Clearing a shop at the end of a lease
Whether you’re closing, moving or downsizing, The Clearance Team empties retail units across Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset and Somerset, from a small high street shop to a larger unit with a stockroom out the back.
We take out the shopfittings, the leftover stock, the stockroom shelving and the bags of packaging that pile up in the last week. Usable fittings and stock go to reuse where they’re wanted, materials are separated for recycling, and a Duty of Care waste transfer note is available on request for your records.
Most shop clearances run to a deadline: the date the keys go back. Tell us that date first and we’ll plan the job around it. Evenings and weekends can be arranged, which helps if you’re still trading up to the last day or the unit is in a busy street.
What we take out of a shop
- Gondola and wall shelving, slatwall and brackets
- Clothes rails, display tables, mannequins and mirrors
- Counters and cash desks
- Freestanding display cabinets and stands
- Stockroom racking, shelving and boxes
- Unsold stock you don’t want to keep or sell on
- Tills, card machines, screens, security pedestals and other electricals (handled as WEEE)
- Staff room furniture, fridges and microwaves
- Cardboard, packaging and general waste, with a sweep-through at the end
Anything fixed to the wiring needs an electrician to disconnect it safely before we remove it. Let us know what’s hard-wired and we’ll fit around them.
Handing the unit back: know what your lease asks for
Before you book anything, find your lease and read what it says about the state the unit has to be in when you leave. This is the part that catches people out. At the end of a commercial lease, the landlord will usually inspect the unit and may serve a schedule of dilapidations: a list of things you’re expected to put right, or pay for.
Leases differ a lot. Some only ask for the unit to be left empty and clean. Others expect you to remove everything you added, such as your shopfit, signage and partitions, and put the unit back the way it was when you took it on. It’s worth asking your landlord or agent early what they expect, and getting advice from your solicitor or surveyor if anything is unclear. We can’t advise on your lease, but we can clear to whatever standard you’ve agreed.
| What you might need | Who usually does it |
|---|---|
| Stock, loose furniture, shelving and waste removed | Us |
| Your freestanding and screwed-on shopfittings taken out | Us |
| Unit swept through and left empty | Us, as standard |
| A clean or carpet clean after the clearance | We can arrange it |
| Electrics disconnected and made safe | Your electrician |
| Making good walls, floors and ceilings, redecorating | Your builder or shopfitter |
| Fridges or air-con with refrigerant gas | A specialist engineer, before removal |
Take dated photos of every area once the unit is empty. We can photograph it for you at the end of the job too, which gives you a record of how you left it if there’s any question later.
How a shop clearance works
- Send photos or book a visit. Show us the shop floor, the stockroom and any upstairs space, and tell us your hand-back date.
- Fixed written quote. Priced on volume, access and what’s in it, with no hidden extras for the work we agree.
- Sort what you’re keeping. Stock you’re moving, fittings going to a new shop, anything sold to another trader: mark it and we’ll leave it.
- Clearance. We dismantle and load, separating metal, wood, cardboard and electricals as we go. If parking out front is limited, tell us about rear access or loading times.
- Sweep, photos and paperwork. The unit is swept, and photos and a waste transfer note are available on request.
Reuse, recycling and Duty of Care
A surprising amount of a shop can be reused. Clean shelving, rails, display units and leftover stock in good condition often go to local charities and reuse projects. Metal shelving and rails are recycled as scrap, cardboard is kept separate, and electricals go to licensed WEEE facilities. What’s left goes to licensed facilities.
As a business, you have a duty to make sure your waste goes to a registered carrier. We’re Environment Agency registered and fully insured, and we can provide a waste transfer note on request. If you have any doubt about a firm you’ve been offered, here’s how to check a waste carrier.
Closing an office or storage space at the same time? We also do office clearance and warehouse clearance. Landlords clearing a vacated flat above a shop may want our void property clearance page.
We clear shops in Weston-super-Mare town centre and across North Somerset and Somerset, from Clevedon to Burnham-on-Sea, Cheddar, Bridgwater and South Bristol.
Shop clearance questions
Can you clear the shop after closing time?
Yes. Evening and weekend work can be arranged, which is useful if you’re still trading, or if the street is too busy to load during the day.
Do you remove shopfittings and counters?
Yes. We take out freestanding and screwed-on fittings, shelving, rails and counters. Anything wired in needs to be disconnected by an electrician first. Repairs to walls and floors afterwards are a job for your builder or shopfitter.
What about the fridges and chillers?
We can take fridges and freezers that just plug in. Larger refrigeration or air-conditioning units that are plumbed or piped in need a qualified engineer to recover the gas before removal. Let us know what you have when you send photos.
Can you take unsold stock?
Usually, yes. Good stock may go to charity or reuse, and the rest is recycled or sent to licensed disposal. Tell us what it is, as some products, such as chemicals, aerosols or anything hazardous, need a specialist route.
How quickly can you clear a shop?
It depends on size and access, but most small units can be cleared in a day. If your hand-back date is close, call us: locally, urgent jobs are prioritised and same-day or next-day is often possible.
Where we work
Local clearances
Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, Somerset & South Bristol
Weston-super-Mare is home. We clear houses, flats, garages, gardens and business premises across North Somerset most days, and regularly in Somerset and South Bristol.
Nationwide
Probate & estate clearances anywhere in England and Wales
For solicitors, executors, deputies and families, we travel. We quote from photos or a video walk-through, collect keys from you or the firm, keep you updated with photos, and invoice the estate with your reference.