How Shopping-Centre Fit-Outs Work

Introduction

Opening a shop or restaurant in a shopping centre is different from fitting out a high-street unit. The landlord controls the design, the timing and the way the works are carried out, and every centre has its own rule book. This guide explains the main stages so you can plan your opening date with fewer surprises.

The Tenant Pack

Once heads of terms are agreed, the landlord issues a tenant pack. It sets out what the unit is handed over with (the shell), the design standards for shopfronts and signage, the technical requirements for ventilation, drainage, power and fire systems, and the rules for working on site. Read it early: it often decides what your fit-out will cost and how long it will take.

Landlord Design Review

Most large centres review the design in stages, usually a concept stage and a detailed design stage. The landlord's design team checks the shopfront, materials, signage and layout, and their engineers check the services design. Expect comments at each stage. Allow time for this in your programme; the review can take several weeks.

Licence to Alter

When the design is agreed, the landlord grants a Licence to Alter. This is the legal consent for your works, and it usually attaches the approved drawings. Works should not start until it is in place. Any change to the design after this point may need to go back to the landlord.

Before You Start on Site

The centre will ask for your contractor's insurance, risk assessments, method statements and construction phase plan. You will also agree the hoarding design, delivery routes and times, and the permits needed for hot works, work on fire systems and work at height. Larger projects may need to be notified to the HSE under the CDM Regulations.

Working on Site

Works happen inside a trading centre, so noisy and dusty jobs are often limited to set hours, and deliveries are booked through the service yard. Connections to the centre's sprinkler, fire alarm and ventilation systems are usually made with the landlord's own engineers present.

Handover and Opening

Before you can trade, the landlord will want test certificates, fire sign-off, as-built drawings and an operation and maintenance manual. Building control completion is needed too. A good contractor collects these as the job progresses, so the opening date is not held up at the end.

How long does it take? For a typical restaurant or store, allow several weeks for design and landlord approvals, followed by 8 to 14 weeks on site, depending on the size and complexity of the unit.

How LCC Can Help

LCC designs and builds shop and restaurant fit-outs in shopping centres, including Westfield Stratford City, the Bullring and The O2. Our architects handle the landlord submissions and our site team delivers the works, so one company is responsible from tenant pack to opening day. See our landlord approval process or talk to us about your unit.