If you are pricing up a new shopfront, the honest answer is that costs vary widely, but not randomly. The size of the opening, the frame material, the glass specification and whether you need shutters or planning consent all push the figure one way or the other. This guide sets out realistic ranges for the UK and the West Midlands so you can budget before you ask anyone to quote.
For a standard single-unit high street shop with an opening of roughly 3 to 5 metres, a full aluminium shopfront with a glazed door and fixed side panels usually lands somewhere between £4,000 and £12,000 supplied and fitted. Larger double-fronted units, corner plots or anything with curved or oversized glass can move well beyond £15,000.
Those figures assume a straightforward strip-out of the old frame and a like-for-like replacement. If the structural opening needs a new steel lintel, the fascia is rotten, or the floor slab has to be cut back to take a new threshold, expect builders' work on top. Always ask whether a quote includes removal and disposal of the old frame, as some do not.
Frame material is the first big decision. Powder-coated aluminium is the industry standard for commercial fronts because it is slim, strong and low maintenance, and it comes in any RAL colour. Thermally broken aluminium costs around 15 to 25 per cent more than a standard polyester-coated profile but cuts condensation and heat loss, which matters if the shop is heated all day. Timber and steel fronts are less common now and usually cost more to make and maintain.
Glass is the second. Toughened safety glass is the minimum for a shopfront under BS 6262 and Building Regulations Approved Document K. Laminated glass adds security and holds together if struck, which insurers often prefer, and a laminated double-glazed unit can add £100 to £200 per square metre over standard toughened.
Doors add up quickly. A manual single-leaf aluminium door with a closer and a decent lock is far cheaper than an automatic sliding or swing door, which typically adds £3,000 to £7,000 including sensors, safety beams and commissioning. Access hardware such as push pads, panic bars and low thresholds for wheelchair users also needs to be costed in early rather than bolted on.
Many Birmingham traders replace the shopfront and the shutter at the same time, because a new front rarely suits an old, dented shutter box. A galvanised solid roller shutter for a standard opening tends to cost £1,500 to £4,000 fitted, with punched or perforated laths that let passers-by see the window display costing a little more. Electric operation with a tubular motor and key switch adds several hundred pounds over a manual push-up shutter, and is worth it on anything over about 3 metres wide.
Bear in mind that some conservation areas and many landlords restrict external solid shutters. Internal shutters or open-lattice grilles behind the glass are often the compromise, and they keep the frontage looking open after hours.
Replacing a shopfront like for like is often permitted development, but any material change to the appearance in a conservation area such as the Jewellery Quarter, Digbeth or Moseley village will usually need planning permission from Birmingham City Council. Listed buildings always need consent. Application fees are modest compared with the job itself, but the delay can run to eight weeks or more, so factor that into your programme.
Other costs people forget include signage and fascia boards, which are quoted separately, temporary hoarding if the front is left open overnight, and out-of-hours installation. Many city centre and retail park landlords insist on evening or Sunday fitting so the neighbouring units are not disrupted, and that adds labour cost. Get a written, itemised quote and ask for the lead time on the glass, which is often the item that dictates the programme.
A proper price needs a site survey. Measurements from the old frame are rarely reliable once it comes out, and a surveyor will check the head, the cill and the reveals for movement or damp before committing to a figure. Ask each installer to quote to the same specification so you are comparing like with like, and check that the price includes Building Regulations compliance for glazing and any Part M access requirements.
Be wary of quotes that look far cheaper than the others. That usually means thinner profiles, non-safety glass, or a subcontracted installer who will not be around if the door drops on its hinges in a year. A sensible guarantee on a commercial shopfront is around 10 years on the frame and 5 years on the double-glazed units and hardware.
Once the survey is done, aluminium frames and glass typically take 3 to 5 weeks to manufacture. The installation itself is usually one to three days for a standard unit, longer if builders' work or automatic doors are involved.
A like-for-like replacement is often treated as a repair and can be deducted as a revenue expense, while an upgrade or enlargement may count as capital expenditure. Check with your accountant before the job starts, as the treatment affects your cash flow.
Not always. Many installers will fit in phases or out of hours and use temporary boarding overnight, so you can keep trading. Expect some disruption on the day the old frame comes out and the new one goes in.