It’s overwhelming just thinking about pest control for a shopping mall. After all, the size of your average shopping mall is over 150,000 square feet. Then there are bigger malls like the Mall of America, with its whopping 4,870,000 square feet. All that space that includes countless nooks, crannies, drains, basements, dumpsters, stores, and dining establishments. All of which will attract all kinds of pests.

With such a huge, dynamic space to look after, what can any property manager possibly do? The answer is to treat a shopping mall as dozens of different, individual pieces instead of one huge entity. First, figure out which types of stores are more likely to have certain pest problems. Then, provide the right materials and training to the right tenants. Approaching pest control one store at a time will help you keep your mall pest-free. Here’s how to take care of a couple of shops you almost certainly have in your mall:

Coffee Shop Pest Prevention

What’s a shopping megaplex without a few dozen chain coffee brands thrown in the mix? In addition to concerns about conventional retail pest prevention, coffee shops have to worry about stored product pests. Grain moths, coffee berry borers, rice weevils, and lots of other pests love snacking on stored foodstuffs… like coffee. They’re known for chewing through boxes or sneaking in through deliveries to eat and breed in your dry goods.

The best way to prevent pantry pests is to stay on top of kitchen and storage room cleanliness. Make sure all food inventory is stored in airtight, sealed plastic containers. Clean up after spills thoroughly and constantly. Check your storage room for any inventory leakage regularly. Securing your dry food will help keep pantry pests away from it.

Luxury Goods Pest Prevention

We’ve talked about the importance of integrated pest management for retail stores before. This approach is especially relevant to luxury good suppliers. A luxury good store is selling more than just an item. They’re selling a lifestyle, an image. Reputation management is critical to many high-end brands. When image is one of your biggest selling points, you have to work especially hard to maintain it. IPM is perfect for luxury stores it’s all about specialized prevention and training.

The two biggest things to consider when adopting IPM for your store are thoughtfulness and relationships. Consider how you might be drawing pests in and how you can stop. Teach your employees to identify and report signs of pest problems. Take steps to learn about your environment. Partner with a trusted pest control company before disaster strikes. Preventing pests is an important part of maintaining the image and reputation of your store. To prevent pests, you’ll have to know a thing or two about them.

Clothing Store Pest Prevention

Clothing stores are a very popular mall destination for most people… and pests. Moths and beetles are particularly attracted to clothing stores. They feed on and even lay eggs inside of clothing fabric. Once fabric-eating pests have infiltrated stores, they’re difficult to remove without professional help.

Obviously, preventing fabric-eating pests in the first place is far preferable to wiping them out after they show up. Luckily, it’s also easier. If you regularly vacuum carpets, rugs, and furniture, you can suck up eggs before they hatch. Keep any clothing that isn’t on display in sealed hard plastic containers, preferably in dry, bright places. Make sure none of the clothing on display is dirty, and clean your inventory regularly.

 

If we tried to give tips for each individual franchise in your mall, we’d be writing forever! Fortunately, these kinds of tips cover quite a few of the stores found in most shopping malls.

If you have questions about niche-store-specific pest prevention techniques, give Assured a call. Our experts are always prepared to give you the service and expertise you’re looking for.