Insights
Notes From The Workshop.
No filler. Budgets, programmes, landlord approvals and the detail that decides whether a fit-out lasts five years or fifteen, written by the people who build it.
Buying Guides · 6 min read
How to Choose a Fit-Out Company in South Wales
The questions that separate a fit-out company that delivers from one that subcontracts and hopes.
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Project stories · 5 min read
Data Power Tools: A Trade Counter That Works
A working tool shop, a sharper counter and the practical details that matter when customers need advice, not just a till.
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Project stories · 5 min read
Gelert Post Production Studio: From Shell to Studio
New photographs of Wales’ biggest post-production studio, and the construction decisions behind the finished room.
Read →Budgets · 7 min read
What Does a Retail Fit-Out Cost in the UK?
Honest budget ranges for shops, kiosks and offices, and the five things that actually move the number.
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Choosing a contractor · 6 min read
How to Choose a Shopfitter: 10 Questions to Ask
The questions that reveal whether you are talking to a maker or a middleman.
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Process · 6 min read
Landlord Approval for Retail Fit-Outs: A Practical Guide
Approvals delay more openings than construction does. Here is the sequence, and how long each stage really takes.
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Choosing a contractor · 5 min read
What Is a Shopfitter? The Difference Between Shopfitter, Builder and Interior Designer
Understanding the role that sits between design drawing and trading day, and why it matters.
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Trends · 6 min read
Retail Shopfitting Trends for 2026
The trends that matter for the next wave of retail, leisure and hospitality fit-outs.
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Sustainability · 6 min read
Sustainable Shopfitting: How to Build Retail That Lasts
Sustainability is not a finish. It is a set of decisions about durability, adaptability and waste.
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Budgets · 9 min read
Office Fit-Out Costs 2026: Real Prices Per Square Foot
Real 2026 prices per square foot by specification level, what each band actually includes, Cardiff and South Wales rates, and the costs most quotes leave out.
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Materials · 6 min read
Corian and Solid Surface Worktops: Costs, Care and Where They Win
What solid surface really costs, how it compares with quartz and stone, and why it is repairable when they are not.
Read →Process · 6 min read
What Is a Retail Kiosk or RMU? Costs, Lead Times and Mall Rules
What a mall kiosk costs, how long it takes, and exactly what the centre will ask you for before you trade.
Read →Budgets · 8 min read
Shop Fitting Costs: What You Pay Per Square Metre
Per square metre rates for shop fitting in 2026, what each band buys, and how to read a shopfitter's quote line by line.
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Kiosks · 8 min read
Opening a Kiosk in a Shopping Centre: Rules, Approvals and Lead Times
The approval pack centre management actually asks for, the rules that catch people out, and a week by week timeline to trading.
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Materials · 7 min read
Bespoke Joinery or Off-the-Shelf: What Retail Should Actually Buy
Where made-to-measure earns its money, where catalogue units win, and how to split a budget between the two.
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Budgets · 7 min read
Cafe Fit-Out Cost: Real 2026 Budgets
Budget ranges for small and mid-size cafes, what the kitchen and counter actually cost, and two worked examples.
Read →Budgets · 7 min read
Cat A vs Cat B Fit-Out: Costs and Differences
What Cat A and Cat B actually include, what each costs per square metre in 2026, and who normally pays.
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Design · 6 min read
Shop Counter Design: Sizes, Materials and Costs
Standard counter heights and depths, the materials that survive real trade, and what actually moves the price.
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