How to open your grocery store: a ready-made business plan. How to open a grocery store - get acquainted with the nuances How to open a minimarket from scratch

The information is relevant for those who are planning to open a store in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and other CIS countries and the world. All the features of launching an enterprise are universal for different areas.

In this article, we answer the following questions:

How to create a store from scratch, and how much does it cost?
What type of outlet is better to choose?
Where to start, how to draw up documents and equip a retail space?
How to attract customers and get a stable profit?

Winning option– choose the type of product related to your professional skills or hobbies.

For example, a person who understands technology will be able to establish its sale, correctly assess the needs of customers and know how to present this product. Cosmetics or clothing stores are traditionally run by women who are passionate about beauty and style. It is easier to form an assortment and set up work with those things that you understand.

If you approach the choice of direction purely for commercial reasons, then you should open an enterprise of any type that is in demand in a particular place. If there is nowhere to buy pasta in a residential area after nine in the evening, the best solution is your own 24-hour grocery store.

The nuances of opening a store, or factors to consider when choosing a market niche:

1. Seasonality of business. Many types of goods sell better in certain seasons (winter clothing, some sporting goods, etc.). Decide on the seasonality of your business and think in advance about ways to receive money in the off-season.

2. Competition. When deciding on the type of product, it is important to choose a location without direct competitors nearby. Or offer the buyer something that the competitor does not have. For example, adjacent to expensive boutiques in a shopping center, it is worth offering a good range of youth clothing and accessories at a low price.

A grocery store near a supermarket cannot survive with the usual assortment. It is better to specialize in the sale of confectionery, meat, household essentials, etc., that is, narrow your niche.

3. Be very careful with ideas., which have no analogues. On the one hand, such a business in the absence of competitors will receive maximum profit. On the other hand, the lack of competition may mean that such products are not in demand.

Step 2: Store Name

You need to start preparing for the opening with the name. This is a small thing that should be taken care of in advance. When writing a business plan and planning expenses, be sure to take the sign into account. And its cost directly depends on the name.

Main requirement– adequacy and attractiveness of the name. It should explain to passersby what is sold inside. If you want to take an original name, then add a specialization to it (grocery, construction, clothing, etc.)

Step 3: Business Plan

If you are not sure whether it is worth spending time on this, cast aside all doubts. This is a step-by-step guide on how to open your own store, plus an extra opportunity to look at your business from the outside: assess the risks and benefits.

Mandatory points of a business plan

Summary(where the enterprise is located, what it does);
Market and competitor analysis;
Organizational aspects(registration of an enterprise, obtaining the necessary permits and licenses);
Marketing plan(how will you stimulate sales, what advertising to use to attract and retain customers);
Assortment and pricing(what categories of goods will be presented, their cost, brands);
Production plan(arrangement of premises, communications, division into zones);
Technical base(equipment, manufacturers from whom it is profitable to purchase);
Organizational plan(staff and work schedule, salary level);
Possible risks, and how to deal with them. This paragraph implies a description of a “pessimistic” option for business development. A pre-prepared strategy will help cope with possible difficulties;
Financial plan(how much money will be required to open a business, calculate potential profits, calculate payback).

Step. 4: Search for premises

Own premises for a store are very rare, so in planning we focus on rented space. Common placement options: the first floor of a residential building or office building, space in a shopping center, a separate building. The last option is the most expensive and not always practical.

The best place is on the “red line”, that is, facing a road with a lot of traffic. Whether in a residential area or in the city center, this is an ideal way to receive “random” buyers who were just passing by. Below are the basic conditions when choosing a location, or where it is best to open a store.

Availability. No confusing alleys on the way to the establishment, it should be easy to find and easy to see from afar. Huge advantages are the availability of nearby parking and advertising signs.

Positioning(customer-oriented placement). Different locations are suitable for each type of product. Small grocery outlets are popular in residential areas, souvenirs - in entertainment centers, luxury goods are best sold in the city center, stationery - near schools, universities, and business centers.

Properly selected room area. Space must be used rationally so as not to overpay for extra square meters. But some businesses require a lot of space.

For example, a small boutique of gifts and souvenirs needs 20 sq. m, a clothing store with fitting rooms will need at least 40 sq. m. The area of the retail space ranges from 20-100 sq. m. m depending on the selected type.

Adequate rent, corresponding to the price level. For example, expensive space in a shopping mall is unprofitable for a thrift store. On average, the rental cost is $8-11 per 1 sq. m. m in residential areas and remote places, $15-20 per 1 sq. m. m - in the center.

Important nuance– it is worth paying rent for six months to a year in advance (this will go towards capital investments) to ensure the work of the company in the first months, until trade begins to generate large income. Otherwise, with a frantic monthly search for money for rent, there is a risk of going broke.

Step 5: Arrangement and renovation of the premises

You need to rent an area and start developing the site before receiving most of the permits. Most authorities require a lease agreement in the package of documents, and also check the readiness of the premises for work.

Requirements

Mandatory conditions for all trading floors:

Having an evacuation plan, fire alarms, fire extinguishers;
Availability of heating, electricity, air conditioning, running water(not necessarily for all types of sales, important for food);
When renovating during finishing, painting, cladding, use moisture-resistant and easy-to-clean materials. Floors must be smooth, without cracks or potholes;
Compliance with consumer rights. This includes control scales for food outlets, the presence of a complaint book and a consumer corner (sales rules, company contact details, etc.);
The layout of the space should be simple for the buyer, without impeding movement in the hall.

