Site address: Houghton Hall
Project value: £88,000

PROJECT OVERVIEW

The project was a first collaboration for LTR with the Klondyke Group of 24 garden centres in England, Scotland and Wales, trading under names including Klondyke Garden Centres and Strikes Garden Centres.

When Houghton Hall opened in April 2006, it had stairs leading up to its mezzanine floor, with a platform lift for disabled access. Some 12 months later, the group chairman decided that installing escalators would improve comfort and convenience for visitors to the venue.

Challenges of the project included carrying out the work – including breaking out concrete for the escalator motor pit – while the garden centre continued as a retail site.

PRODUCT

LTR won the contract to supply and install two glass escalators, supplied by a leading Chinese manufacturer, after its tender came out ahead of larger competitors in terms of both price and service.

The escalators were delivered after closing time but all other assembly and installation work took place during the garden centre’s opening hours, behind screens and with careful attention to health and safety issues, to minimise disruption to the retail business.

CUSTOMER COMMENTS

Chris Mackie, the in-house architect for the Klondyke Group, said: “From delivery of the escalators to final commissioning, the process took three weeks, which was right on schedule.

“The escalator installation was carried out during opening hours – it’s not a particularly noisy or dirty process – behind screen, so although we lost some retail floorspace, it was business as usual.

Throughout, we found our relationship with LTR to be both amicable and constructive.

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