Fit-Out Contractors in London

Overview

LCC is a London fit-out contractor for restaurants, retail stores and commercial interiors. We take premises from shell, or from a previous tenant's fit-out, to a finished interior that is approved by the landlord, signed off by building control and ready to trade. Since 2014 our work has ranged from restaurants in Soho, Oxford Circus and High Holborn to units inside Westfield Stratford City, The O2 and the Bullring.

An architect-led fit-out contractor

LCC is led by an ARB-registered architect. Our team of ARB-registered architects, who are also members of RIBA and BIID, works alongside our fully qualified construction team, with our own site management team running each site. The architects who design the fit-out remain fully involved throughout construction, so technical coordination continues on site and the finished interior matches the approved design.

Fit-out services

• Restaurant fit-out: kitchens, extraction and odour control, gas safety interlocks, grease management and drainage
• Shopfitting and retail fit-out: shopfronts, joinery and shopping-centre units
• Office and commercial fit-out, Category A and Category B
• Commercial design and build
• Refurbishment of existing premises, including phased work while the business stays open
• Strip-out, dilapidations and reinstatement at the end of a lease

Shell and core, Category A and Category B

Shell and core is the base building: structure, envelope, main services and common areas. Category A adds a finished base space with ceilings, floors, lighting and building services. Category B fits that space out for a particular occupier: layout, kitchens, joinery, finishes, branding and operational requirements. Most restaurant and retail projects start from shell or from a previous tenant's fit-out, and we take them through to a fully fitted unit.

How we deliver a fit-out

1. Survey and brief: measured survey, review of the lease and the landlord's fit-out guide, and an agreed brief
2. Design: layout, interior design, mechanical and electrical design and fire strategy
3. Approvals: landlord approval and the Licence to Alter technical package, planning where required, and building control
4. Construction price: an itemised price against the agreed design, with scope and exclusions stated
5. Construction: site run by our own site management team, with CDM documentation, landlord permits and regular progress updates
6. Handover: testing and commissioning, certificates, as-built drawings, O&M manual and defects period, with maintenance available afterwards

Case study: Yakiniku Like, Westfield Stratford City

Location: Westfield Stratford City, London E20 · LCC's role: design and build, Principal Designer and Principal Contractor · Opened: December 2025, on the date agreed with the centre

A Japanese BBQ restaurant with a grill at every seat, built inside a trading shopping centre. We took the design, shopfront, signage and services through Westfield's staged review, agreed the ventilation, sprinkler and fire alarm changes with the centre's engineers, and built behind hoarding with deliveries through the service yard. LCC continues to maintain the restaurant. Read the full project.

Other fit-out projects

• Kintan Japanese BBQ, Oxford Circus and High Holborn
• Haidilao Hot Pot: The O2, Piccadilly Circus, Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool
• Hachi BBQ, Soho
• Ginza Onodera, St James's
• Pop Mart: Oxford Street and Westfield Stratford City

What to look for in a fit-out contractor

• Sector experience: a restaurant kitchen, a shopping-centre unit and an office floor each carry different technical and regulatory requirements
• Design capability in-house: design and construction coordinated by one team
• Landlord approvals experience: approvals often decide the real start date on site
• A clear price: scope, assumptions and exclusions listed against agreed drawings
• Health and safety: LCC holds CHAS, Constructionline and SSIP accreditation and acts as Principal Contractor under CDM 2015
• Aftercare: maintenance support once the premises are trading

Frequently asked questions

What does a fit-out contractor do?

A fit-out contractor turns a shell or existing space into a working interior: partitions, ceilings, flooring, building services, joinery and finishes, ready for the occupier to trade.

What is the difference between Category A and Category B?

Category A is a finished base space with services, ceilings and floors. Category B fits it out for a specific occupier, with layout, kitchens, joinery, finishes and branding.

How long does a fit-out take?

It depends on the size and condition of the premises, the landlord's approval process and long-lead items such as kitchen equipment and joinery. We agree a programme covering design, approvals and construction before work starts.

Can you work while our business stays open?

Yes. We phase work and schedule noisy activities out of hours where the premises remain in use.

Do you provide the design, or do we need an architect?

We provide both. Our team includes ARB-registered architects, and we also build fit-outs designed by our clients' own architects.

Do you provide maintenance after completion?

Yes. We maintain a number of the restaurants we have fitted out, with our maintenance team available every day from 7am to 9pm.