Opening a shop
Shop fit-out and new shop opening works in London
Opening a shop, a concession or a kiosk in London? MAINTSUPP coordinates the trades that get a unit ready to trade — electrics and lighting, decorating, carpentry, fixtures, signage and snagging — with the centre permits and the out-of-hours access arranged for you.
What we do
The trades a new shop needs, through one contact
You bring the layout — yours, your designer’s or your shopfitter’s. We coordinate the work that turns it into a shop.
Electrics and lighting
Shop lighting, power for tills and displays, sign supplies and emergency lighting, installed and tested by qualified electrical contractors.
Decorating
Walls, ceilings, shopfronts and joinery painted in your brand colours, out of hours where the centre requires it.
Fixtures, shelving and counters
Display fixtures, shelving, counters and stockroom racking assembled and fixed, including fixtures supplied by your own shopfitter.
Signage and graphics
Fascia signs, window graphics and internal branding fitted, with the electrical supply for illuminated signs.
Flooring and finishes
Floor repairs and new finishes, ceiling tiles, wall finishes and the making good after other trades.
Snagging before opening day
The last list worked through before you trade: the doors, locks, lights and fittings that were not quite finished.
How it runs
Worked back from your opening date
- 1
Send the layout and the date
Drawings or a marked-up plan, the unit’s address, and the day you want to open.
- 2
Scope and quote
We list the trades, the order they work in and the out-of-hours windows they need, and quote for the works.
- 3
Approvals and permits
Where the lease or the centre requires approval, you or your designer submit the drawings. We supply the contractor documents and book the working windows.
- 4
Works, snagging, photographs
The trades are sequenced and followed, the snag list is closed, and at handover you receive the photographs and certificates, before opening day.
Questions
Shop fit-out: what people ask
Are you shopfitters?
We coordinate the trades a fit-out needs; we do not design and manufacture shop interiors. If you need a bespoke interior designed and built, you want a design-and-build shopfitter — some call them shop fitters, or retail fit-out contractors. If you have the layout and need the unit made ready — electrics, decorating, fixtures fitted, signs up, snags closed — that is this service. We also work alongside your shopfitter on the trades they do not cover.
Do you fit out small shops and kiosks?
Yes. Small units, concessions and kiosks are the core of this service, and a one-off job is welcome.
Can the works be done out of hours?
Yes. In a shopping centre that is usually a condition of the permit, and on a high street it avoids losing trading days at the shops either side of you.
Do I need the landlord’s approval to fit out a shop?
Usually, for alterations. Many leases require a licence for alterations, and shopping centres publish their own fit-out rules. Check your lease and ask centre management early. We supply the contractor paperwork they ask for; we do not give legal advice.
Do you take on a shop refit or refurbishment?
Yes. A refit or refurbishment of a shop that is already trading is planned in sections and done out of hours, so the shop opens as normal between visits. The same goes for a rebrand, or for a commercial unit you have just taken on.
How much does a shop fit-out cost in London?
It depends on the size of the unit, the finish and how many trades are involved. Each job is quoted individually, and you have the price before any work is booked.
Can you look after the shop once it is open?
Yes. Repairs can be booked one job at a time, and portfolios of five sites and above can go on a monthly coordination plan with published per-store pricing.
Who carries out the work?
Vetted independent contractors. MAINTSUPP does not employ tradespeople: it checks each contractor’s insurance and competence, briefs them, follows the job and checks the evidence before the job is closed. You deal with one coordinator throughout.
Do you fit out homes?
No. MAINTSUPP works for commercial premises only: shops, kiosks, restaurants, offices, gyms and clinics.
Related
More from MAINTSUPP in London
Kiosk installationCommercial electricianCommercial painters and decoratorsCommercial carpentry and joineryRetail and shop maintenance
Next step
Opening soon?
Send the layout and the date. We come back with the trades, the programme and a quote.