The six variables that rule
1. The real scope of the intervention
Receiving a shell unit is not the same as refurbishing one in operation, or intervening a heritage building. The handover condition of the space is the first input that defines the programme.
2. The MEP
The most underestimated factor. A clothing store and a restaurant of the same size do not take the same time: kitchen, extraction, gas, special drainage and refrigeration add activities, tests and approvals that do not exist in fashion retail.
3. The mall rules
If noisy work can only run at night, output per shift drops and the programme stretches. Restrictions on access, deliveries and freight elevators have a direct effect on the schedule.
4. Permits
Filing runs in parallel to construction, but some approvals condition it. Starting late is the most common cause of moved openings.
5. Furniture and imported materials
Special pieces and imported finishes have manufacturing and customs lead times that more labour on site cannot accelerate. That is why we release those purchases early and work with top manufacturers under our supervision: it is the part of the schedule that can actually be controlled.
6. Client decisions
Every pending definition — a finish, an approval signature, a last-minute change — consumes calendar days. A closed construction-document set before starting is the best guarantee of hitting the date.
How time is really gained
- Close the construction documents before starting: complete drawings and resolved engineering avoid decisions on the fly.
- Run pre-construction: analyze material alternatives and sequence before starting, not during.
- Buy long-lead items early: furniture, special equipment and imported finishes.
- Start filings in parallel with the development of the construction documents.
- One accountable partner: when design, construction and furniture coordination sit with the same team, dead time between vendors disappears.
Why we do not publish generic durations
Promising "a store in X weeks" without knowing the unit, the concept and the mall is a marketing figure, not a commitment. We prefer to deliver a specific construction programme after reviewing your project — and then hold it.
Frequently asked questions
Can you commit to an opening date?
Yes. Once we have reviewed the construction documents, the unit and the mall conditions, we deliver a construction programme with dates and commit to it. On-time delivery has been part of our proposition for more than 40 years.
What if the mall only allows night work?
It is built into the programme: crews, output rates and sequence are adjusted. It is a routine condition in our retail and restaurant work.
What delays openings the most?
From experience: permits started late, pending design decisions, and long-lead items — furniture or imported equipment — purchased after construction began.