Shop & Retail Fit-Outs in Dubai
Retail-side fit-outs across Dubai — boutique stores, F&B outlets, kiosks, mall units, salon shells, pop-ups and exhibition stands. Shopfront, ceilings, MEP, joinery, branded finishes. Mall management + DM + DCD approvals coordinated. In-house multi-trade team. Fixed-price BOQ. 6-month workmanship warranty. For office-only fit-outs see our Office Fit-Out page.
What our retail fit-out scope covers
Retail fit-outs are about hitting a fixed handover date the landlord will not move — mall opening days, lease commencement, exhibition build-ups. Coordination matters more than craftsmanship; the craftsmanship has to happen anyway. We have done shopfronts, F&B back-of-house, salon shells and mall units across Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates, City Walk and the standalone street-retail strips.
Shopfront and signage
Glass shopfronts, automatic sliding doors, security shutters, illuminated signage, fascia branding, in-window vinyl. Coordinated with mall signage standards or municipality street-frontage rules.
Visual merchandising fittings
Display fixtures, mid-floor gondolas, wall fittings, mannequin plinths, jewellery counters, fitting-room walls. Joinery in-house, finished to retail-grade tolerances.
F&B back-of-house and front-of-house
Kitchen counters and pass-throughs, beverage prep stations, customer counters, bar shells. Stainless-steel splashbacks where required. Hood and exhaust coordination with the kitchen-equipment supplier (we do not supply the cookline itself).
MEP for retail load
Electrical rewire for display and POS load, lighting circuits separated from general power, data cabling for POS / inventory systems, dimmable circuits for ambient zones, plumbing for staff WC and customer-facing pantry where added.
Lighting — retail-grade not office-grade
Track lighting on retail merchandise zones, accent lighting on feature walls, dimmable ambient lighting on F&B. Colour temperature spec'd for the product category (warm for fashion and restaurants, cool for jewellery and tech).
Flooring for retail traffic
Porcelain, engineered wood, polished concrete, vinyl plank. Selected for daily traffic load and the spillage risk profile (F&B vs apparel vs salon are different problems).
Ceilings — exposed industrial or suspended drop
Exposed-services with painted soffit for F&B and boutique brands, suspended drop ceilings where the brand wants a controlled feel. Service access maintained for landlord MEP.
Mall management and authority approvals
Mall fit-out NOC, design drawings stamped, contractor approval on the mall vendor list. Plus DM and DCD where the scope requires (kitchens, sprinkler relocation, structural mods). We have filed against Emaar Malls, Majid Al Futtaim, Meraas and standalone-landlord pathways.
Tight handover deadlines
Mall lease commencement and exhibition opening days do not move. We work backwards from the deadline, plan after-hours night shifts where mall rules allow, and keep a fit-out PM on site daily once construction starts.
Pop-ups and exhibition stands
Short-cycle builds for retail activations and exhibition stands (GITEX, Arab Health, Cityscape). 2-week design-to-handover where the scope allows.
Retail venues and districts we work in
Each mall and street-retail district has its own fit-out manual and approval process. Familiarity matters because the manual matters more than the design.
Business Bay
Prime Tower clusters, Bay Square, Bay Avenue. DM mainland approval pathway. Most building managements want fit-out NOC before work starts.
DIFC
DIFC Authority approval (separate from DM). Stricter base-build coordination requirements. Longer drawing-submission cycles — plan for 4–8 weeks of approval lead time.
Dubai Marina & JLT
Mainland or free zone (DMCC) depending on tower. Premium-tier finishes common. Service-lift booking discipline matters in the busier towers.
Downtown / SZR / DIFC fringe
Mixed mainland and Emaar-management properties. Burj Khalifa-area buildings tend to have stricter contractor-vetting requirements.
Free zones (DMCC, DAFZA, DSO, TECOM, d3)
Each free zone has its own fit-out approval process. We've done work in all of these; familiar territory.
Retail — malls and street-level shops
Mall fit-outs run on tight handover schedules — landlord-mandated finish dates, after-hours work mandatory. Street-level shops have municipality + landlord approvals.
Project phases — how a fit-out runs
Six phases. Approvals add 4–8 weeks at the front; construction itself usually 6–12 weeks for a typical mid-size office.
Inquiry, site visit + concept
Walk the space, scope discussion, base-build conditions documented. Concept drawings prepared (or your designer's drawings reviewed) for BOQ pricing.
BOQ + approvals lodged
Detailed BOQ within 5–10 working days. Concurrent: drawings prepared and submitted to DM / DCD / DEWA / free zone authority. Approval comments are part of the timeline budget.
Procurement + mobilisation
Materials and FF&E ordered against the agreed spec. Building-management NOC obtained. Service-lift booking, site-protection plan, after-hours work schedule confirmed.
