How to design and fit a new shop??

[PrestonLad]

Hi,
It's about time I started working on a concept, a design and plan for the fitting out of my first shop. And maybe manufacture something a bit quirky if

I am, of course, on a fairly tight budget, so I'm not looking to employ a top London agency!

I can google... but really, I'm sure someone can give me much better guidance than that.

How do I identify someone, or a company, who can help me. Ideally, I'd like to do something a bit better than just simple shelving and racks. I have yet to design my logo etc.

ps... I know this is a difficult one... but do you think I'd need to budget for 1K or 10K or what... for a lowish tech store (Outdoor Goods and Outdoor-wear).... maybe 1800 sq. ft. (I am assuming that the standard fit out will cost about 12K... so I'm after an idea of cost for the design work)

Thanks in advance

 

[sweet lady]

I got a friend of my father in law to do mine. He is a carpenter with experience in shopfitting. A fraction of the price. Bought equipment locally, B&Q etc. Under 5k

 

[PrestonLad]

I got a friend of my father in law to do mine. He is a carpenter with experience in shopfitting. A fraction of the price. Bought equipment locally, B&Q etc. Under 5k

Thanks, but I don't know him

Really, one of the main things I'm after is some sort of retail design consultant who works with small independents. Google just throws up the big players... who I cannot afford to work with.

Does anyone know of any such consultancies? Maybe semi-retired people with experience of shop design, but just do a bit of work on an ad hoc basis.

Cheers

 

[kelvin1950]

Thanks, but I don't know him

Really, one of the main things I'm after is some sort of retail design consultant who works with small independents. Google just throws up the big players... who I cannot afford to work with.

Does anyone know of any such consultancies? Maybe semi-retired people with experience of shop design, but just do a bit of work on an ad hoc basis.

Cheers

If you don't know him then look for him. That's what we did. We were lucky inasmuch as my partner has a daughter who works as a buyer for a large clothing chain, she has a friend who is a window dresser so we had the ideas and design. We contacted several local carpenters until we found the right one. The right one had done some shopfitting, amongst a host of other projects, came round with his Ipad and showed us pictures of work he'd done.

It's easy really but you do need to put a little bit of effort in yourself.

 

[business123]

Check out http://www.edenshop.co.uk/ for ideas about shop-fitting equipment, got decent prices too. (By the way I'm not connected with them, been using them on and off for 9 years!)

 

[mhall]

Visit shop fitting shops such as Eden above and ask them. Any self employed designer worth their salt would have left them a few cards

 

[Pap_sak]

I do it all myself. Paint the walls in my "corporate" colors - a bright orange. All shelf units are made from white melamine cut and edged. I use 4mm weldmesh 5cm/5cm that I buy from a huge steel merchants and the get it powder coated black then buy fittings for it. Making slat wall it also pretty easy if you have a router. I generally spend around 2000 pounds per shop and another 500 on an old pc and new thermal printer and cash draw for running a POS system. Oh and then 200 for an alarm system.

 

[NoxProperty]

How about an Architectural Designer/ consultant/ technician?
Interior Designer?
You could call a local school/ college or uni and offer a prize to the winning designer. At uni we were offered these opportunities and most of us jumped at the chance to boost our portfolio.

 

[pen2670]

Hi,
It's about time I started working on a concept, a design and plan for the fitting out of my first shop. And maybe manufacture something a bit quirky if

I am, of course, on a fairly tight budget, so I'm not looking to employ a top London agency!

I can google... but really, I'm sure someone can give me much better guidance than that.

How do I identify someone, or a company, who can help me. Ideally, I'd like to do something a bit better than just simple shelving and racks. I have yet to design my logo etc.

ps... I know this is a difficult one... but do you think I'd need to budget for 1K or 10K or what... for a lowish tech store (Outdoor Goods and Outdoor-wear).... maybe 1800 sq. ft. (I am assuming that the standard fit out will cost about 12K... so I'm after an idea of cost for the design work)

Thanks in advance

I'd be interested to hear other people's ideas on a reasonable figure too!

After showing 2 shopfitters around 1 said his standard refit cost were normally around £45k, but could do something on a lower budget, then tried to scare us with fire & building regs, then quoted approx £15k for around half the work we discussed. The other seemed really good, agreed shop doesn't need much work and said he could help then never got back to us!

So, decided to go for the DIY approach and do it one floor at a time. Shop already has some slatwall so going to top that up as it's versatile and spent last Friday crawling around on the floor with some masking tape and a tape measure marking it all out!

Still waiting on quotes for carpet fitting, painting and still need to find a builder / joiner to fit the slatwall, but cautiously hoping to do the ground floor inc heating for under £10k.

 

[Talay]

I'd be interested to hear other people's ideas on a reasonable figure too!

After showing 2 shopfitters around 1 said his standard refit cost were normally around £45k, but could do something on a lower budget, then tried to scare us with fire & building regs, then quoted approx £15k for around half the work we discussed. The other seemed really good, agreed shop doesn't need much work and said he could help then never got back to us!

So, decided to go for the DIY approach and do it one floor at a time. Shop already has some slatwall so going to top that up as it's versatile and spent last Friday crawling around on the floor with some masking tape and a tape measure marking it all out!

Still waiting on quotes for carpet fitting, painting and still need to find a builder / joiner to fit the slatwall, but cautiously hoping to do the ground floor inc heating for under £10k.

Good for you !

Whenever a job appears a little more complicated than your average DIYer cane comfortably master, the numbers quoted for any job seem to rise exponentially, with little reference to the actual job at hand, other than the huge amount of profit the contractor wants to reap from you.

I truly believe professionals have their place but I have just gone through a cellar conversion, where those who assumed I could not grasp the correct end of a chisel wanted to charge multiple five figures and in the end it has been done for less than five grand, though I did put some labour into that. The huge difference was largely due to my reading up on the technical requirements, putting together a schedule of works and sourcing the materials and where necessary, the contractors.

It doesn't just end there. Supplies cost a fortune at some places as well. You cannot trust business suppliers to have anywhere near the best prices. They rely on customer inertia and your meekly paying whatever they demand.

 

[Stuart Bailey]

contact your local commercial surveyor they will have contacts for you to use

 

[IzzoNet]

The best would be to go to the source and see or even ask him about it.
even if possible, also do a deep research in the internet, talk with someone who already did it.

 

[EZRShelving]

Don't forget to think about your back of house storage - make sure you have enough racking to cope with all of your stock and the right equipment to move it around.

Good luck with the new venture!

 

[PrestonLad]

Don't forget to think about your back of house storage - make sure you have enough racking to cope with all of your stock and the right equipment to move it around.

Good luck with the new venture!

That's a good point.

If only I knew a supplier of quality racking, shelving and associated equipment.

 

[Carrots]

I do it all myself. Paint the walls in my "corporate" colors - a bright orange. All shelf units are made from white melamine cut and edged. I use 4mm weldmesh 5cm/5cm that I buy from a huge steel merchants and the get it powder coated black then buy fittings for it. Making slat wall it also pretty easy if you have a router. I generally spend around 2000 pounds per shop and another 500 on an old pc and new thermal printer and cash draw for running a POS system. Oh and then 200 for an alarm system.

For £500 you could build a brand new, extremely powerful PC.

 

[kelvin1950]

For £500 you could build a brand new, extremely powerful PC.

You missed a bit:

another 500 on an old pc and new thermal printer and cash draw for running a POS system