Refurbishing your shopfront before the summer trading season.

For UK retail, hospitality and tourism-facing businesses, summer is the trading peak that pays for the rest of the year. A tired shopfront in March means a tired-looking shop in July — when you most need to look sharp. This guide walks through the spring shopfront refurbishment decision and the realistic timing to get work done before the summer.

When to refurbish vs when to replace

Not every tired-looking shopfront needs replacing. Sometimes a £1,500 refresh delivers what would otherwise cost £8,000+ in a full refit. The decision tree:

Refurbish if:

• The frame structure is sound (no rust, no rot, no warping)
• The glass is intact (no cracks, no failed seals on double-glazed units)
• The doors still close and lock properly
• The visual problem is mostly paintwork, signage age, or surface dirt

Replace if:

• Frame shows visible rust, rot or structural damage
• Glass has failed seals (misting between panes), cracks, or repeated breakages
• Doors don't close properly, latches have failed, or hinges are loose
• The frontage is wrong for the brand you're trying to project (style, materials, period)
• You'd be selling the business in the next 2 years and want to maximise value

What a typical spring refurbishment includes

A full refurbishment without replacement, costing £1,500–£4,000 for a single retail unit:

• Power wash and deep clean of the frontage and stallriser
• Powder-coat respray of aluminium frames OR repaint of timber frames in the colour of your choice
• Replacement of any failed gaskets or perished seals
• New dimensional fascia signage to replace tired flat-printed boards
• Cleaning and resealing of the entrance threshold
• Replacement of any cracked tiles in the stallriser
• Replacement door hardware where the existing is showing wear
• Glass polishing / minor scratch removal where economical

The visual transformation is usually larger than the price tag suggests — a frontage that looks "10 years tired" can come back looking 12 months old after this kind of work.

Lead times: when to start planning

For summer trading (assume Easter onwards as your peak start date), the realistic timeline is:

• January – February: Survey and quote your options. Compare 2–3 installers. Confirm scope.
• February – early March: Order any new materials (signage, replacement components). Powder-coat respray bookings often have 2–3 week lead times in spring.
• Mid March – early April: Carry out the work. Refurbishment installs are typically 1–2 days on site.
• April onwards: Trade through summer with a sharp-looking frontage.

If you're going for full replacement rather than refurbishment, push the survey back to November/December so the install can happen in February — replacements have longer fabrication lead times (3–4 weeks) and you don't want the installer running into Easter.

Minimising disruption to trading

The single biggest worry for most retailers is losing trading days during the work. The realistic options:

Trade through the work

Possible for refurbishment (cleaning, paint, sign change) — fitters work around the customers, with some hours when they need clear space. The shop stays open. Best for businesses where peak hours are predictable (morning rush, lunch, evening).

Close for one day

Standard approach for medium-scale refurbishment. Pick the quietest day of the week (often Sunday or Monday for retail), close that day, work runs 7am–7pm, you reopen the next morning with the work done. Most installations of fascia signage, door hardware and glass replacement fit into a single day.

Out-of-hours work

Used for full replacements where you need to maintain trading. Fitters arrive at 5pm or 6pm, work overnight, leave by morning. Premium of about 25–30% on the labour piece, but zero lost trading time. We do this regularly for high-trade locations.

Phased work over multiple visits

For complex refits, splitting the work over two or three short visits (each 2–4 hours, scheduled around your trading) can keep disruption to under-30-minute periods. More expensive in total labour but minimal trading impact.

Pre-summer refurbishment checklist

If you're going to refurb yourself or coordinate it with multiple suppliers, this is a useful list:

• Frontage paintwork — refresh or repaint in current colour, or change colour entirely
• Fascia signage — replace if more than 5 years old or if branding has updated
• Glass — clean, check for misting/cracks, polish minor scratches
• Stallriser tiles — replace any cracked or stained units
• Door hardware — replace handles and locks if they're showing wear
• Threshold and weather seal — replace perished rubber seals
• Lighting — replace failed bulbs in fascia and window display lighting
• Window display — refresh manequins, props and POS materials
• Awning — clean, check operation, replace if torn or stained
• External pavement — repaint any kerbs, fix loose paving slabs the council will let you address

Do you need consent for refurbishment work?

Generally no — repaint, clean, replace like-for-like, no consent needed even in conservation areas. The exceptions are:

• Significant colour changes in conservation areas may need conservation officer agreement (informally, usually free of charge — a phone call's enough)
• New illuminated signage or signage that exceeds the deemed-consent limits requires Advertisement Consent
• Listed buildings — any external work, even repaint, technically requires Listed Building Consent

For most non-listed, non-conservation premises, you can refurbish without any council involvement at all. Our planning permission guide covers the detail if you're unsure whether your premises is affected.

Is it worth doing?

For a typical 4–5m retail unit, a £2,500 spring refurbishment will usually pay for itself within a single summer trading period through:

• Increased walk-in customer rate (commonly 5–15% lift after a refurbishment)
• Higher conversion of walk-ins to purchases (a smart-looking shop converts better)
• Better-quality customer photos shared on social media
• Reduced customer perception of "tired" or "going-under" that hurts new-customer trust

For premium and tourism-facing premises the lift is larger; for budget and convenience retail the lift is smaller but still worthwhile.

Want a refurbishment quote?

Our surveyors come out free of charge — for refurbishment work we can usually quote on the day. Request a quote or call 0800 088 6248. Spring slots fill up from February onwards, so the earlier the better.