Putting Customer Comfort at the Forefront with Fortnum and Mason.

The Overview

Thermoscreens supplied bespoke air curtains for the iconic Fortnum & Mason Piccadilly store, helping improve customer comfort, reduce energy loss and maintain a stable retail environment across multiple busy entrances.

As one of London’s most prestigious department stores, Fortnum & Mason required a commercial air curtain solution that could effectively separate indoor and outdoor climates while complementing the building’s existing infrastructure and operational requirements.

The Challenge of Climate Control in a Luxury Retail Store

The Fortnum & Mason Piccadilly store features multiple customer entrances to maximise accessibility and footfall. However, with doors opening constantly throughout the day, large volumes of conditioned air were escaping from the building.

During winter, cold external air entering the store reduced customer comfort and created draughts near entrances. During warmer months, heat ingress made it more difficult to maintain stable internal temperatures, increasing the load on the building’s heating and cooling systems.

For a luxury retail environment, maintaining a comfortable and consistent indoor climate was especially important. Fluctuating temperatures and unwanted condensation could negatively impact both customer experience and temperature-sensitive displays, including confectionery and chocolate products.

Fortnum & Mason required a retail air curtain solution that would deliver effective climate separation while working within the constraints of the existing building layout, ceiling voids and power supplies.

Bespoke Air Curtain Installation for Fortnum & Mason

Following multiple site surveys, Thermoscreens’ technical team carried out a full assessment of the store’s entrances, infrastructure requirements and future BMS integration plans.

To create the optimum climate separation solution, Thermoscreens supplied a bespoke combination of commercial air curtains from across its product range, including:

• A 2m surface-mounted Compact Air Curtain
• A 1.5m recessed Compact Air Curtain
• A 2m surface-mounted HX Commercial Air Curtain

The HX Commercial Air Curtain was selected for entrances requiring enhanced air velocity projection and improved airflow uniformity across wider openings.

By designing the installation around the existing infrastructure, Thermoscreens minimised the amount of building work required while still delivering a high-performance air curtain solution for the department store.

Improved Customer Comfort and Energy Efficiency

The Fortnum & Mason air curtain installation successfully created an invisible barrier between the indoor and outdoor environments, reducing unwanted air exchange at the entrances.

As a result, the store benefited from:

• Improved customer comfort throughout busy entrance areas
• Reduced cold draughts and external heat ingress
• Improved temperature stability across the retail environment
• Better protection for temperature-sensitive product displays
• Elimination of condensation near entrances
• Reduced heating and cooling energy demand
• Minimal disruption during installation works

By reducing the escape of conditioned air, the commercial air curtain system also helped improve the overall energy efficiency of the building.

Conclusion

Thermoscreens continues to provide bespoke retail air curtain solutions for leading commercial and luxury retail environments across the UK.

For Fortnum & Mason, Thermoscreens delivered a tailored air curtain installation that improved customer comfort, enhanced climate control and reduced energy loss throughout the iconic Piccadilly department store.

Find out more about Thermoscreens’ retail air curtain solutions and explore the commercial air curtain product range.

Read the full case study here