entice new customers into your doors.
Offices
A commercial awning placed over some picnic tables can provide an area for breaks, lunches and even meetings on warmer days. In the UK, we spend up to 90% of our time indoors. Getting away from our screens and into some fresh air is good for our health and can work as part of a wider drive to improve employee wellbeing in your organisation.
Temperature regulation
If your business has large glass windows, you might feel like you’re sweating in a greenhouse during the summer months. Instead of cranking up the air conditioning, consider installing an awning over your windows. By providing shade and blocking the sun’s rays (but not the view), these small commercial awnings can lower the amount of heat that builds up in your premises.
Improving brand recognition
Custom awnings for businesses are designed in your brand colours. You can even have your logo printed on the front, as large or as small as you’d like. A well-designed branded awning provides more curb appeal for your business and is a form of free advertising you can leave up all year.
Types of commercial awnings
Canopies
These are small awnings that aren’t really designed to be extended or retracted. Rather, they sit atop the doors or windows of your business permanently. Canopies are ideal for high street businesses and can be made to measure in your brand colours. If you install a canopy over your windows where you have stock on display, they will also help to protect your items from UV damage – bleaching, fading, and so on.
Retractable awnings
This is a versatile option that works well for businesses that have small amounts of outdoor space. A retractable awning can be extended or retracted with a crank handle whenever you need shade or shelter.
Motorised awnings
Undoubtedly the most convenient type of commercial awning and perfect for busy business owners. These electric awnings can extend and retract themselves, so you don’t need to take the time to do it. There are many other unique benefits to motorised awnings too.
Specialist awnings
Includes vertical awnings, pergola awnings, balcony awnings, and others. Each of these has their own benefits. A vertical awning is less about providing shelter outdoors and more about protecting your windows and interior furnishings from the sun, so they are better suited to offices. A balcony awning is similar to a regular awning, but is installed over a balcony instead of over a door or on the exterior of your building. A pergola awning is a freestanding, more permanent solution but can only be installed in larger spaces.
Custom awnings for businesses
Because all of our awnings are made to measure, we can make them exactly how you want! We can use your brand colours, print your logo on the front of your awning, and even customise the cassette so that everything matches perfectly.
Commercial all weather awnings
If you need a solution that can hold up to stronger winds and rain, you might want to consider a more permanent structure like a pergola instead of a retractable awning. If your awning is used year-round (for example, the smoking area of a pub garden) then you might want to consider heating for commercial awnings. Many can be fitted with heat lamps and lighting to keep things feeling cosy even in the coldest and darkest months.
How to choose the right awnings for commercial property
With the wide range of external solar shading available on the market, it’s possible to find something to fit every business. If you run a countryside pub, you might prefer a rustic-looking awning or pergola that fits with the vibe of your building.
Or maybe you own a modern café with a trendy coworking space. You will probably want a sleek retractable awning to provide shade or protect laptop users from light drizzle.
If you run a retail shop on a high street, then drawing attention with a brightly-coloured awning or canopy is one of the best ways to improve brand recognition and entice customers in.
Are you extremely busy at work all day? A motorised awning can be retracted instantly using a remote control or even just your mobile phone.
Maybe you don’t even have time to look out the window when you’re working. Premium motorised awnings can be fitted with weather sensors so that they retract automatically when they detect heavy rain or high winds.
Create your own commercial or branded awning
Let’s create a custom awning for your business. If you’re still not sure which type of awning is best for your premises, contact us for more information and we’d be happy to walk you through the options in more detail. If you’d like to see some of our awnings in action, visit our showroom.
