Much retail work in Riyadh is not a new unit but a store that has traded for years, a brand with an updated concept, and a landlord asking for the unit to meet the centre's current standard, all while sales targets stay the same. This guide covers how a retail store refurbishment in Riyadh is planned and delivered, including when the store keeps trading through the works.
We have carried out retail fit-out in Riyadh since 2002, on new units and on refits of existing stores. The cost and time figures below are indicative ranges. Every unit, landlord and brand standard is different, so use them for planning and confirm your own budget and programme with a site survey. For new-unit budgets, see our retail fit-out cost guide; for the full new-store sequence, see our shop fit-out process guide.
Refresh, Partial Refit or Full Refit
The first decision is how far to go. Contractors price very different scopes against the word "refurbishment", so it helps to split the options into three levels.
Refresh
A refresh keeps the layout, the shopfront and the MEP as they are. It typically covers repainting, replacing worn floor areas, updating graphics and window displays, re-lamping or swapping light fittings like for like, and repairing or re-facing joinery. It rarely needs a full landlord submission, though most centres still want notice of the works, and it can often be done in night shifts with the store trading each day.
Partial refit
A partial refit changes part of the store: a new cash-wrap, a new feature wall or zone, replacement wall bays, a new fitting room block, or an upgraded lighting scheme. Some MEP changes are usually involved, such as new circuits, relocated sockets, or adjustments to sprinkler heads and detectors to suit a changed ceiling. This level normally needs landlord approval of drawings and may involve the mall's nominated contractor for fire system work.
Full refit
A full refit strips the unit back, often to the shell, and rebuilds it to a new concept. New shopfront, new layout, new ceilings, new MEP distribution and new fixtures. It is closer to a new fit-out, plus strip-out, and most full refits close the store or move trading to a temporary location.
How to decide
Four questions usually settle it:
- Is the shopfront changing? A new shopfront almost always means landlord approval, hoarding and a closure period for that part of the store. If it stays, a phased refit while trading is much more realistic.
- Is the MEP at the end of its life? Fan coil units, distribution boards and lighting that are eight to ten years old are often worth replacing during a refit rather than after it, because the ceiling is already open.
- Has the brand concept changed? A new concept from head office usually means new fixtures, finishes and lighting throughout, which points to a full refit.
- What does the lease require? Some leases and renewals require the tenant to refurbish to the centre's current design criteria. Read the clause before agreeing the scope.
Refitting While the Store Trades
Keeping the store open protects revenue, but costs more and takes longer than an empty-unit refit. It works when the store can be split into zones and the shopfront is not replaced in full.
Phasing the floor
The store is divided into zones, usually two or three, and each zone is closed off, refitted and handed back before the next starts. The order follows the brand's sales priorities. The cash-wrap and fitting rooms need particular care, because the store cannot trade without them. Temporary counters or a temporary fitting room are common.
Night works
In malls, noisy work, deliveries and anything that creates dust or odour are restricted to hours after the centre closes. On a trading refit, the store also has to be clean, safe and merchandised by opening time, so a short handover each morning confirms the trading area and escape routes are clear and the screens are secure. Night working typically adds to labour cost; our retail cost guide puts the premium at 10 to 20 percent compared with daytime working.
Dust, noise and odour control
Screens between the work zone and the trading floor should be full height and sealed, with a lockable door. Low-odour adhesives and paints are used where possible, and HVAC to the work zone may be isolated so dust does not reach stock. Fire alarm detectors in the work zone may need isolating during dusty work, which in most malls can only be done by the mall's approved contractor and must be restored the same shift.
Hoarding and temporary stores
If the shopfront is being replaced, the centre will usually require a hoarding across the frontage for that period, normally branded with the retailer's graphics. On a phased refit it may cover only part of the frontage. Where the whole store has to close, some brands take a short-term kiosk or pop-up in the same centre so regular customers can still buy. We supply both: mall and street-front hoarding through our construction hoarding service, and temporary units through our kiosk fit-out team.
Landlord Approvals for Alterations
An existing tenant does not have a blanket right to alter the unit. Most mall leases require landlord consent for alterations, and the centre's tenant coordination team will apply the current design criteria, not the criteria the store was originally built to. That can mean a shopfront that was acceptable in 2018 has to change to meet today's rules if the brand touches it at all.
