From May 2021, British Land’s Retail Operations division will begin using PlanRadar in the field to track repairs, works and recurring maintenance at their locations across the country. The company’s retail portfolio, which stretches from Plymouth to Inverness, includes a range of retail parks, shopping centres and superstores.

Management of a large portfolio spread across large distances requires members of their field-based team to travel extensively and to maximise their time spent on the ground at any location.

“After trialling PlanRadar in 2020, we’re excited to begin using the software across our properties,” said Richard Nield, Head of Retail Operations at British Land. “At the moment, there is particular pressure on retail managers to reduce operating costs. We see PlanRadar as an option that will provide concrete time-savings for our colleagues while being cost-effective. The initial roll-out will focus on streamlining the repair and maintenance process, but we see plenty of other processes that could benefit from this flexible solution in the future.”

While some of the retail team’s operations at British Land have been digitised, management of repairs has always required more manual input. Additional time was needed after a site visit to record evidence, decisions made and file purchase orders. With PlanRadar’s flexible task management features, property managers can use their mobile devices to pinpoint a fault on a digital plan while at a property. They can add photographs, voice memos and other evidence and send the task directly to a supplier for resolution. Suppliers are able to access the platform via free accounts so that they can communicate directly and update progress.

By digitising this process, the property manager automatically compiles a complete record of all communication and decisions, plus date- and time-stamped evidence all stored in one place that is easy to access in the event of insurance claims or future due diligence.

PlanRadar’s Matt Ryan, Country Manager for the UK & Sweden, said “’British Land came to us looking for a simple, cost-effective solution for repairs and maintenance - and crucially one that wouldn’t be an additional burden to staff or suppliers, instead adapting to their existing processes. We’re delighted that the testing phase went well and we look forward to a successful collaboration, and helping the team to reduce their operating costs.”