For shopfitters
Quoting for shopfitters
A shopfit is joinery by the metre and the unit, partitions by the square metre, and installation on the night shift when the centre is shut. The tenant has an opening date they cannot move. Quote Desk sets out the counter, the shelving bays, the install nights and the drawings as lines, so the tenant sees what each part of the fitout costs.
Quote from Marri Street Shopfitting
Gift shop fitout, suburban centre
| Service counter with stone top, 3 m | $4,350.00 |
| Wall shelving bays, 12 | $4,560.00 |
| Double-sided gondolas, 2 | $2,200.00 |
| Drawings, delivery and 3 install nights | $5,800.00 |
| Total | $16,910.00 |
Sent from the car park. Accepted after the second reminder.
What gets in the way for shopfitters
An opening date that does not move
The lease starts, the stock arrives and the shop opens on a set day whether the fitout is done or not. A quote accepted today, with the program in the note, is the first step in making that day.
Work only when the centre is shut
Many centres keep noisy work to outside trading hours. Night rates are a real cost; put them on their own lines so the tenant does not compare your night price with someone else's daytime one.
Design changes after sign-off
A different counter top, one more shelving bay, a moved display. Each is a variation, and each is a new quote with its own accept, so the final invoice holds nothing the tenant has not seen.
Deposits on joinery
Joinery is made before it is installed, and materials are bought weeks before you see the shop again. The note is where the deposit and progress payments are set out, accepted with the price.
A worked example
Shopfitter work, with Quote Desk
Imagine a fictional joinery shop with an install crew, Marri Street Shopfitting. Price list: service counter, laminate with a stone top $1,450 per linear metre; wall shelving bay, 900 millimetre, adjustable $380 each; double-sided display gondola $1,100 each; plasterboard partition $95 per square metre; shop drawings $650 each; delivery and site protection $350 each; install night shift, two people for eight hours, $1,600 each.
The owner of an independent gift shop forwards an email after a site meeting in a suburban shopping centre: a 3 metre counter, twelve shelving bays and two gondolas, opening in five weeks. Quote this: counter x3, shelving bays x12, gondolas x2, shop drawings x1, delivery x1, install nights x3. The note says the price includes GST; shop drawings go to centre management for approval before anything is made; the install runs over three nights outside trading hours; electrical, data and signage are by others; 40 per cent deposit on acceptance, 40 per cent on delivery and the balance at handover; the price holds for 21 days. Total $16,910. Sent from the car park.
He presses Follow up automatically, and the owner accepts on day five, after the second reminder. Three weeks later she asks for a lower counter section for the till. That is a new quote with one typed-in line, accepted the same day, and the original quote stays exactly as it was.
Talk of the Trade
Shopfitters on Talk of the Trade
Talk of the Trade ranks shopfitters by how many Google reviews they have. Figures as of October 2026.
See the shopfitters on Talk of the Trade. Being listed there has nothing to do with using Quote Desk: no listing is sold and no rank changes.
Questions from shopfitters
Can I quote a whole shopfit on one quote?
Up to twenty lines fit, which covers most small shops if each line is a kind of item with a count. For a large fitout, keep your estimating tool for the detail and send the summary through Quote Desk for the tenant to accept.
How do I price night work?
Put a night-shift item on your list at your night rate, by the shift or by the hour, and use it for the install lines. The note says the install is outside trading hours.
The tenant and the landlord both want to see the quote. Who gets it?
Send it to the tenant, who can forward it. Anyone opening the link sees that one quote, not your other quotes or your price list.
How many shopfitters are on Talk of the Trade?
As of October 2026 the directory has 31 ranked lists of shopfitters, with 124 businesses listed in New South Wales, 105 in Queensland and 103 in Victoria. Quote Desk is separate from the directory.
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