Home / Retail & F&B reinstatement
Retail and F&B Reinstatement
Shops, cafés, restaurants and food court stalls returned to the mall’s or landlord’s handover condition, with works planned around trading hours.
- Mall after-hours works
- Kitchen exhaust and grease traps
- Hoarding and permits
Shop reinstatement
Retail leases in malls and shophouses usually require the unit to be returned to bare shell or the mall’s standard handover condition. Typical works include removing the shopfront, signage, display fixtures, fitting rooms, counters and floor finishes, then restoring walls and ceilings to the mall’s specification.
- Shopfront and signage removal, with making good of the façade
- Display fixtures, shelving, cashier counters and storerooms
- Floor tiles, vinyl or timber flooring, and screed where required
- Lighting, power points and cabling back to the base layout
- Painting to the mall’s handover colour and specification
F&B reinstatement
Restaurants, cafés and food court stalls involve more specialised work, because kitchens add exhaust, plumbing and wet-area finishes that all need to come out safely.
- Kitchen exhaust hood and ducting removal
- Grease trap removal or decommissioning, as required by the landlord
- Cold rooms, chillers and kitchen equipment removal
- Wet-area tiling, floor traps and waterproofing restored to specification
- Gas and water points capped by licensed workers
F&B units usually cost more per sq ft than offices or shops because of this extra work. See typical ranges in the reinstatement cost guide.
Working in malls
Most malls restrict noisy works to after trading hours and require a works permit, insurance documents and a method statement before work starts. Many also need hoarding put up in front of the unit. We plan around these rules from the start, so the works permit doesn’t hold up your handover date.
Typical timeline for a mall unit
| Stage | Typical time |
|---|---|
| Site survey and itemised quotation | 2–4 days |
| Works permit, insurance and method statement approved by the mall | 3–10 working days |
| Hoarding up and strip-out (after trading hours) | 3–7 nights for a shop; 1–2 weeks for F&B |
| Making good, painting and cleaning | 2–4 nights |
| Joint inspection and rectification | 1–3 days |
Start 6–8 weeks before your lease end so the mall’s approvals don’t push you past the handover date.
Shophouses and standalone units
Shophouses and street-level units have fewer access restrictions but often older finishes underneath. We check what the landlord expects, which can include restoring original flooring or removing mezzanines built by a previous tenant, before quoting.
Mall, shophouse and HDB shop compared
| Mall unit | Shophouse | HDB shop | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who sets the standard | Mall management’s handover specification | Landlord, under the lease | HDB and the lease |
| Working hours | Noisy works usually after trading hours | Fewer restrictions | HDB rules for commercial units |
| Paperwork | Works permit, insurance, method statement, hoarding | Usually lighter | HDB approval before any hacking |
Tenant checklist before your shop handover
- Get the landlord’s or mall’s handover specification in writing
- Book the works permit and hoarding early
- Arrange gas and water capping by licensed workers for F&B units
- Decide what happens to the grease trap; see grease traps at reinstatement
- Photograph the unit before and after the works
- Book the joint inspection with time left for any rectification
Choosing who does the work? Read how to choose a reinstatement contractor.
Related guides
Get a price for your unit
Send photos, the floor plan and your handover date. Site surveys are free and every quotation is itemised.
Questions we get asked
Can’t see yours? Send it on WhatsApp with a photo of the unit.
Do you remove kitchen hoods and grease traps?
Yes. Exhaust hoods, ducting and grease traps are removed or decommissioned as part of F&B reinstatement, following the landlord’s requirements.
Can you work overnight in a mall?
Yes. Most mall reinstatement is done after trading hours, and we schedule the works to fit the mall’s rules.
Do you handle the mall's works permit?
We prepare the method statement and documents the mall usually asks for, and submit them together with you.
How long does F&B reinstatement take?
A small café or food court stall is often 5–7 working days; a full restaurant kitchen can take 2–3 weeks depending on mall working hours.
Tell us your handover date
We’ll reply with an initial estimate and a time for a free site survey.