The Blog you didn't know you needed

I visit a lot of butcher shops. Some as a customer but most as part of my work by walking a space with an owner who's thinking about a refit, trying to understand what's working and what the opportunity might be. And some, if I'm honest, just because I find them interesting. A well-run butcher shop is one of the most satisfying retail environments there is. Over time I've started noticing the same things, before I've spoken to anyone, before I've looked at the product, someti

I'm on the train down to west London to meet a butcher who’s looking to re-fit later in the summer. It feels like a good moment to put down some thoughts on what's trending in butcher shop design right now, not the generic trends you'll find in a trade magazine, but the things I'm seeing and hearing from butchers across the UK. Rethinking the serve-over counter This is the one I feel most strongly about. The traditional butcher's serveover counter is a brilliant piece of reta

A common question I get asked is some version of "How much should this cost?" It's a reasonable question. A new farm shop fit out is a significant investment and most people embarking on one have never done it before. The problem is that by the time most people ask the question, they've already made decisions that have shaped the answer without realising it. Here's what I've learnt from working on fit outs across the UK, and why the budget conversation needs to happen much ea

There can be a moment in a refit where the client looks around at what's happening on site and says something like: "This isn't what I thought it was going to be." Sometimes it's the layout. Sometimes it's the cost. Sometimes it's the fact that the contractor has made a decision, quietly, without asking, that changes the whole feel of the space. By the time that moment arrives, it's usually too late to do much about it. I've spent most of my career in shopfitting, design and