Curved glass is a popular choice in retail environments such as shopping centres and high streets. With the rise of online shopping, it has never been more important for retail businesses to showcase their products with the best possible visual appeal to attract higher footfall.
Offering an enhanced visual experience, curved glass windows can offer bespoke design options and greater aesthetic appeal for customers, leading to enhanced profitability.
Keep reading to learn more about your options when it comes to the specialist application of curved retail windows!
Benefits of curved windows for retail spaces
There are great advantages to choosing curved glass over standard flat glass in retail environments.
Curved glass can enhance product visibility by creating a wider field of vision compared to flat glass. This can catch the attention of passing customers, unlike a single-plane view with flat glass, which is especially important during seasonal times or to showcase upcoming sales.
Curved glass units can also be made in bespoke sizes, and at Specialist Glass Products, we can curve glass up to 5900mm x 3200mm. Curved glass retail windows can also enhance the visual impact, creating a sense of luxury and improving customer experience.
Large curved glass shopfront units also encourage more natural light to enter the space, which is beneficial for certain products, such as jewellery, art, or furniture.
Safety glass for retail windows
There are additional benefits for a retail business when using safety glass in curved windows, including increased security from theft, enhanced protection against accidental breakages and greater peace of mind when having wares on display.
A safety glass window must adhere to British Standard Regulations (2010) for retail spaces in the UK. For example, safety glass can be created by toughening or laminating units to provide additional safety in critical areas such as glass shop front doorways, low-level glazing or glass balconies.
Toughened safety glass is suitable for small and oversized curved shop front windows, and can be combined with Low Emissivity or solar control glass for bespoke benefits based on your requirements and budget.
Design and fitting considerations when choosing curved glass windows
The unit must align perfectly with the frame and supporting structure to remain durable and safe when fitting curved shopfronts or a safety glass window.
At Specialist Glass Products, we can assist right from the start by producing drawings from a template using our state-of-the-art proliner measuring system. Alternatively, our drawing team can assist with Computer Aided Design (CAD) measurements to ensure the end product is precise to your requirements.
Specialist applications for curved glass windows
One of the best things about a curved glass shopfront is how you can customise the types of glass used in the manufacturing process to suit your requirements.
Solar control glass
Solar control glass is designed to reflect or absorb solar radiation and helps maintain optimal building temperatures. It’s particularly beneficial in retail environments like shopping centres, where occupant comfort will dictate how long they spend shopping and can contribute towards lower energy bills.
Low-Emissivity glass
We also offer bespoke units of low-emissivity glass, which features a thin, transparent coating to reflect infrared energy while allowing visible light to pass through. This type of glass greatly increases the energy efficiency of a building by reducing heat loss in winter and minimising heat gain in summer.
Whether you want to lower energy bills or replace with a new curved glass shopfront, we can support your bespoke requirements using our state-of-the-art glass processing equipment.
Fluted glass
For those looking for a decorative shop front window, fluted glass can be curved to bespoke sizes and shapes. Fluted, or reeded glass, has a transparent look with vertical grooves, which can help contribute to a stylist and modern shop front design.
A fluted glass shop front window can also support noise control too, due to its grooved texture, which can minimise the transfer of soundwaves. While true acoustic glass should be applied if sound pollution is a major concern, fluted glass is suitable to slightly dull any unwanted sounds and help create a comfortable shopping experience.
How Specialist Glass Products can help
At Specialist Glass Products, we specialise in creating bespoke curved windows and shopfronts of all shapes and sizes. Our extensive knowledge of specialist application glass means we can help you create the perfect glass shopfront to enhance your retail space.
Get in touch today to discuss your requirements with our friendly team.
