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Never Board Up Again: How Retailers Can Break the Costly Cycle of Board Up, Pull Down, Repeat

By July 7, 2021September 22nd, 2022Retail, Riot Glass, Safety & Security Films, Window Film
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Improving Building Envelope Security with NGS

Are you tired of boarding up and tearing back down again, only to find your retail location still suffered damages? With the use of NGS’s security glass systems, your storefront has protection from storm damage, civil unrest, burglary, organized retail crime, and much more. With the use of our innovative storefront hardening solutions, you can stop the time-consuming, inefficient, and often ineffective process of boarding up.  

FREE DOWNLOAD Storefront Security and Emergency Response Report Download Now!

Boarding Up Storefronts Doesn’t Cut It Anymore  

Whether you are using a roll-down gate, barricaded windows, or wooden panels to board up your store, entry to your location is still attainable within a short time. In fact, the cost of the board up, pull down, and repair cycle previously cost one of our retail clients an alarming $2M.  

The Facts and Figures  

The Insurance Information Institute reported that after the civil unrest riots alone, there was an approximated $2B in property damages. These numbers do not include the damages from politically charged riots in 2020, which was about an additional $30M in damages 

The Terrible Trifecta  

The reason that there is a need for premium window glazing in retail today is based on the Terrible Trifecta. That which includes:   

  • Civil unrest  
  • Natural disasters 
  • Crime  

There has been a significant rise in the items listed above causing the need for safer, more secure storefronts to increase. Wouldn’t it be better if there was a permanent, security solution that didn’t change the aesthetics of your building? With our tiered security approach, we can keep your establishment safe.  

Tiered Security for Your Business 

The key factors at play to develop a security plan are building envelope security, access control technology, physical security, and glass hardening (window glazing). Considering that glass makes up the majority of most storefronts, it is a weak link in retail security.  

Now let’s get into what storefront window film we recommend using at your location.  

Tier 1: 3M™ Ultra 800 Security Film & 3M Impact Protection Adhesive 

The Ultra Series 800 window film is the first tier in our layered security system. With the use of premier tear-resistance technology and multilayer bomb blast mitigation, this product shields victims from shattering glass upon forced entry into a building. Not only is this film designed to protect windows, but it is also Class A fire-resistant. The addition of the 3M Impact Protection adhesive completes the system by anchoring the film and the glass to the frame for improved performance.  

 

Tier 2: The TRI-SHIELD® Security System 

Our forced entry protection system, TRI-SHIELD, has been proven effective at resisting, delaying, and preventing attackers from stepping foot inside targeted businesses. The tested strength of this product can withstand ten strikes with a ball-peen hammer and remain intact. Check out TRI-SHIELD in action in this video footage of an actual forced entry attack:

 

TRI-SHIELD has been field-tested to improve performance by almost a factor of three times compared to standard interior only security film applications 

Tier 3: Riot Glass® Access Denial  

The technology for riot glass windows hit the market in the past few years. Riot Glass uses custom engineering, framework, and ArmorPlast paneling with abrasion coating. In addition to these safety features, Riot Glass™ passed the Miami-Dade Large Missile Impact Test to showcase its powerful hurricane-rated protection.  

  

 

In most cases, retail locations opt for Riot Glass™ on their glass doors and TRI-SHIELD on their windows. However, each setup is unique to your security needs.  

Retail Success Stories 

Our retail client, Hibbett | City Gear, has over 1,000 locations across 35 states in the U.S. Since its switch to NGS it has seen a positive shift in its property protection from storms, riots, and robberies. Hibbett’s Director of Property Management & Facilities, Justin Farr, remarked how well NGS products worked for their locations during hurricane season.   

“For hurricane protection within 50 miles of the coast, we have TRI-SHIELD on all storefronts,” states Farr. “This prevents us from having to board up stores. In some cases, during storms, you can’t find a vendor to put up the boards, or our team members can’t complete the task in time.” 

A True Test of Security Prevention  

When it comes to the security benefits of Riot Glass™ and other security glass systems, the Senior Manager of Property Management, Jennifer Hill recalled an occurrence at one of the City Gear locations in downtown Atlanta. She said, “When NGS was on-site to install the riot glass, [the rioters said] that they were going to come back, and they were going to break in. They were going to riot the store. Thankfully, they did not get in and they did not steal any merchandise, so it was definitely beneficial for us.” 

Never Board Up Again  

Get out of the costly board-up cycle today. If you are interested in learning more about how we can improve your retail location’s building envelope security, check out our on-demand webinar. 

Protect People and Property with Safety and Security Window Film
Hosted by  James Beale
Learn how 3M Safety and Security Window Film can help you increase building security, reduce loss from theft and property damage, protect and mitigate damage from human impact, glass breakage, intrusion, blast mitigation, seismic activity, windstorm, and graffiti.

 


Photo by j on Unsplash

 

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