Retail Millwork & Store Fixtures

Retail fixtures we build

Display units and gondolas

Freestanding and wall-mounted display with adjustable shelving, so merchandising can change without new fixtures.

Cash wraps and service counters

The highest-wear fixture in any store. Durable surfaces, impact-resistant edges, secure storage and integrated POS, power and data.

Wall systems

Slotted, cleated or bracket-based systems that allow shelves, rails and display arms to be repositioned quickly.

Fitting rooms

Partitions, benches, hooks, mirrors and door hardware, detailed for privacy and durability.

Feature and back-wall displays

The hero fixture that anchors the store, often incorporating integrated lighting and branding.

Back-of-house casework

Stockroom shelving, staff lockers and utility casework — unglamorous and essential.

What drives the cost of a retail fit-out

Landlord requirements in Calgary retail spaces

Most Calgary retail space sits inside a managed centre or a mixed-use building, and the landlord almost always has a tenant fit-out manual that governs what you can attach, where you can run services, and how work must be scheduled. That document matters more than most tenants expect. It commonly sets flame-spread ratings for wall finishes, restricts anchoring into demising walls or structural columns, and requires that any work touching sprinklers, fire alarm or base building HVAC be done by the building's nominated contractors.

The practical effect is on sequencing rather than on the millwork itself. Fixture drawings usually need landlord approval before fabrication starts, and that review can take a fortnight. Starting the shop drawings early — before the lease is finalised, if possible — is the single most useful thing a tenant can do to protect an opening date.

Centres also restrict working hours. In enclosed malls, installation is frequently confined to overnight windows, which changes both the labour cost and how the work is broken into stages. Street-front retail in areas like Inglewood, Kensington or 17th Avenue is usually more flexible, though loading access and parking restrictions become the constraint instead.

Mistakes that shorten a fixture's life

Specifying residential-grade hardware

A drawer in a home might open five times a day. A cash wrap drawer opens several hundred. Hinges and slides rated for domestic cycles fail within months in retail, and replacing them means downtime in the highest-traffic part of the store.

Treating the cash wrap like ordinary cabinetry

It absorbs more wear than every other fixture combined — bags dragged across it, feet against the kick, constant leaning. It needs a harder surface, a properly protected front edge and a kick detail that can be replaced without rebuilding the counter.

Locking in one merchandising layout

Fixed shelving at set heights becomes obsolete the first time the product range changes. Adjustable systems cost slightly more to build and save the entire fixture cost the first time you re-merchandise.

Leaving power and data until after fabrication

Retro-fitting a cable route into a finished fixture means cutting into a visible face. Deciding where POS, card terminals and display lighting need to land before the panels are cut keeps every service concealed.

Ignoring how the fixture gets into the building

A back wall built as one piece may not fit the service lift, the loading corridor or a turn in the mall concourse. Fixtures are designed in sections sized for the actual access route, joined on site.

How a retail fit-out runs

Retail work is scheduled backwards from the opening date, because every other trade depends on when fixtures land.

1. 1
   Site measure and services checkWe measure the demised space and locate existing power, data, sprinkler heads and HVAC. In a shell unit this also means confirming where the base building services actually terminate, which is often not where the lease drawing shows.
2. 2
   Shop drawings for landlord approvalElevations and sections showing materials, finishes, fixing methods and service routes. This is the set the landlord reviews, so it is worth getting complete the first time.
3. 3
   FabricationBuilt in the shop while site trades run in parallel. This is where retail differs most from residential work — the fixtures are being made while electrical and flooring proceed, rather than after.
4. 4
   Staged installationDelivered and installed in the sequence the store needs: back-of-house first, then wall systems, then the cash wrap and feature displays last so they are not damaged by other trades.
5. 5
   Snag and handoverAdjustment of doors, drawers and alignment once the fixtures are loaded, plus a walk-through covering adjustment points and how to reconfigure shelving.