What are Shop Front Fitters?
Every retail empire begins with opening a single shop, but what most entrepreneurs don’t realise is how much of an effort is needed to make it happen.
Planning, designing, buying and installing everything inside your store can become a burden, especially for those who are already making sure the products are delivered on time, the marketing effort will be enough and taking care of all the other aspects of opening a business.
Enter the shop fitters, a team that can help you have everything done by the launch date without having to dedicate your precious time to decisions about infrastructure. Today, we will understand a little better how Shop Front Fitters work and in which ways they lighten the burden of opening your business.
What are shop fitters?
Shop fitters are companies that are hired to plan and put together the structure and layout of a shop, according to its needs. This means that shop front fitters will buy and install equipment, determine how much furniture the space requires, what for and where it should go, order the chosen furniture and install it.
In order to deliver the project, these companies usually work with a multi-talented team of professionals. There’s always an interior designer, someone able to create the furniture, someone to take care of buying the equipment, professionals to create an exclusive shop front sign, among other skills.
Shop fitters work with both small shops and huge businesses, such as department stores and supermarkets. What they do is make sure the clients worry only about the quality of their products and the profitability of their business model, while the shop front fitters take care of the rest.
How do shop fitters work? 5 steps to understand the process.
Ok, but, how do shop fitters work in practice? How much of the job is done independently and when is the client needed in order to make it work. Here are five steps of the process of working with shop fitters.
A deep dive on the business
First things first, right? Shop fitters need to research the business deeply, understanding how the space will be used and which activities take place in that environment, so every corner is properly designed.
Evaluating the space
The second most important part of the shop front fitter’s job is deciding what goes where. This means they gotta consider not only the measurements of the space but also requirements such as power sockets. This is the part where engineers and architects come into action.
Coming up with a project
After realising everything that is needed and what the restrictions are, then there’s time to come up with a design plan. The layout of the place will be drawn to fit every activity needed. Also, an interior design professional will make sure that the branding of the business is also taken care of, covering every aspect of the space, such as signage, colour palette or even furniture materials.
Another option often chosen by clients is to have the team follow design drawings that were previously ordered with another professional.
Client approval
This is the moment to present the makeover plan, explaining the reasons why the decisions were made. Another thing to be presented is a schedule, so everyone knows when every deliverable should be done. If the client is on board, then it’s time to go.
The setting up
We’re now in the final arrangements for building your shop. Shop fitters will choose and order everything that needs to be delivered, then they’ll make sure everything is delivered on time and they’ll also install and test every equipment.
Whenever this job is done, your business is ready to roll.
See how much effort can be spared if you count on a shop fitters company? If you’re in need of these services, Huxley & Co can help you prepare everything for your business’ launch. Get in touch with our team of professionals for a no-obligation quotation and count on our 20 years of experience in the London market.
