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Shop front shutters

Shutters for high street shops, takeaways and offices, designed with planning in mind.

Shop front shutters are roller shutters made to protect a retail or commercial frontage outside trading hours. They cover the glazing and door in one curtain, and are usually electric with a key switch, in a solid, perforated or open-grille design chosen with the local planning rules in mind.

  • Shop & commercial shutters
  • From £1,195 + VAT
  • UK-wide
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How shop front shutters work

Councils generally treat an external shopfront shutter as development that needs planning permission, so the design is chosen with that in mind. Perforated and punched laths are popular on high streets because the window display stays visible when the shop is closed. Hiding the shutter box behind the fascia keeps the frontage tidy, and is something many council design guides ask for. Internal shutters behind the glazing protect stock without changing the street view, though they leave the glass exposed.

Key switch operation means the shutter can only be opened by a key holder standing at the frontage. A single curtain can cover the window and entrance together, or separate shutters can let you open the door while the window stays covered. Takeaways and late-opening shops often choose quieter aluminium curtains to reduce noise for neighbours above.

A powder-coated colour that matches the shopfront helps the shutter look like part of the design rather than an add-on. Your insurer may specify a minimum standard for out-of-hours protection, so it is worth checking your policy schedule before ordering. Graffiti-resistant coatings and perforated laths can reduce the blank 'dead frontage' look that solid shutters create at night.

Options we can specify

  • Solid, perforated, punched or open-grille curtains
  • Box external, behind the fascia or internal
  • Key switch and remote operation
  • Separate door and window shutters if needed
  • Powder coating to match your shopfront
  • Anti-lift and bottom-rail locks
  • Designs chosen around local planning guidance
  • Manual override for power cuts

Typical specification

Shop front shutters specification
CurtainSolid, perforated, punched aluminium or galvanised steel; roller grille alternative
Box positionExternal, concealed behind fascia, or internal behind glazing
OperationElectric with key switch and remote; manual for small units
FinishPowder coated to RAL to match the shopfront
PlanningExternal shutters usually need planning permission; listed buildings need consent

How much do shop front shutters cost?

Shop front shutters typically cost £1,195 to £4,495 ex VAT (£1,434 to £5,394 inc VAT) for the common sizes we fit, depending on width, operation, lath type and finish. Larger or specialist jobs are priced after survey.

Shop front shutters guide prices
OptionEx VATInc VAT
Wide or double frontage, 5m and over£2,195 to £4,495£2,634 to £5,394
Shopfront with entrance, 3m to 5m wide£1,895 to £3,595£2,274 to £4,314
Single shopfront, up to 3m wide£1,195 to £2,795£1,434 to £3,354

Guide prices assume a straightforward opening with a power supply nearby. Your fixed price is confirmed in writing after the survey, before anything is ordered.

Work out your own guide price

Enter the width and height, choose the operation and lath type, and the quote tool draws your shutter to scale with a price range.

Open the quote tool

Rules that apply

What the law and planning system expect, by nation. We check these at survey.

Planning permission for shopfront shutters

England

In England an external shutter on a shopfront is usually treated as development that needs planning permission from the local planning authority, and a listed building also needs listed building consent. Many councils' shopfront design guides favour internal shutters, perforated or open-grille designs and boxes hidden behind the fascia, and some refuse solid external shutters in conservation areas and on main shopping streets.

Wales

In Wales an external shopfront shutter normally needs planning permission from your county or county borough council, or the national park authority, and a listed building also needs listed building consent. Welsh councils' design guidance often prefers internal or open-pattern grilles to solid shutters, particularly in conservation areas.

Scotland

In Scotland fitting an external security shutter to a shopfront normally needs planning permission from the council, and listed building consent if the building is listed. Councils often ask for the box to be concealed and for open or perforated designs rather than solid shutters in conservation areas.

Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland planning permission for an external shopfront shutter is decided by your local council, which took over most planning decisions in 2015, and a listed building also needs listed building consent. Design guidance generally favours shutters that keep the frontage visible.

Safety of powered shutters

Powered doors and shutters are treated as machinery. The installer commissions them with a risk assessment, safety devices where the risk calls for them and force checks to BS EN 12453, then hands over a declaration of conformity and maintenance instructions. In workplaces, the employer or whoever controls the premises must keep doors maintained and safe for staff and visitors.

Electrical work

England

Electric shutters are wired to BS 7671, the IET Wiring Regulations. In homes in England, new circuits are notifiable under Part P of the Building Regulations, so the work is done by a registered electrician who can self-certify it, or notified to building control.

Wales

Electric shutters are wired to BS 7671, the IET Wiring Regulations. In homes in Wales, new circuits are notifiable under Part P of the Building Regulations as applied in Wales, so the work is self-certified by a registered electrician or notified to building control.

Scotland

Electric shutters are wired to BS 7671, the IET Wiring Regulations. In Scotland electrical work in buildings must also meet the Scottish building standards, and is carried out and certified by a qualified electrician.

Northern Ireland

Electric shutters are wired to BS 7671, the IET Wiring Regulations, by a qualified electrician. Northern Ireland has its own building regulations, and any building control requirement for the work is confirmed with your council.

What happens next

  1. Tell us about the opening

    Send the postcode, a rough size and a photo if you have one, using the form or a call.

  2. Free survey

    We measure, check the structure, power supply and planning position, and talk through options.

  3. Written fixed price

    You get a written quote with the product, finish, controls and price before anything is ordered.

  4. Made, fitted and handed over

    The shutter is made to measure, fitted, commissioned and handed over with its documents.

Shop front shutters: common questions

Do I need planning permission for a shop shutter?

In most cases yes. External shutters change the appearance of a shopfront, so councils usually require planning permission, and listed buildings also need listed building consent. Internal shutters often do not need planning permission but may still need consent on a listed building.

Which shutter is most likely to get planning approval?

Councils commonly prefer internal shutters, perforated or open-grille designs, and boxes hidden behind the fascia. Solid external shutters are often refused in conservation areas and on main shopping streets.

Can I keep my window display visible at night?

Yes. Perforated, punched or micro-perforated laths, or an open roller grille, let the display show through while the shopfront is secured.

Can the shutter match my shopfront colour?

Yes. Shutters can be powder coated to a RAL colour, and the box and guides can be finished to match.

Will a shutter lower my insurance premium?

It can help, and some insurers require a shutter for certain trades. Check your policy schedule for any stated standard before you order so the shutter meets it.

Is the survey free?

Yes, for new shutters, grilles and doors: the survey and written quote are free and there is no obligation to go ahead. Repair and servicing visits are charged, and we tell you the price before we visit.

Are your prices fixed?

Yes. After the survey you get a written price for the agreed specification, confirmed before anything is ordered or any work starts. If you change the specification, or a hidden problem such as a weak lintel is found during fitting, we price it and agree it with you before carrying on.

Related services

Who uses shop front shutters

Related guides

Shop front shutters near you

Choose your county or area for local details and towns we cover.

England

Wales

Scotland

Northern Ireland

Ready for a fixed price?

Free survey, made-to-measure shutters and a written quote before any work starts.

Get a guide priceCall 0800 088 6248