Opening a shop in a shopping centre: fire risk assessment checklist
Before opening a shopping-centre unit, identify the Responsible Person, assess the completed operating layout and coordinate with centre management. Gather plans, fire-strategy information, service records and staff arrangements. Check exits, stockrooms, ignition sources and assistance needs, then implement the priority actions. An FRA is not a guarantee of landlord or centre approval.
8 min readBy and technically reviewed by Awais Sarwar, MSc Updated 14 Oct 2026
The short answer
Before opening a shopping-centre unit, identify the Responsible Person, assess the completed operating layout and coordinate with centre management. Gather plans, fire-strategy information, service records and staff arrangements. Check exits, stockrooms, ignition sources and assistance needs, then implement the priority actions. An FRA is not a guarantee of landlord or centre approval.
Provide the centre name, unit number, floor area, number of levels, intended use and opening date. Explain kitchens, processes, mezzanines and restrictions. Agree whether the instruction is a tenant FRA, whole-centre work or specialist testing; these are not interchangeable. A fixed quote should state the scope, limitations, VAT treatment and separately instructed services.
2. Gather the relevant documents
Collect the current floor plan, relevant fire strategy, centre evacuation and alarm instructions, existing FRA and action plan, available alarm and emergency-lighting records, fire-door information and staff training records. A missing document is not proof of a working system. Tell the assessor what is unavailable before attendance so the next step can be agreed.
The legal assessment duty
The Fire Safety Order applies to relevant non-domestic premises in England and Wales. This guide focuses on England and shopping-centre tenant arrangements.
The buildings behind this advice
3. Inspect the final operating layout
Assess the layout customers and staff will actually use, not a drawing that predates the fit-out. Trace routes from the furthest work and storage areas, consider displays and queues, and confirm final exits can be used when occupied. Check how shutters operate and whether service-corridor doors need permissions or keys. Never invent travel-distance or occupancy limits without the relevant design evidence.
4. Review stockrooms and ignition sources
Explain the stock type and storage height, packaging, charging, heaters, electrical equipment and cleaning materials. Keep routes clear during delivery as well as normal trading. New cooking or extraction equipment needs appropriate specialist information and maintenance arrangements; an FRA does not commission it.
5. Coordinate alarms and evacuation
Check who raises the alarm, what signal staff recognise, whether the tenant system interfaces with the centre, and where occupants go. Plan for customers unfamiliar with the building and people needing assistance. Information from management should be reconciled with the actual unit arrangements; do not copy another tenant’s procedure uncritically.
6. Implement the action plan
Assign an owner and completion date to each action and retain evidence. A report identifying a serious deficiency is not permission to open regardless. Where there is an immediate danger, obtain competent advice and act promptly. Centre handover acceptance, landlord approval, building-control processes and insurance requirements remain separate decisions.
7. Keep review triggers visible
Article 9 requires review when there is reason to suspect the assessment is no longer valid or after a significant change. New layouts, uses, equipment or numbers and types of occupants can matter. Agree a sensible review programme, but do not describe a universal annual expiry date as law for all shops.
What an opening deadline changes
A deadline changes scheduling, not the legal duty or technical scope. Tell the assessor when documents and the finished unit will be available. Urgent attendance depends on availability and access. If work continues after the visit, the assessment may need review against the final condition before reliance on it.
Preparation list to take to your site contact
Use this as a conversation checklist, not a substitute for a suitable assessment.
Name the Responsible Person and centre contact
Confirm unit scope, area, levels and operating use
Provide the relevant layout and centre fire-safety information
Arrange access to the unit and relevant escape routes
