Closing a shop
Shop strip-out and closure works in London
Closing a shop, a concession or a kiosk? MAINTSUPP coordinates the strip-out contractors, the removal of fixtures and signs, the clearance and the making good — around your lease-end date and the landlord’s rules — so the unit goes back in the condition your lease asks for.
What we do
A retail strip-out, start to handback
Fixtures and fittings removed
Shelving, counters, display units, till points, stockroom racking and back-of-house fittings taken out and removed from site.
Signage and branding removed
Fascia signs, window graphics and internal branding taken down, with illuminated signs isolated by a qualified electrical contractor first.
Clearance and waste
Stock, furniture and strip-out waste cleared by a registered waste carrier, with the waste transfer notes kept for your handback file.
Making good
Fixing holes filled, walls and ceilings repaired and decorated, and floors made good, so the unit matches what the lease requires — back to shell, where that is what it asks for.
Services made safe
Electrical circuits, lighting, data and plumbing to the removed fittings isolated and terminated safely by the right trade.
Evidence for handback
Before and after photographs of every area, so there is a record of the condition the unit was returned in.
How it runs
Worked back from your lease-end date
- 1
Tell us the date
And send what the landlord has asked for, if you have it: a schedule of dilapidations, the reinstatement clause, or the centre’s handback checklist.
- 2
Survey and quote
We look at the unit, list what stays and what goes, and quote for the works with a programme that ends before your deadline.
- 3
Permits and access
Method statements, insurance documents, out-of-hours permits, the loading bay and the waste route are arranged with centre management or the landlord.
- 4
Strip-out and handback
The work is done in the agreed window and the unit is left clean. You receive the photographs and the waste paperwork.
To quote quickly
What to send us
- The address of the unit and your lease-end or handback date
- Anything the landlord has put in writing about the condition they expect
- Photographs or a short video of the shop floor and back of house
- A list of anything that is to be kept, moved to another store or returned
- How access works: keys, alarm, centre security and trading hours
Questions
Shop strip-out: what people ask
What is a shop strip-out?
The removal of what a tenant added to a unit — fixtures, fittings and signage, and sometimes partitions, flooring and services — so the unit can be handed back to the landlord or fitted out again. A soft strip removes the non-structural items only. Some firms call the same job shop fitting removal, or a shop clearance.
What has to be removed when a shop lease ends?
It depends on your lease. Many leases require the tenant to remove their fixtures, fittings and signage and to reinstate their alterations, and a landlord may also serve a schedule of dilapidations listing repairs. Send us the documents and we scope the works against them. We are not solicitors or surveyors: where the wording is in dispute, take professional advice.
Can a strip-out be done inside a shopping centre?
Yes. The work is done outside trading hours under the centre’s permit, with deliveries and waste taken through the service corridors and the loading bay at booked times.
How long does a shop strip-out take?
It depends on the size of the unit and on the access window the centre or landlord allows. You get a programme with the quote, worked back from your handback date.
How much does a shop strip-out cost in London?
It depends on the size of the unit, what has to be removed, the making good and the access hours. Each job is quoted individually, and you have the price before any work is booked.
Can you carry out the dilapidations repairs as well?
Yes, as part of an end-of-lease strip-out: making good, decorating, flooring repairs and electrical remedial works can be in the same job. Structural works, and anything that needs a surveyor’s sign-off, are scoped separately.
Can you close several stores at once?
Yes. A store closure programme across several sites runs through one coordinator, with the same evidence standard at every store and one report at the end.
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 strip out homes or flats?
No. MAINTSUPP works for commercial premises only: shops, kiosks, restaurants, offices, gyms and clinics.
Related
More from MAINTSUPP in London
Kiosk dismantling and removalShop fit-out and opening worksCommercial painters and decoratorsCommercial electricianAll London services
Next step
Handing a unit back?
Tell us the address and the date. We come back with a scope, a programme and a quote.