CORRECTING and REPLACING Avoiding the Winter Blues: 7 Cold Weather Preparedness Steps for Retailers

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CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Please replace the release dated December 2, 2014 with the following corrected version due to multiple revisions.

The corrected release reads:

AVOIDING THE WINTER BLUES: 7 COLD WEATHER PREPAREDNESS STEPS FOR RETAILERS

From bursting pipes to frozen locks, Cintas identifies simple ways you can avoid the impact of winter

Predicting above-normal snowfall and record low temperatures, The Old Farmer's Almanac editor uses the term “refriger-nation” when referring to the 2014-2015 winter season1. To help retailers gear up for the cold weather ahead, Cintas Corporation CTAS today announced seven key steps every retailer should take to winterize their store.

“No one wants to open their store in the morning to find that a pipe burst during the night or the roof collapsed from the weight of snow and ice,” Dave Mesko, Senior Director of Marketing, Cintas Corporation. “Aside from the mess, this can result in a substantial business interruption. Why take the chance when you can avoid some common winter incidents with a few simple steps?”

To keep winter outside your store, Cintas offers the following preparedness checklist:

  1. Fire Sprinkler Freeze Protection – Temperatures are dropping and the cold weather can add costly damages to your business. Every year pipes in sprinkler systems burst due to freezing temperatures costing businesses thousands of dollars in damages. Proactively checking and ensuring your pipes stay above 40 degrees Fahrenheit can help you avoid costly repair work and help keep your property and people safe throughout the winter months.
  2. Seal cracks and fix broken windows – Properly insulating your store can not only help offset high heating costs, it can help prevent against frozen pipes when your store is closed for a long period of time or exposed to extremely cold temperatures. Seal any cracks alongside windows, doors or walls and repair any broken windows to prevent cold air from entering the building.
  3. Protect floors – Hard and soft floor surfaces can take a beating during winter, due to the large amount of water, sand and salt used when removing snow. Protect floors by implementing a mat program that includes a blend of exterior matting outside entryways and interior mats that capture water and contaminants inside the building. Regularly launder mats so they work to their full potential. You can also place mops near entryways to eliminate puddles from snow tracked in by patrons.
  4. Stock up on first-aid supplies – Cuts, bruises and pains resulting from slips and falls or other wintertime activities can impact employees or patrons. Stocking up on first-aid supplies will keep your store prepared for common first-aid emergencies in any weather, helping reduce the overall impact of an injury.
  5. Review emergency preparedness plans – Depending on the location of the store, winter can present a variety of emergency situations including snow and ice storms, electricity outages and closures. In addition to reviewing protocols such as turning off gas or electric, make sure partners are still in business and can perform the scope of work highlighted in your plan. Have a checklist available so team members can mark off each responsibility once it's been completed.
  6. Stock up on ice-melt products – In the midst of record snowfalls last year, many suppliers of ice and snow removal products ran into shortages. To help keep parking lots and walkways clear through a long winter and excessive snow accumulation, make sure your store has access to an adequate supply of sand and or ice-melt product.
  7. Prepare for frozen locks and doors – Frigid temperatures, sleet and snow can cause doors and locks to freeze, so have a plan in place to fix locks that seize or break during the winter. When the de-icer doesn't work and you're unable to open your doors for business, make sure you have a door repair technician available that you can call in an emergency situation.

For more info on Cintas services, please visit www.cintas.com/winter or www.cintas.com/managedsolutions.

About Cintas Corporation:

Headquartered in Cincinnati, Cintas Corporation provides highly specialized services to businesses of all types primarily throughout North America. Cintas designs, manufactures and implements corporate identity uniform programs, and provides entrance mats, restroom cleaning and supplies, tile and carpet cleaning, promotional products, first aid, safety, fire protection products and services. Cintas is a publicly held company traded over the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol CTAS and is a component of the Standard & Poor's 500 Index.

1 http://www.almanac.com/content/winter-weather-predictions-old-farmers-almanac

Mulberry Marketing Communications
Andi Vance, 513.762.5549
avance@mulberrymc.com

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