Beginner’s Guide on Starting a Shopfitting Business in the United Kingdom

There are many benefits of working with a shopfitter as you’re tapping into their expertise for ideas. Starting a shopfitting business in the United Kingdom is a lucrative venture due to the high demand for services. As a shopfitter, you can work with clients from different sectors of the economy that may require your services. With that in mind, you must know your craft well to earn the trust of potential clients. You can follow this guide on starting a shopfitting business in the United Kingdom.

 

Industry Practice

Statistical insights estimated the value of the United Kingdom shopfitting market to be approximately 3.8 billion pounds by the end of 2014, increasing to 5 billion pounds by 2017. The increase in economic confidence in the United Kingdom motivates consumers to spend, and retailers are responding both by investing in new stores. Much is happening in refurbishing existing outlets that had stalled due to a lack of investment several years back.

The shopfitting business involves fitting out commercial premises with equipment, fixtures, and fittings. It could be anything from small outlets to larger department stores.

Starting a shopfitting business in the United Kingdom does not come at a better time than now when people are willing to spend more. It is more vital than ever if you invest in the shopping ecosystem as the high-end street seeks to compete with online shopping.

With the emergence of high-value projects seeking back-office operation skills and the demand for innovation, the demand for more shopfitting services is high. This is because many retailers understand the significance of smart, modern, and attractive presentations, and many opt to change the style of their outlets.

Another thing that’s influenced the change over the years is the legislation concerning owners of public buildings and workplaces complying with the new rules. Again, the issues relating to health and safety, workplace ecosystem, and disability access presented opportunities for designers and shopfitters.

 

Business Registration Process

The Shopfitting business involves an extensive background in various enterprises and is very pricey. If you are starting this type of business on a smaller scale, it would be right to amass a network of suppliers to get reasonable offers without compromising quality.

Let’s look at what you ought to do before starting a shopfitting business in the United Kingdom.

Research Your Market

Before registering your company, you must begin by thinking about the type of work your business can take on. This will help you identify the kind of clients you’ll target. Therefore, you must begin by paying attention to the types of a shop within your area of operation. What are the sizes of the businesses or organizations? Are they modern and upmarket that could benefit from a make-over? Or could they use the service of refurbishment? You have to decide whether your business will take contracts or it would be better off concentrating on local clients.
Consequently, you have to research your competitors. Find out how many are there within your area. You’d also want to know what kind of services they are offering, their prices, and the kind of tools they are using.

Promote Your Business

Getting your business known to the target market is another aspect that you have to pay attention to. How best you execute that will determine the growth rate of your business right from the start. You can start with word of mouth within your local area. Create a few flyers or business cards and share them with a couple of businesses around the area. Go further and advertise your business in the dailies, magazines, TV, or radio. Likewise, you can go online and develop your social media platforms and share credible content about your services.

Register Your Business

The credibility of your services as a shopfitter would be judged when you operate as a registered entity. Therefore, you can do yourself a massive favor by registering your business with the relevant authorities. Ensure you put all the necessary legal documents ready before starting the process for company incorporation in United Kingdom. Once you have the registration certificate, you can apply for any licenses or permits. Again, you can easily open your bank account while using the same.

Pricing Your Services

When starting a shopfitting business in the United Kingdom, you must establish the prevailing market rates. By doing so, you can now determine how much you’ll charge for your services. It is vital to maintain a competitive price and at the same time not look vague. If you decide to offer a discount to attract more customers, it must be within a specific period.

Develop a Website

Today, every business, small or large, has a website. This is because every business is fighting to capture the attention of an enormous number of online customers. A business such as a shopfitting website is a place to showcase the nature of your business as a whole. Once you have your website, you can link it with your social media platforms. Again, your website can act as a marketing tool to get people to know about what you offer. Ensure that you provide your contact details so that people can reach you. For searchability purposes, ensure your website is SEO optimized. Again, the content must be authentic and of high quality to gain credibility.

 

Licenses, Permits, and Regulations for Starting a Shopfitting Business in the United Kingdom

For a shopfitter in the United Kingdom, you have to check out which legislation is relevant to you. Let’s look at what you need to know about legal issues concerning starting a shopfitting business in the United Kingdom.
Specifically speaking, there’s no specific license relating to shopfitting; however, you’ll likely carry out some activities requiring a license.

Asbestos

Whenever you deal with asbestos, you may require a license from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Asbestos Licensing Unit. However, the cost might be high, but you can use a specialist firm alternatively whenever you get asbestos that needs removal. Under the Shopfitting Independent Training Forum (SIFT), you always get short training to know more about asbestos.

Building Waste

Building waste is part of controlled waste, and if you are transporting such waste, you need a certificate of registration as an ‘upper-tier waste carrier. The department in charge of issuing the certificate is the Environment Agency. The current cost is approximately 155 pounds for the initial registration fee and a further renewal fee of 105 pounds every three years. The agency issues a single registration certificate that covers all of your waste-transporting vehicles.
However, if you do not transport any of this waste, you need not register as an upper-tier waste carrier. Still, you have to register as a lower-tier waste carrier. You can check out a guide to company registration in the United Kingdom on the government website and learn more.

Building Regulations

Within this industry, you must ensure you comply with the local building regulations. You get more information from the building inspector. Additionally, you can always seek further assistance from a seasoned United Kingdom corporate service provider such as 3E Accounting.

Health and; Safety, Fire

Starting a shopfitting business in the United Kingdom means that you’ll have to comply with the Health and Safety and Work Act. The Construction (Design and Management) covers elements of construction-based activities, with recent changes having some implications for shopfitting businesses.

Here are some of the key areas where health and safety regulations affect your business, especially if you employ workers:
1. Application of electrical equipment, such as power tools
2. Operating at height (Work at Height Regulations apply to both self-employed workers and employers.
3. Lifting of heavy items
4. Access to first aid equipment
5. Sufficient provision and use of protective clothing and equipment

 

Other Licenses and Registrations

The local authority will require you to get a skip permit if you place skips on a public highway. It is the responsibility of the skip hire company to arrange for the necessary licenses. Subsequently, the local authority will require you to acquire a scaffolding permit before putting up a scaffold in a public place. In circumstances where you use a specialist scaffolder, you have to arrange scaffolding permits.

Additionally, if you pay subcontractors for work done within the Construction Industry Scheme for taxation, you must register as a contractor with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). Remember, if your business involves activities that are potentially hazardous to the public or employees, then specific legislation will apply to your business.
Consequently, if your business involves activities such as gas installation, plumbing, and electrical installation, you must apply specific legislation.

If you require any help starting a shopfitting business in the United Kingdom, contact us.