Bagnalls’ Rope Access Teamwork at John Lewis

24 January 2024

Bagnalls recently had the pleasure of completing a project at the John Lewis store in Leeds. We undertook this work for our client, CBRE Managed Services Limited.

A leak resulted in water damage throughout the space, necessitating redecoration works stretching from the fourth to the ground floor. This included the four bulkheads on each level throughout the main atrium.

Our team quickly realised that we could not gain access to the higher levels via traditional methods, such as mobile elevated work platforms (MEWPs), due to the load-bearing weight limit of the suspended tiled floor. Rope access stood out as the safest and most cost-effective solution.

The Bagnalls team worked alongside specialist rope access subcontractor Vertex to complete the redecoration programme in just five nights. We prepared the planned work areas for the required decoration as soon as the store closed at the end of each day. We worked to ensure that all the store’s stock and assets were fully protected during the redecoration work and that all completed areas were fully cleaned, ready for the next day’s trading.

We undertook all lower-level decoration, including the work needed on the ground floor bulkhead, while special Vertex operatives abseiled from the gantry on the top floor. The Vertex team also utilised A-frames set up on the fourth floor to access difficult-to-reach areas.

All operatives adhered to the agreed Dulux specification. We scraped away all loose, defective paintwork, added filler to areas as required and applied stain block to all water-damaged sections. A minimum of two coats of Dulux Vinyl Matt were then applied to achieve the desired finish.