Shopfitting is the making and installing of the fixtures and fittings that display and sell product in a store: wall systems, gondolas, display tables, showcases, cash counters, fitting rooms and signage frames. An interior fit-out is the whole job of turning a bare space into a finished, usable interior. It includes the shopfitting, but also partitions, ceilings, flooring, lighting and the coordination of services. Every store fit-out includes shopfitting; not every shopfitting job is a full fit-out.
What shopfitting covers
- Wall bays and shelving systems
- Gondolas, mid-floor units and nesting tables
- Jewellery showcases and counters
- Cash and wrap counters
- Fitting rooms
- Window displays, plinths and mannequin bases
- Frames and housings for signage and graphics
Most of this work happens in a workshop and is then installed on site. For a fuller list, see types of retail store fixtures.
What an interior fit-out covers
- Site survey, construction drawings and approvals
- Partitions, dry walls and façades
- Ceilings, flooring and wall finishes
- Electrical, lighting, HVAC, fire and plumbing coordination
- Shopfittings, joinery and furniture
- Site management, snagging and handover
Shopfitting and fit-out, side by side
| Shopfitting | Interior fit-out | |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Fixtures and fittings that display and sell product | The complete interior, including the shopfittings |
| Where the work happens | Mostly in a workshop, then installed | Mostly on site, plus workshop-made items |
| Drawings needed | Fixture shop drawings | Full construction drawings and services coordination |
| Sectors | Mainly retail and showrooms | Retail, hospitality and offices |
| Typical buyer | A brand's store design or visual merchandising team | A brand, hotel owner or occupier opening or renovating a space |
When to buy shopfitting on its own
- Refreshing the fixtures in an existing store
- Rolling out a new display concept across stores that are otherwise unchanged
- Supplying fixtures to franchise partners whose own contractors build the shell works
When you need a full fit-out
- Opening a new store from a bare shell, which is how many mall units are handed over
- Relocating or completely renovating a store
- Rolling out stores that need civil, ceiling and services work as well as fixtures
For how mall fit-outs run in practice, read the mall store fit-out process.
Why it helps when one company does both
Fixtures meet the building everywhere: at wall heights, ceiling levels, floor finishes and power points. When the shopfitter and the fit-out contractor are different companies, each of those junctions needs coordinating between them. When one company does both, the fixture drawings and the construction drawings come from the same team, and site measurements feed straight into production.
How PID Projects works
PID Projects does both. We make shopfittings in our 50,000 sq ft workshop in New Delhi and deliver complete retail fit-outs across India. At the Samsung Experience Centre in Mumbai, that meant circular product displays and dedicated demonstration areas. For PC Jeweller, it meant a neoclassical façade with an arched entrance and backlit signage, built across twelve stores.
Frequently asked questions
Is shopfitting only for retail?
The term is used mainly for retail and showrooms. In hotels, similar work is usually called joinery or FF&E (furniture, fixtures and equipment); in offices, it is usually called joinery or furniture.
Who supplies the fixtures in a mall store?
The brand decides. Some appoint a shopfitter for fixtures and a separate contractor for the rest; others appoint one fit-out contractor for everything. Either way, check the mall's fit-out guidelines before production starts.
Is a shopfitter the same as a fit-out contractor?
Not always. A shopfitter may only make and install fixtures. A fit-out contractor delivers the whole interior and may make the fixtures itself or buy them in.