Commercial fit-out
Coffee shop fit-out in London
Counters, joinery, services and finishes, planned back from your opening date.
Studio photograph
We fitted out 60 Degrees Coffee in St James’s and Treelogy in Kensington, both in buildings run by institutional landlords. We price the counter, joinery, services and finishes line by line, deal with the landlord’s team, and plan the work back from your opening date.
750 sq ft from white box, standard finish, including equipment and VAT
£135,000 to £201,000
- Federation of Master Builders member
- Itemised schedules of works
- Reviews on Trustpilot
Coffee shop fit-out in London: at a glance
- Typical cost
- £135,000 to £201,000
- 750 sq ft from white box, inc. equipment and VAT
- Equipment
- Nearly as much as the fit-out
- On a recent coffee shop we priced
- Planning use class
- Class E
- Cafés and shops share the same class
- Food registration
- 28 days before trading
- With your local council
Scope
What a coffee shop fit-out with us covers
Every item below appears as its own priced line, so you can see where the money goes and take out what you do not need.
Priced in the fit-out
- Design drawings and specification, if you do not already have a designer
- Strip-out of the landlord’s finishes where your design replaces them
- Counter, back bar and retail shelving joinery
- Ceilings, partitions and the customer WC
- Floor and wall tiling
- Lighting, small power and data
- Plumbing for the coffee machine, water filtration, sinks and WC
- Fire alarm and emergency lighting, connected to the building’s system where the landlord requires it
- Decoration, testing, certificates and a builder’s clean before handover
Priced as a separate list
- Coffee machine, grinders, fridges, ovens and furniture. We can supply them on a separate priced list, as we did for a recent coffee shop, or you can buy them directly.
- Kitchen extraction, if your menu needs more than a combination oven or contact grill. We price it after a survey.
- Shopfront changes and illuminated signage, which usually need landlord and council consent.
Coffee shop projects
Two speciality coffee fit-outs in landlord-controlled buildings
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SW1P Coffee shop fit-out from white box
60 Degrees Coffee
Greycoat Store Building, Greycoat Place, St James’s
Counter and joinery
Built around how the bar works.
Counter, back bar and retail joinery are priced line by line, with coffee equipment and furniture on a list of their own, and the programme planned back from your opening date.
Studio photograph
Costs
What a coffee shop fit-out costs in London
For a 750 sq ft unit handed over as a white box, a standard fit-out including equipment, contingency and VAT comes to £135,000 to £201,000. A smaller unit costs more per square foot because the counter, services and WC take up a larger share of it.
- What the landlord hands over
- A white box with capped services is the cheapest starting point. A shell, or a unit with an old fit-out to remove, is priced after a survey.
- Equipment
- On a recent coffee shop we priced, the machine, grinders, refrigeration and furniture came to nearly as much as the fit-out itself. Budget for both from the start.
- Joinery
- The counter and back bar are usually the largest single item. Solid timber, stone tops and integrated display cabinets move the price most.
- Food on the menu
- Reheating pastries needs very little. Cooking needs extraction, which adds cost and landlord approvals.
Estimated total including VAT
£135,000 to £201,000
£113,000 to £168,000 before VAT
Standard finish. Choose your finish level and extras in the full planner.
See the line-by-line breakdownFrom lease to opening day
How a coffee shop fit-out runs
Approvals and equipment lead times can hold up an opening as much as the building work, so we plan them first.
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Survey and landlord pack
We visit the unit and read the landlord’s fit-out guide, so the price reflects what the building allows: working hours, deliveries, fire alarm connection, drainage.
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Priced schedule of works
Every line itemised, with equipment on its own list and provisional sums marked, so you can decide what to keep before you commit.
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Approvals and programme
Drawings go to the landlord for licence for alterations, and to Building Control. We order long-lead joinery and equipment once your design is fixed.
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Strip-out and first fix
Partitions, ceilings and the first fix of electrics and plumbing, coordinated with the building’s management team.
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Joinery, finishes and equipment
Counter and shelving installed, tiling and decoration completed, equipment set in place for connection.
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Testing and handover
Fire alarm and electrical testing, certificates, snagging and a builder’s clean, so you can set up and train staff before opening.
A recent 32 m² beauty salon fit-out we priced was programmed at eight weeks on site. Your programme depends on size, approvals and equipment lead times.
Permissions
The approvals a London coffee shop usually needs
- Licence for alterations
- Most commercial leases require the landlord’s written consent before fit-out work starts. The landlord’s surveyor reviews your drawings.
- Planning use class
- Cafés where food is mostly eaten on the premises fall within Class E, the same class as shops, so moving into a former shop usually needs no change of use. Hot food takeaways are outside Class E.
- Signage
- Most illuminated signs, and many signs on listed buildings or in conservation areas, need advertisement consent from the council.
- Building Control
- Fire safety, means of escape, accessible WC provision and ventilation are checked. We submit and arrange inspections.
- Food business registration
- You register the business with your council at least 28 days before trading. Your layout needs handwash basins and surfaces that meet food hygiene rules.
Questions
Questions about coffee shop fit-outs
How much does it cost to fit out a coffee shop in London?
Using our planner, a 750 sq ft unit from white box at a standard finish comes to £135,000 to £201,000 including equipment, contingency and VAT. At an upgraded finish it is £201,000 to £290,000. A 400 sq ft unit comes to £113,000 to £196,000, because small units cost more per square foot.
What does white box mean?
It usually means the landlord hands over the unit with plastered and painted walls, a basic floor, capped-off services and a fire alarm ready for connection. What is included varies, so the landlord’s fit-out guide or agreement for lease is the document to check.
Do I need planning permission to open a café in a former shop?
Usually not for the use itself, because cafés and shops are both in Class E. You may still need consent for signage, external changes, extraction, or work to a listed building.
Can you supply the coffee machine and furniture?
Yes. We can price equipment and furniture as a separate list alongside the fit-out, so one programme covers delivery and installation. You can also buy them directly and we coordinate the connections.
Can I reclaim VAT on the fit-out?
VAT-registered businesses can usually reclaim VAT on fit-out costs. Check with your accountant.
Do you work with my designer?
Yes. We price and build from your designer’s drawings, or provide drawings and a specification if you do not have one.
Sources and method
Cost figures come from our fit-out planner, which is calibrated against our own coffee shop and small-unit tenders from 2025 and 2026.
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Tell us about the project
Two minutes on our enquiry form, or call us. Drawings help but are not needed.
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We visit and measure
We look at the unit, the landlord’s fit-out guide, and anything that affects price: services, drainage, deliveries, working hours.
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You receive a priced schedule of works
Every line itemised, with provisional sums and exclusions stated, so you can compare it line by line with any other quote.