Shopfitting & retail design FAQ
Common questions about shopfitting, retail design and exhibition construction, curated by the shopconsult team.
What is shopconsult?
shopconsult is an international multilingual B2B platform for shopfitting, retail design, exhibition stand construction, shelving systems, and retail technology. The platform connects shopfitters, manufacturers, planners, general contractors, and clients in the DACH region, Europe, and worldwide via an intelligent matching system.
What does shopfitting cost per square meter?
The costs for shopfitting typically range between 800 and 3,500 Euros per square meter, depending on the industry, material quality, technical equipment, and location. Discount concepts start from approx. 800 €/m², standard retail is around 1,200–2,000 €/m², premium and flagship stores reach 2,500–3,500 €/m² or more. Through shopconsult, clients can obtain free quotes from qualified shopfitting partners.
How do I find a shopfitter near me?
Through shopconsult's partner directory, shopfitters, shopfitters, and retail designers can be filtered by location (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Europe), service area (furniture construction, lighting, shelving systems, refrigeration technology, visual merchandising), and specialization. The AI matching automatically suggests suitable partners for your project and enables direct inquiries without intermediary commission.
What is the difference between Ladenbau and Shopfitting?
Ladenbau is the German technical term, Shopfitting is the internationally common English term for the same discipline: the planning, construction, furnishing, and technical equipment of sales areas. Both encompass architecture, interior design, lighting, shelving systems, checkout areas, visual merchandising, and POS technology. shopconsult serves both markets in parallel in four languages.
What is Retail Design?
Retail Design is the creative discipline of sales space conception. It combines brand identity, customer journey, material selection, light, acoustics, and visual merchandising into a holistic shopping experience. Retail Design goes beyond classic shopfitting and represents the strategic level before the structural implementation.
Who builds exhibition stands?
Exhibition builders (Messebauer) plan and realize temporary exhibition stands, roadshows, and brand events. Many shopfitting companies offer exhibition stand construction as an additional service, as materials, techniques, and logistics overlap. In the shopconsult directory, exhibition stand specialists can be filtered by stand country, stand size, and industry.
How long does a shopfitting project take?
A typical shopfitting project takes 3 to 9 months from initial conception to opening. Small renovations can be realized in 4–8 weeks, while flagship stores or branch roll-outs often require 9–18 months. Phases: Concept (2–4 weeks), Planning (4–8 weeks), Tendering (2–4 weeks), Manufacturing (6–12 weeks), Assembly (1–4 weeks).
How do I find suitable partners for my project?
Describe your project and use the partner search to find providers by service area, industry, and location. The AI-supported partner matching suggests suitable profiles; the choice is yours.
Is shopconsult free?
Searching the partner directory, AI matching, and submitting project inquiries are free for clients. For providers (shopfitters, manufacturers, service providers), there is the free "open" package as well as the paid "avant" and "prime" packages with extended functions.
In which countries is shopconsult active?
shopconsult is primarily established in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) and is expanding internationally into France, Italy, Benelux, and other European markets. The platform is available in German, English, French, and Italian and connects partners for international retail projects worldwide.
What are shelving systems in shopfitting?
Shelving systems are modular merchandise display systems for the presentation and storage of sales goods. Common types include wall shelves, gondola shelving, checkout area shelves, refrigerated shelves, and special systems for fashion, food, or drugstores. Specialized shelving system manufacturers and suppliers can be specifically found in the shopconsult directory.
What is Visual Merchandising?
Visual Merchandising is the strategic and creative staging of goods at the point of sale. It includes window dressing, merchandise presentation, storytelling, pop-up installations, and seasonal concepts. The goal is to positively influence purchasing decisions and make the brand world tangible.
What distinguishes shopconsult from Google or generic industry directories?
shopconsult is not a local business directory or a generic marketplace, but a specialized B2B ecosystem for the retail construction industry with AI-supported partner matching, verified partner profiles, industry news, jobs, and multilingual reach. The platform is designed for depth rather than breadth.
Can I, as a client, directly obtain multiple offers?
Yes. Using the 'Project Inquiry' function, requirements can be described once (industry, area, location, scope of services, budget framework, timeline) and automatically distributed to suitable, pre-qualified partners. The partners respond directly — without commission for shopconsult.
Which professions and trades are represented on shopconsult?
shopconsult lists shop builders, shopfitters, retail designers, interior architects, furniture manufacturers, shelving system suppliers, lighting specialists, refrigeration technicians, digital signage providers, visual merchandisers, exhibition stand builders, assembly teams, general contractors, project planners, as well as POS and retail technology providers.
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