Meaning & use
shopfitter
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountableBritish
A person or company that builds and installs the counters, shelves, lighting and other fittings inside a shop or store.
Grammar: Refers to a person or firm: we hired a shopfitter, and the shopfitters finished on Friday.
Patterns
- hire a shopfitter
- work as a shopfitter
The shopfitter measured the unit before designing the new shelving.
My uncle works as a shopfitter and has fitted out dozens of boutiques.
We need a good shopfitter to finish the cafe before the grand opening.
Word forms
| plural | shopfitters |
|---|
Common combinations
- hire a shopfitter
- The chain decided to hire a shopfitter for all its new branches.
- a local shopfitter
- A local shopfitter quoted us a fair price.
- work as a shopfitter
- After leaving school he trained to work as a shopfitter.
- a specialist shopfitter
- Only a specialist shopfitter could build such curved display cases.
- the shopfitter's quote
- The shopfitter's quote came in under budget.
Synonyms and how they differ
- carpenter
- It is a broader trade for working with wood, while a shopfitter handles the whole fit-out of retail space, including metal and lighting.
- fitter
- It is a short general term for anyone who installs equipment, not just in shops.
- interior contractor
- It sounds more formal and can cover offices or homes, not only retail premises.
Word family
Commonly confused: shopfitter or shopkeeper?
shopfitter vs shopkeeper
A shopkeeper runs a shop and sells goods, whereas a shopfitter builds the inside of the shop.
Practice
Before the bakery opened, a ____ installed the counters and display shelves.
Choose one answer.
A shopfitter builds and installs fittings in shops. A shoplifter steals goods, a shopkeeper runs the shop and a shopper buys things.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “shopfitter”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.