Expect the following, in proportion to the scope:
- A drawing submission showing the existing and proposed layout, ceiling, shopfront and MEP changes
- A method statement for working in an occupied, trading unit, including dust, noise, waste and escape routes
- Contractor registration, insurances and site passes, even if the original fit-out contractor is returning
- A fit-out deposit for the alteration works, in many centres
- Permits to work for hot works, fire system isolations and work outside the unit
- Inspection hold points and a final landlord inspection before the altered areas are reopened
Our guide to the mall fit-out approval process in Riyadh covers each of these in detail for new units; most of it applies to alterations too. For high-street stores, the authority side matters more. Changes to the façade or external signage, and changes affecting fire safety, may need municipal approval through Balady and a review by Civil Defence. Confirm the current requirements before the design is fixed. If the shopfront or signs are changing, our guide to shopfront and signage approval in Riyadh explains what is usually reviewed.
Strip-Out
Every refit involves some removal, and strip-out is where hidden problems appear. Survey above the ceiling and behind linings before pricing, because the condition of existing services drives the scope. Common findings on Riyadh retail refits include undocumented cabling from earlier alterations, ductwork and fan coils with heavy dust build-up, sprinkler heads that no longer suit the ceiling layout, and fire stopping that has been disturbed and not restored.
Strip-out in a trading mall store is done at night, with waste bagged and removed through the service route the same shift. Identify anything to be reused, such as shelving or light fittings, before demolition starts. If the landlord requires part of the unit returned to shell, confirm the extent in writing.
Indicative Refurbishment Costs
The ranges below are indicative for 2026 and assume a standard mall or high-street store in Riyadh. They cover construction works and fixed fixtures only. They exclude loose brand fixtures, IT and POS, landlord charges and deposits, design fees, and any work by the mall's nominated contractors. A refit while trading usually sits at the upper end of each range because of night working, phasing and protection.
| Scope Level | Typical Content | Indicative SAR per sqm |
|---|---|---|
| Refresh | Paint, graphics, floor repairs, like-for-like lighting, joinery repairs | SAR 300 – 900 |
| Partial refit | New zones, cash-wrap or wall bays, lighting upgrade, minor MEP and fire system adjustments | SAR 900 – 2,000 |
| Full refit | Strip-out, new layout, ceilings, MEP distribution, fixtures and shopfront | Similar to a new fit-out, plus strip-out |
For a full refit, start from the new fit-out rates in our retail fit-out cost guide, which put a standard mall inline store at SAR 1,800 to 3,500 per sqm, and add strip-out, which that guide puts at SAR 80 to 250 per sqm for a second-generation unit. A new shopfront is priced per linear metre and can be the largest single item on a refit. Hold a contingency for what the strip-out reveals; ten percent is a reasonable starting point for a store with incomplete records.
Indicative Timelines
| Scope | Approvals and Procurement | Site Works |
|---|---|---|
| Refresh, store trading | 1 – 3 weeks | 1 – 3 weeks of night shifts |
| Partial refit, store trading | 3 – 6 weeks | 3 – 8 weeks, phased |
| Full refit, store closed | 4 – 8 weeks | 5 – 10 weeks |
| Full refit, phased while trading | 4 – 8 weeks | 8 – 14 weeks |
Long-lead items still decide the programme. Imported fixtures, shopfront glazing and brand-specified lighting should be ordered as soon as the design is approved, and nothing should be stripped out until they are confirmed. The worst outcome is a store opened up and waiting on a fixture still in transit. Plan around the trading calendar as well: most brands avoid refitting in the weeks before Ramadan and Eid and aim to finish well before them.
Showroom Refits
Large showrooms follow the same principles at a bigger scale. A furniture or automotive showroom can often be refitted bay by bay while the rest of the floor trades, because there is more space to move stock and customers. The main risks are floor replacement, which is slow and disruptive, and lighting or façade changes that affect the whole frontage. Our showroom fit-out page covers the scope we deliver for car, furniture and home showrooms.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a retail store stay open during a refurbishment?
Often, yes. A refresh or partial refit can usually be done in phases with night working, while the store trades each day. A full refit with a new shopfront normally means closing at least part of the store, and sometimes all of it for a few weeks.
Do I need landlord approval to refurbish my mall store?
In most cases, yes. Mall leases usually require consent for alterations, and the centre will review the drawings against its current design criteria. Even a refresh is normally notified to the landlord so working hours and access can be agreed.
How much does it cost to refit a shop in Riyadh?
As an indicative guide, a refresh might run SAR 300 to 900 per sqm and a partial refit SAR 900 to 2,000 per sqm. A full refit costs about the same as a new fit-out plus strip-out. Working while trading tends to push costs to the upper end.
How long does a retail store refurbishment take?
From a few weeks of night shifts for a refresh to several months for a full refit phased around trading. Approvals and long-lead fixtures often take longer than the site works.
Planning a refit of an existing store? Send us the unit plan, photographs of the current fit-out, the brand's new concept and your preferred dates, and we will come back with a phasing plan and a scope-based proposal. Contact Dar Anan to arrange a survey.