Shop fitting (shopfitting) is the trade of fitting out

retail Retail is the sale of goods and Service (economics), services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturing, manufacturers, dire ...

and service shops and stores with equipment, fixtures and fittings. The trade applies to all kinds of outlets from small corner shops to

hypermarket A hypermarket (sometimes called a hyperstore, supercentre or superstore) is a big-box store combining a supermarket and a department store. The result is an expansive retail facility carrying a wide range of products under one roof, includin ...

s. A shop fitter executes planning,

design A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design' ...

s shop layout and installs equipment and services. A shop fitting

firm A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared ...

typically incorporates professional expertise in

interior design Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. An interior designer is someone who plans, researches, coordin ...

, manufacturing of

bespoke The word ''bespoke'' () has evolved from a verb meaning 'to speak for something', to its contemporary usage as an adjective. Originally, the adjective ''bespoke'' described tailor-made suits and shoes. Later, it described anything commissioned t ...

furniture, signage and fittings (with own or outsourced facilities) and purchasing of retail equipment. A shop fitting cycle begins with a survey and measurement of available space and preparing design drawings for submission to the client. Alternatively, the client may have their own drawings prepared by an independent interior designer. The shop fitter arranges for purchase of standard equipment and merchandise or production of bespoke furniture, delivers and physically installs them—until the shop is ready for daily operation. There are different requirements to the different branches and types of shop.

Fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fash ...

shop design requires up-to-the-minute awareness of current trends in colour and style to create stores that will draw customers in.

Systems

'''Shopfitting system refers to a product range made to satisfy the needs of shopfitters and ultimately retailers for display and

merchandising Merchandising is any practice which contributes to the sale of products to a retail consumer. At a retail in-store level, merchandising refers to displaying products that are for sale in a creative way that entices customers to purchase more ...

goods. A shopfitting system can be adapted from combinations of standardized components for a particular retail application. A manufacturer would normally launch new shopfitting systems on a 2-year basis. Leading manufacturers would offer design oriented systems, followers would reinterpret them making the display solution achievable with as many as existing items as possible, hoping that retailers will choose their product because of the cheap price. Shopfitting systems are usually connected to a "modular" concept, meaning that each item has more than one use. This economically goes into the rules of "network", where one element has the value of three, if added to another element, because 1x1=1 but 2x2=4: an extra item designed and compatible with others, has very high value.

Shop fitting profession

Shop fitting is a profession that involves the fit-out of retail outlets like corner shops, department stores, convenience stores, supermarkets and hypermarkets with equipment, fixtures and fittings. It’s carried out by a shop fitter who executes all planning, design, layout and installation of equipment and services. A shop fitter brings interior design expertise and assists in the design of bespoke furniture, fittings and signage and also with the buying of retail equipment. The process begins with a survey of the retail premises and measurement of available space. The next stage is the preparation of design, which is then submitted to the client for review and approval. Some clients provide their own design drawings that are prepared by another interior designer. Finally, the shop fitter arranges for the purchase of standard equipment and the production of the bespoke furniture, which is delivered and installed – ready for the shop operation. Shop fitting is a precision orientated profession that requires intricacy and exceptional attention to detail in order to meet client requirements. Visual elements heavily impact customer behaviour hence why shop fitting is now at the forefront of attracting new customers to stores across the globe.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shop Fitting Retail store elements Design Promotion and marketing communications