Commercial fit-outs + shopfitting: Two sides of the same coin

Commercial fit-outs + shopfitting: Two sides of the same coin

At Datum, we’re known as shopfitters. And there’s no doubt we’re experts in retail and hospitality fit-outs too. But after doing far greater numbers of commercial fit-outs over the last couple of years, it’s struck us as a bit funny that people see the two as different sets of skills – when in reality, shopfitters have a huge amount to bring to commercial fit-outs. So how do the two work together so well?

The transferable skills

In reality, shopfitting is no different to doing a commercial interior fit-out. We still use the same skills across both types of fit-outs, and use the same approach. We still have specialists in-house to manage your project, ensure we’re all health and safety compliant, assess sustainability, manage costs, and of course turn your vision into a reality.

Reduced timeframes

When it comes to retail fit-outs, timing is everything. There’s always a hard deadline (the shop has to open after all!) and everything needs to be up to scratch by then. Thanks to our streamlined project management, joinery manufacturing, and in-house trade coordination, we’re able to overlap trades on-site and keep timelines tight.

And when it comes to commercial spaces, that sense of timeliness is just as (if not even more) important. After all, when you’re waiting to move into an office, or open a new education centre, every day that you’re not using your space is costing your organisation money. And that’s just not okay by us.

A traditional commercial interiors company may follow a linear programme – that is, one trade at a time. But what happens when one trade is running a day or two late? It throws out the entire programme. That’s why we procure everything early and focus on overlapping trades – to ensure that even if one part of a project is delayed, we can still keep things moving towards the deadline.

Your joinery, made right

In-house manufacture means we’re very much in control of our own destiny. It’s freed us up from the whims of subcontractors and battling their queues; it’s sped up our install and delivery times; and it’s also allowed us to continue to pass on savings and efficiencies to clients because there’s no need for us to clip the ticket.

And while many think shopfitters work only in timber, we deal in every material known to man – so regardless of the joinery you’re after, we can make it happen!

We explored what in-house joinery manufacture means on an earlier blog – check it out to see what that means for you.

Great fit-outs, no matter the industry

So here’s the thing – we are commercial interiors fit-out contractors. We’re also shopfitters. And here’s the secret – those aren’t actually two separate things. Whether we’re working on a store, a bar, an office, or a medical centre, we combine forward planning with the kind of innovative, on-the-fly problem solving that makes your fit-out easy.