Office Refurbishment, Fit Outs & Commercial Refits in Derby

Who we refurbish for

• Office refurbishment

  Tired offices brought up to date: new layouts, partitions, ceilings, lighting, flooring and decoration.

• Office fit outs

  Category A and Category B fit outs for new, expanding or relocating businesses, including meeting rooms, kitchens and breakout areas.

• Shops and retail units

  Shop refits and new retail units, from display walls, shelving and lighting to fitting rooms, tills and staff areas.

• Salons and leisure

  Hard-wearing, easy-clean finishes for salons, cafés, gyms and play centres, where floors and fittings take heavy use.

• Industrial and warehouse units

  Office and welfare areas inside industrial units, plus flooring, partitions, lighting and electrical upgrades.

• Landlords and change of use

  Refurbishing vacant units between tenants and converting premises for a new use, managed from strip-out to handover.

What an office fit out can include

• Space planning and layout
• Partition walls and glazed dividers
• Suspended ceilings and LED lighting
• Carpet tiles, vinyl, LVT and wood flooring
• Electrical and data cabling
• Heating, ventilation and air handling upgrades
• Meeting rooms, kitchens and breakout areas
• Bespoke joinery, reception desks and storage

• Category A Leaves a shell space ready to occupy: lighting, heating and ventilation, raised floors or finished floors, suspended ceilings and basic decoration.
• Category B Fits the space to your business: partitions, meeting rooms, kitchens and breakout areas, furniture, data points and branding.
• Refurbishment Updates a space you already occupy, often room by room, so the team can keep working in the rest of the building.

Office fit outs and retail refurbishments compared

Both bring the same trades together, but they’re designed for different people.

	Office fit out	Retail refurbishment
Designed for	The staff who work there	The customers who visit
Priorities	Workflow, meeting space, IT and data, acoustics, comfort	Layout, display, lighting, branding, accessibility
Typical work	Partitions, ceilings, cabling, kitchens and breakout areas	Display walls, shelving, feature lighting, fitting rooms, tills
Working hours	Phased around the team, or out of hours	Usually outside trading hours to protect sales

Office refurbishment across Derbyshire

We’re based in Derby and refurbish commercial premises across the county, including the town-centre offices of Chesterfield. In conservation areas and older buildings, outside changes such as shopfronts, signage and repainting can need consent, so we check before the exterior work is priced. For larger developments, our project management service takes a scheme from planning through to handover.

Commercial refurbishment questions

How long does an office fit out take?

It depends on the size of the space and how much is changing. A small to medium office fit out typically takes two to four weeks, while larger projects can run for several months. We give you a clear programme before any work starts.

Can my business stay open during the refurbishment?

In many cases, yes. We phase the work area by area or carry it out in the evenings and at weekends, and keep working areas safe and clean. Any work that could put staff or the public at risk is scheduled for when the area is closed.

Do we need planning permission to refit our premises?

Usually not for internal work. Since 2020, offices, shops, restaurants, gyms and many other businesses share Use Class E, so moving between those uses doesn't need permission either. Changes to the outside, new signage and listed buildings can, and building regulations still apply to structural work, fire safety and electrics.

Do you provide design, or do we need an architect?

We can plan the layout with you, or work alongside your own designer or architect. Either way, the space is designed around how your team or customers actually use it.

What's the difference between a Category A and Category B fit out?

A Category A fit out leaves a space ready to occupy, with the lighting, heating and ventilation, ceilings and floors in place. Category B adds everything specific to your business, such as partitions, meeting rooms, kitchens, furniture and branding. We handle both.