Skip to content
Macdonald Construction

Shop Fitting & Retail Fit-Out

From bare unit to open for trade, in your brand

Shop Fitting & Retail Fit-Out

When you take on a retail unit it rarely arrives ready to trade. It comes as a developer shell, or it comes with the last tenant's layout still in it. Either way, what you have is a space, and what you need is your shop.

We take it the whole way: strip out what is not staying, put in the walls, services and shopfront the new layout needs, and fit the space out so it reads as your brand from the pavement to the back of house.

Talk to us

What it looks like

Empty unit to open for trade

  1. How most retail space arrives. Whited-out glass, a blank fascia and nothing behind it.The unit

    How most retail space arrives. Whited-out glass, a blank fascia and nothing behind it.

  2. Shopfront, partitions and first fix, with the trades sequenced to keep off each other.Fit-out

    Shopfront, partitions and first fix, with the trades sequenced to keep off each other.

  3. Shelving, display and counters going in, set out for how the product needs to be seen.Fixtures

    Shelving, display and counters going in, set out for how the product needs to be seen.

  4. Finished, merchandised and open, reading as the brand from the pavement in.Trading

    Finished, merchandised and open, reading as the brand from the pavement in.

What is included

The whole job, not part of it

  • Strip-out & make good

    Clearing the previous fit, taking out redundant partitions and services, and leaving a clean shell to build from.

  • Shopfront & glazing

    New shopfronts, entrance doors, glazed screens and security shutters, set out to work with the signage scheme.

  • Brand & joinery

    Counters, till points, display, shelving, fitting rooms and feature joinery, made to your drawings or developed with you.

  • Flooring, lighting & finishes

    The finishes that carry the brand, with lighting designed for how the product actually needs to be seen.

  • Mechanical & electrical

    Power, data, heating and ventilation, fire alarm and emergency lighting, installed and certificated.

  • Back of house

    Stockroom, staff areas, welfare and WCs, which decide whether the shop is pleasant to work in once it opens.

How it runs

Start to handover

  1. 01

    Survey and scope

    We measure the unit, look at what is really there behind the finishes, and tell you what the space will and will not allow.

  2. 02

    Programme and cost

    A priced schedule and a dated programme, built around your opening date and the landlord's access rules.

  3. 03

    Strip-out and first fix

    The loud, dusty part. Partitions, services and structure, done before anything decorative goes near it.

  4. 04

    Fit and finish

    Joinery, flooring, lighting, decoration and shopfront, in the order that keeps trades out of each other's way.

  5. 05

    Snag and hand over

    We walk it with you, clear the list, hand over certificates and leave you a unit you can merchandise.

Who we do this for

  • Independent retailers taking a first or second unit
  • Multi-site brands rolling out a consistent format
  • Salons, clinics and treatment rooms
  • Cafes, bars and food-led units
  • Showrooms and trade counters

Got a unit lined up?

Send us the address and the lease dates. We will tell you quickly whether the programme you have in mind is realistic, and what it is likely to cost.

Start a conversation

Also on the commercial side

Quick Enquiry

Have a question? We’re glad to help

Tell us a little about your project and we’ll come back to you as soon as possible, usually within one working day.

Visit us
2 George Street
Alderley Edge, Cheshire SK9 7EJ