In the last 5 financial years, there were 7,371 fire incidents in retail premises in England, Scotland & Wales

It is often surprising to people that large retail premises do not have sprinklers. The current guidance requires sprinklers in retail spaces greater than 20,000m2 businesses, which is quite significant space. Over the last 5 financial years, just 4.4 % of fire incidents in retail premises reported sprinklers as being present. Highlighting some significant retail space that has no sprinkler protection. This is a concerning statistic which must change through a culture shift in the industry and crucially, amongst business owners.