What to Consider When Planning a Shop Fitting

Whether yours is a new business or you are planning a refit of your business property, preparing for a shop fitting is a big task.  You want to be clear about what you need so you can work with the shop fitters to plan everything.  But sometimes, you don’t know where to start!  As experienced commercial joinery experts, here’s how we plan a shop fitting.

What is shop fitting?

Shop fitting is the name given to the process of planning, designing and completing the layout of a shop, café, bar, office or other business.  It doesn’t have to apply to shops selling products but is used for any kind of business.  It incorporates some of the similar techniques as residential joinery as well as things like cabinet makers and bespoke furniture creators specifically for business needs.

Shop fitting is about more than simply providing the fittings and furniture that the space needs.  It is about considering the customer’s experience in the property, how they find what they came for or how comfortable they feel.  It also considers the staff working in the property.

Basics of the shop fitting process

Carpenters and joiners who offer shop fitting will have their own process, but the basics will always be the same.

The layout

The first step is always to look at the layout of the business and see what elements need to go into it – and where they are best located.  This looks at the flow around the business, where things like serving points or tills are located and what features staff need to help customers.

Lighting

Lighting plays a big part in the layout because it needs to be suitable for the type of business.  Soft and gentle lighting is great for a café or restaurant, but a shop needs to have accent lighting on products.  Offices need good lighting for staff to work with and to create a bright and clean look for visiting customers.

Cooling and warming

Heating and air conditioning also need to be considered.  Alongside joinery manufacturers, custom joinery services like ours in Sussex also offer things like dropped ceilings so you can add heating and cooling features out of sight.  These need to be factored in alongside the custom furniture being added.

Shelving and bespoke joinery

The final step is the additional shelving and other bespoke joinery services needed to bring the primary elements together.  These will vary depending on the nature of the business – a shop selling shoes will need different shelves to a restaurant who wants a bar area behind the tills.

Working with professionals

 When you work with experienced professionals such as ourselves, we can walk you through the steps in the process of planning your shop fitting.  We can add our knowledge into choosing everything from shelving to seating areas and even lighting. 

Then we can create the furniture and fittings you require and add them to the business space.  That way you get the best possible results and the most customer-friendly location.