Finance your retail fitout from lease signing to opening day. Timed to shopping centre handover dates, with equipment and fitout bundled together.
At EasyAsset, retail fitout finance is one of our specialist commercial lending categories. Whether you are opening a specialty retail store, a fashion boutique, a food and beverage outlet, a pharmacy, or a service-based retail tenancy, we work with lenders who understand shopping centre lease dynamics, builder handover timelines, and the importance of opening before your rent-free period expires. We help retailers finance shopfront works, display fixtures, joinery, commercial kitchen equipment, refrigeration, POS systems, and signage under one staged drawdown facility. We know that in retail, timing is everything, and we structure your finance to open on time.
Retail fitout finance is structured as a staged drawdown facility aligned to your builder’s progress payment schedule. Here is how the process works from lease to opening day.
Most landlords provide a fitout guide or tenancy schedule detailing what is permitted. Some provide a landlord incentive or contribution toward fitout costs. Your finance application can begin at this stage, before any works commence.
Start your finance application as soon as your lease is signedYour fitout finance application is typically based on accepted quotes from licensed builders and tradespeople. Lenders want to see the fitout cost broken down by trade. Most lenders require at least one formal quote before approving a staged drawdown facility.
Itemised builder quotes support your applicationPre-approval means you know your funding is in place before your builder starts. This protects you from project delays caused by funding gaps mid-construction. Settlement typically occurs in stages aligned to your builder’s progress payment schedule.
Pre-approved before your builder startsUnlike a standard loan, fitout finance is drawn progressively. As your builder completes agreed milestones and issues progress claims, your lender releases the corresponding funds. You only pay interest on the amount drawn at each stage, not the full facility limit.
Interest charged only on funds drawn at each stageOn practical completion, the final drawdown is released to your builder. Your facility converts to a standard repayment schedule and you begin making repayments from your trading revenue. The fitout generates depreciable deductions from day one.
Open for business, repayments begin from trading revenueFour structures available for retail fitout finance. The right one depends on your store size, trading history, and whether you want to bundle equipment and fixtures with construction.
A term loan for the full fitout cost, with staged drawdowns tied to your builder’s progress payment schedule. The most common structure for retail fitouts. You repay over a fixed term of 3 to 7 years with the fitout itself as the primary security.
For smaller fitouts or businesses that do not want to use the fitout as security. No charge over the fitout asset. Typically available up to $250,000 and approved based on your business revenue and credit profile rather than asset security.
Combine the fitout construction cost with display fixtures, refrigeration, commercial kitchen equipment, and POS systems under one facility. Particularly useful when both fitout works and equipment are sourced at the same time.
If you own an existing fitout in a leased space, you may be able to sell the fitout asset to a lender and lease it back, unlocking working capital for a new fitout or other business needs without disrupting your current operation.
Answer 4 quick questions and our recommender will suggest the best fitout finance structure for your retail project, instantly, with no phone call needed.
4 questions · Takes about 30 seconds · Instant recommendation
Question 1 of 4
What type of retail business are you fitting out?
Most Australian businesses with a signed commercial lease and an ABN can access fitout finance. Here is what lenders look at.
Retail fitout costs vary significantly by store type, location, and specification. Here is how the numbers typically look across three common retail project sizes.
Indicative repayments only. Actual rates depend on your profile, lender, and fitout scope.
Retail fitout budgets are driven primarily by shopfront and trading floor investment, with back-of-house costs playing a supporting role. Understanding this split helps you finance accurately and make specification decisions that match your brand strategy.
Adjust the sliders to estimate your repayments. Speak with our team for an exact quote based on your profile.
Fitout finance has specific and favourable tax treatment. Structured correctly, the after-tax cost of your fitout is significantly lower than the headline price.
Fill in the quick form above with your business details, estimated fitout cost, and whether you have builder quotes in place. No credit check, no commitment. Takes about 2 minutes.
A specialist matches you to commercial lenders from our panel of 50+ who offer retail fitout finance, with timing structured to your shopping centre handover or builder access date.
Pre-approval in as little as 24 to 48 hours so you can proceed with your builder with confidence that your funding is in place before works commence.
As your builder completes milestones and issues progress claims, we coordinate the drawdown releases. You only pay interest on what has been drawn. On practical completion, your loan converts to a standard repayment schedule.
Free · No credit check · Pre-approval in 24 hours · Australian team