Service
Commercial Fit-Out & Shopfitting in London
A commercial fit-out converts a shell or an existing unit into a trading space — services, partitions, finishes, counters and shopfront — usually against a fixed opening date. ERCO Home Improvements carries out fit-out and refurbishment for cafés, takeaways and retail units across London.
The date is the constraint
Domestic work can absorb a week’s delay. A commercial unit usually cannot, because rent is running, staff have been hired and an opening has been advertised. That changes how the programme is built: long-lead items are ordered before site work starts, and the sequence is arranged so that the critical path stays short.
Where a unit is trading during refurbishment, the work is phased around opening hours. That means shorter working windows, more making safe at the end of each shift, and a longer overall programme — but it keeps the till open.
Services, extraction and compliance
Food premises bring requirements that a retail shell does not: extraction and ventilation sized for the equipment, wipe-clean surfaces and coving, hot water provision at each sink, and separate hand-washing. Extraction in particular is often the item that dictates the layout, because ducting has to reach a discharge point and that route may not be obvious in a mid-terrace unit.
Fire safety, means of escape and accessibility all apply to a commercial unit in ways they do not to a house. These are matters for building control and, for food premises, for the local authority’s environmental health team — and they are best confirmed before the layout is fixed rather than after.
Shopfronts and landlord consent
Most commercial leases require the landlord’s written consent for alterations, and a shopfront or signage change may also need advertisement consent from the local authority — more so in a conservation area. Both processes take time and neither is a formality. Starting them early is usually what determines whether an opening date holds.
Questions
Common questions
Can you work outside trading hours?
Yes, where the lease and local authority noise restrictions allow it. Phasing around opening hours keeps the unit trading, though it lengthens the overall programme.
Do I need landlord consent for a fit-out?
Almost certainly. Most commercial leases require written consent for alterations, and shopfront or signage changes may also need consent from the local authority. Both should be started well before you want to begin on site.
What usually delays a café or takeaway fit-out?
Extraction routing and long-lead equipment. Ducting has to reach a viable discharge point, and that route often shapes the layout, so it should be resolved at design stage rather than on site.
Also
Whole-House Renovation
A single craftsman overseeing every discipline. No handoffs, no excuses, no surprises.
House Extensions
Side returns, rear additions and loft conversions — architecturally coherent, structurally uncompromising.
Bespoke Bathrooms & Kitchens
From Calacatta marble to smoked oak and burnished brass. Every surface, chosen and placed with precision.
Discuss your project
Send a message with a few photographs and a description of what you have in mind. You will get a straight answer about whether it is something we can take on, and roughly what it involves.
Or email info@ercohomeimprovements.co.uk