Civil + MEP rough-in
Demolition (if applicable), partitioning, ceiling grids, MEP first-fix (electrical, AC re-zoning, plumbing). Coordination with base-build provisions — power risers, AC primary, sprinkler heads.
Finishes + second-fix
Paint, flooring, tiling, joinery install, glass partitions, fixture install, electrical second-fix, AC commissioning, fire-system integration. Sequenced per dependency.
Snag, building NOC for handover, AMC option
Final clean, snag-list closure, walk-through with you and operations team. Building management closure NOC. As-built drawings issued. Workmanship warranty starts. Optional handover into Samra Commercial AMC.
How we price fit-outs
Fixed-price BOQ once we've seen the space and reviewed drawings. The approvals timeline is the part most clients underestimate.
Fixed-price BOQ
Site visit + concept review, then a detailed BOQ within 5–10 working days. Trade-by-trade breakdown, materials line-itemised, approval-fees pass-through. Once signed, the price is fixed unless YOU change scope.
What changes the price
- Floor area (sqft)
- Finish tier — basic / mid-market / premium
- MEP scope — light cosmetic vs full re-zoning + new electrical
- Authority approvals (DM vs DIFC vs DAFZA differ in fees and pace)
- After-hours work requirements (occupied buildings, malls)
- Specialist scope — server rooms, clinic medical-grade fit, F&B kitchen
How to get a quote
WhatsApp the building name + floor + area (sqft) plus your timeline target. We schedule a site visit and issue the BOQ within 5–10 working days. Approval lead times factored in.
Workmanship and material warranties
Two layers across the entire fit-out. Workmanship is ours across all trades; material warranties on partitions, AC equipment, lighting, sanitaryware pass through from each manufacturer.
workspace_premiumWorkmanship warranty
6-month workmanship warranty — if the same issue returns within 6 months due to our work, we'll fix it free of charge. Covers labour only.
Single warranty across civil, MEP, joinery, finishes — not separate ones per sub-contractor. The accountability is consolidated by design.
verifiedMaterial warranties
Material warranties depend on the products and systems we install. Many of the brands we work with — including Daikin, ABB, Schneider, Knauf, Armstrong, Tarkett, Geberit, Philips, Honeywell, and others — carry manufacturer warranties ranging from 1 to 10 years depending on the product. We'll confirm exact warranty terms for the specific materials used on your project before work begins.
Frequently asked questions
What warranty do you provide?
We offer two layers of warranty. First, a 6-month workmanship warranty on the labour we perform — if the same issue returns within 6 months due to our work, we re-do it at no cost. Second, material warranties pass through directly from manufacturers — some systems we install carry warranties of up to 10 years. We'll share exact warranty terms for your specific project before we start.
Does the workmanship warranty cover parts and equipment?
No. Parts, fixtures, and equipment are covered by their manufacturer warranties, which we pass through to you directly. The workmanship warranty covers only the quality of the installation or repair work itself.
How long does an office fit-out take?
Approval phase: 4–8 weeks (DIFC and DM-mainland sometimes 6–10 weeks). Construction phase for a typical mid-size office (2,000–5,000 sqft): 6–12 weeks. Larger or premium fit-outs (10,000+ sqft, full client-floor): 12–20 weeks. Free-zone projects with simpler approval pathways can run faster on the front end.
Do you handle DM, DCD, DEWA, and free-zone approvals?
Yes — included in the contract. We prepare drawings to authority spec, lodge submissions, address comments, and obtain NOCs. For free-zone work we coordinate with the relevant authority (DAFZA, DMCC, DSO, TECOM, d3) and the building management. You don't end up running between three offices.
Can the fit-out happen while the office is partially occupied?
For sectioned-off fit-outs, yes — we phase the work and dust-protect the operating area, with after-hours work for the noisier phases (demolition, drilling, ceiling work). For full-floor fit-outs the building usually requires the floor to be fully vacated. We confirm building rules with management before contract sign.
Do you do shop / retail fit-outs?
Yes — mall units and street-level shops. Mall fit-outs run on landlord-mandated handover dates and require strict after-hours discipline. Street-level shops have municipality + landlord approvals. We've done both; bring us the lease scope and we'll quote.
What's the typical price range for an office fit-out?
Highly spec-dependent. Mid-market 2,000–5,000 sqft fit-out: AED 250,000–600,000. Premium 5,000–10,000 sqft fit-out with custom joinery and AV: AED 700,000–1.5M. Luxury client floor (10,000+ sqft) with full MEP refresh: AED 1.5M–4M+. We issue a fixed-price BOQ once we've seen the space and reviewed drawings — no vague ranges in the contract.
Areas we cover
Same-day reach across Dubai. Tap your area for landmarks, communities and the services we deliver there — or tell us your building on WhatsApp.
Plan your fit-out
WhatsApp the building name and floor area (sqft) plus your timeline target. Free site visit, BOQ in 5–10 working days.