Retail with food rules
A specialty food store may be a deli, cheese shop, international grocer, chocolatier or a mix. Each combines retail merchandising with food handling. Display cases, refrigeration, prep areas and storage all need careful planning.
Customers judge freshness by sight. Lighting, finishes and clean displays help.
What we build
Our carpenters and millwork team build shelving, counters, display tables and feature walls. Our electrical crew installs lighting, power for display cases and refrigeration, and signage. Our mechanical crew installs HVAC, plumbing, hand sinks and drains for prep areas.
Refrigerated cases may be self-contained or connected to remote compressors. We coordinate this with your equipment supplier.
- Refrigerated display cases
- Prep area with sinks
- Walk-in cooler
- Point-of-sale counter
Small spaces, big details
Many specialty stores are in leased units. We work with the landlord on utilities, ventilation and any limits on odours or hours. We also check for access to grease traps or exhaust routes, which are crucial for cooking.
Planning a fit-up
Lead times for display cases and refrigeration can be long. Ask us to review the lease before you sign so we can estimate the true cost. Health authority review is often required, and we plan the work around it.
Our interior and carpentry teams can build the details that give a specialty shop its character, such as wood shelving, tile, custom counters and branded signage. Because our mechanical and electrical crews handle the hidden systems, the whole shop is coordinated, and the opening date holds.
Signage, windows and entrances are your storefront. We coordinate them with the landlord and municipality, and our carpenters and painters make sure the front of the shop looks as good as the products inside.
Parking and loading access matter for deliveries, and we review them as part of the plan. Fresh stock arriving on time is just as important to a small shop as the display in the window.