Encasement discusses how its high-quality column casings and wall linings can add performance and aesthetic appeal to a wide range of retail environments.

Forma column casings with wood-effect PPC finish at the A1 Shopping Park in Biggleswade 

As retailers re-open and shoppers return to the high street, malls and retail parks following the gradual easing of Covid related restrictions, the retail sector and construction industry are also assessing the opportunities, as they emerge from the extended unplanned hiatus.

Retail has always been a dynamic environment, not only reflecting and meeting the needs of buyers, but often driving change and the way consumers interact with products as part of the purchasing decision, whether it’s a low-cost everyday item or high-value luxury product.

In all these situations, the purchasing environment is an important part of the retail experience, from the interior design of a shop to the floorplan and style of a multi-level retail mall, and all points in between. However, the importance of combining practicality as an integral part of decorative design is essential to ensure the shopping experience is enhanced.

Interior and exterior Forma column casings at Porsche West London

Practicality and aesthetics
Column casings and wall linings are a fundamental part of retail design and in addition to providing a practical method of concealing interior and exterior structural steelwork, they also add to a building’s aesthetics. With around 40 years of experience in the manufacture and supply of column casing and wall lining solutions, Encasement products are installed in a diverse range of retail projects covering the grocery sector, homeware, clothing, furniture retail, restaurants, and automotive dealerships, as well as mixed-use developments.

The company’s range has evolved to meet the changing needs of this dynamic sector and is one of the most comprehensive available in the UK, providing architects, specifiers and designers with a wide palette of materials and finishes to choose from. As Encasement also provides the option of manufacturing bespoke shapes and dimensions to individual project requirements, it’s unsurprising that its products are specified and used by many well-known brands, including, Porsche, ASDA, Kia Motors, Tesco, Next, Oak Furnitureland, and Greggs, as well as key retail parks and shopping centres across the UK.

Forma column casing with display screen at Cheshire Oaks shopping mall

Column casings and applications
Encasement’s column casings range is ideally suited for use on both new-build projects and refurbishment schemes, and includes six individual products offering a wide choice of materials and finish options dependent on whether the casings are for exterior or interior use.

Both Circa and Quadra casings are manufactured from pre-formed plywood, while the Forma range is fabricated from metal. Alongside these, the Polyma and Gypra casings are moulded, respectively, from glass reinforced plastic (GRP) and glass reinforced gypsum (GRG).

Completing the range is Metza. This is a specialised solution designed primarily for use with mezzanine floor installations to protect the supporting columns with a purpose designed fire resistant casing. Manufactured using an outer skin of coated steel, lined with a dense fire-resistant board, Metza provides one-hour fire protection, as standard, with up to two hours on request.

Circa and Quadra column casings at Blackburn Markets

While every Encasement column casing is suitable for interior use, the Forma and Polyma ranges are also widely used for exterior retail projects, such as store fronts, canopy supports or as a feature on retail park units, due to their inherent weather resistance and durability. Typically, they also provide increased life, and reduced maintenance requirements, as well as added versatility, as they can be stacked to reach extended heights.

Available in aluminium or stainless steel, Forma casings offer a diverse range of options and can be specified as circles with standard diameters from 250mm up to 1000mm, and in square, rectangular or hexagonal forms, as well as unique custom profiles. The choice of finishes is also very broad, and in addition to PPC coating options, in any RAL colour, various brushed, anodised, embossed and textured finishes can also be specified, including Rimex.

Strength, durability and colour choice are also features of the Polyma GRP range. As Polyma GRP casings are produced using moulds, this manufacturing process allows a high degree of design flexibility with shape; size and colour options all open to specification to meet bespoke project requirements, as well as standard profile options.

Quadra column casings at Shoprite on the Isle of Man

Inside and out
The versatility of Forma and Polyma makes them a common choice for retail projects for both interior and exterior applications, and the high degree of freedom they offer enables major brands to specify colours that not only adhere to their brand guidelines, but also add to the customer experience.

However, where casings are needed for interior use only, the company’s Circa and Quadra casings allow circular, square and rectangular profiles to be specified while also providing a wide range of finish options with the most popular being decorative laminated finishes. In addition to resisting damage, scuffs and scratches, laminated finishes provide specifiers with a diverse palette of finishes including plain colours, wood grains and metallics, as well as textured and real wood veneers.

For some interior applications, all that’s required is an unfinished ply column casing or a moulded Gypra GRG casing, which can be finished on-site to match the interior décor. Although these two options are usually at the lower end of the cost range, they are primarily used for decorative applications with low traffic, where there is minimal risk of damage, as they don’t possess the same durability as laminated plywood, GRP or metal.

High gloss white Polyma GRP column casings at Browns of Beverley

Like unfinished ply and GRG, laminated ply columns are usually specified from Encasement’s standard range of sizes, and although there is usually an increase in cost, this is offset by the increased product life, durability and reduced maintenance requirements.

Where a design demands a bespoke size or shape to be manufactured to an individual product specification, this would require the column casing to be either a metal Forma metal fabrication or a moulded Polyma GRP solution. As these are bespoke to a project, they are typically at the higher end of the cost spectrum, but will also typically provide the longest life and the best durability, as well as being an exclusive product.

Forma column casings and Vecta metal bulkheads at Tesco Birmingham

Vecta building linings
Alongside Encasement’s column casings, its Vecta building lining range, provides high-quality solutions for interior wall linings, bulkheads, soffits and reveals. Vecta, like the column casings, combine practicality, durability and aesthetics, enabling them to be specified in a range of retail applications and are already used in supermarkets, automotive retail, restaurants and food brands including Tesco, Prêt a Manger, Mini and Greggs.

Depending on the application, the Vecta range can be specified in a choice of materials and finishes. High-level bulkheads, such as 100-metre long solution at Tesco in Yardley, Birmingham, use PPC aluminium, although they can also be manufactured from stainless steel, as well as GRP or GRG, which can help save weight.

As GRP uses a gel-coat finish, it can also be used to support store branding and identity, while GRG can be finished on-site to match or contrast with retailer colour schemes. Wall linings can also be specified in different materials, including stainless steel, compact laminates and Rimex materials, as their role is usually to protect the fabric of the building as much as it is to add decoration.

Vecta metal wall lining and bulkhead at Greggs in Birmingham

A key point about all Vecta building linings, is that Encasement manufactures them to meet the specifications and requirements of individual projects, using its own site surveys to ensure that the panel design, dimensions and layouts are precisely engineered to simplify installation and achieve high-quality results.

By offering six different column casing ranges and the Vecta building linings system, specifiers can source a range of specialised products from a single company. Encasement always encourage specifiers to engage with them as early as possible in the life of a project. This allows specifiers to take advantage of their specialised technical knowledge and experience while enabling issues, such as the product application, material choice, finish options and budget to be understood more clearly.

Contact Details
For more information please call 01733 266889, email, or visit the Encasement website.