The owner of Valli Opticians in Halifax has been talking to The Halifax Courier about how his store is now open once again, some five months after the flooding that hit the area on Boxing Day last year caused enormous damage his building.
The opticians has now reopened its doors after investing £300,000 in refurbishments and, importantly, on changes that will protect the building should similar flooding happen again in the future.
Protecting your commercial premises with property owners insurance is an important part of setting up a business and will ensure that if your premises should be damaged by flood or fire, you will have the cash to refurbish it and get back on your feet as soon as possible.
Moin Valli, the owner of the opticians in Halifax, explained: “We only expected to be closed for a few weeks, but it soon became clear we had to look at our business continuity planning to make sure there wasn’t a repetition. It gave us an opportunity to update the interior and radically overhaul the customer experience. But structurally there has been a virtual rebuild to ensure the building is as flood proof as it can be.”
As part of the improvement works, all floors were replaced and a waterproof vinyl layer was installed, while all the shop's walls were coated in waterproof render. The furniture, meanwhile, was all remade from scratch using a water resistant MDF material.
Valli concluded: "The team have been amazing travelling to other practises and keeping patients informed where possible. We will never know the new business we have been missed because the door was closed, but the new practice should ensure it never happens again."