Placement permission and when to get it

This certificate must be obtained before repairs begin. This is a kind of expert assessment from Rospotrebnadzor on whether it is possible to start sales in the selected location. If the site is not suitable in many respects, then money for repairs will be wasted. Receiving an expert assessment takes 2-3 weeks. If you contact a special law firm, the cost of registration will be $150-160.

On average, cosmetic repairs and decoration premises with an area of 50-70 sq. m cost 1500-2000 dollars.

Step 6: Business Registration

What documents are needed to open a store? First, officially register. The simplest option is an individual entrepreneur, it is faster, cheaper and less hassle with accounting. But, for example, only an LLC with an authorized capital of at least a million rubles can sell alcoholic beverages.

How to open an individual entrepreneur?

A certificate of registration of a legal entity must be obtained from the local tax office at the registration address. It is worth deciding on the taxation system in advance (OSNO, USN, UTII).

Documents required for tax purposes

Your passport(for foreign citizens - international passport) and TIN. If you do not have an individual taxpayer number, it will be issued along with the certificate, it will take 4-5 days longer;
Application on form P21001 (For Russia). One of the important points of the application is the choice of OKVED codes. They may differ for each type of store, but the common subsection for all is: 47 – “Retail trade, except trade in motor vehicles and motorcycles.” It is recommended to select as many suitable codes as possible so as not to have to worry about “pre-registration” later. Extra codes do not affect the activity in any way;
Receipt, confirming payment of the state fee ($12);
Application for transition to a simplified taxation system if it suits you. Otherwise, OSN is written by default.

The tax office issues a receipt confirming receipt of documents. After five days, the application will be reviewed; if the answer is positive, the entrepreneur receives a certificate of registration with the tax service and an extract from the Unified State Register of Individual Entrepreneurs (USRIP).

Together with them, they are issued a notification about the assignment of statistics codes from Rosstat, a certificate of registration of the entrepreneur in the pension fund at the place of residence, and a certificate of registration in the Federal Compulsory Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund. Otherwise, you will have to issue these certificates separately.

After this, you need to open a bank account and make a stamp (up to $15). A seal is not required for an individual entrepreneur; usually a signature and the mark “B/P” (“without seal”) are sufficient.

Step 7: Selecting Suppliers

Main selection criteria:

Experience and reliability, reviews from other buyers;
Range. The most convenient supplier - from whom you can purchase a maximum of different products. Pay attention to recognizable products from well-known brands, they sell better;
Convenience of calculations. Various bonuses, discounts, deferments. It is difficult for a beginner to find a supplier who will agree to provide products with deferred payment. However, it is worth trying to negotiate according to the “50/50” scheme; you pay for some of the goods immediately, and for others after the sale.

You should look for suppliers on the Internet, newspapers and magazines, and at industry exhibitions.

Step 8: Shop equipment

Common equipment items for all store types:

Racks, counters, display cases - about $700. Good manufacturers - Mago, Neka, Rus, Fabrik Art;
A simple reception for picking up purchases – $150-300. Showcase Plus, “Trade Equipment”;
Cash register – $150-250. Orion, Mercury, Elwes-MK.

The total cost of equipment will be $1200.

An important point is to connect the possibility of cashless payment (acquiring), this will increase the number of customers and reduce the risk of encountering scammers. You need to contact the selected bank, where they will formulate the terms of cooperation for you (mainly, the amount of bank commissions) and install a POS terminal. On average, the commission is 1.9-4% of the transaction volume.

The lower the company's turnover, the higher the commission the bank requires. For cooperation, a certain deposit amount is required in the current account.

Step 9: Recruiting staff for the store

For a small grocery or flower shop, two salespeople are enough (the work schedule is “weekly every other week”) and a cleaning lady. A construction or clothing store should hire a sales floor administrator (consultant), a cashier, and a cleaner. It is recommended to outsource accounting to save money.

The most important person is the seller. In addition to the standard qualities of a good employee and sales skills, the employee must be in the right place. Simply put, match the store. For example, lingerie is sold by beautiful women, and building materials are sold by older men and women who inspire confidence with their experience.

The ideal way to stimulate the seller is a percentage of the proceeds. But if you put an employee entirely on a percentage basis in a new place, you can lose him and provoke a high staff turnover.

It is best to form a minimum salary (for example, $200-250) plus a percentage of monthly revenue. Cashiers and cleaners receive a fixed salary.

Step 10: Formation of assortment

This includes product display and interior design of the store. Take the time to learn the basics of merchandising or hire a specialist to do the initial display. Among the general rules are:

The product must be placed conveniently for the visitor, in easily accessible places. Those products that need to be sold first are placed in the most visible place;
Use price tags to stimulate sales. Highlight promotions and discounts in large letters and bright colors. For expensive products, place the price so that you have to look for it and turn the item in your hands, appreciating all its advantages;
Separate things for convenience into categories and mark them with signs or stands;
Interior decoration and atmosphere should be set up to buy certain things. Proper lighting, background music, pleasant smells - all this influences visitors.

Step 11: Security

Ensure the safety of your company. The minimum set of security equipment is an alarm system, a panic button, and a video surveillance camera. Purchase and installation costs start from $200, maintenance costs start from $50 per month.

Step 12: Opening a Store and Advertising

Turn the start of work into a promotion with music, competitions, distribution of gifts and advertising booklets, discounts, etc. Then customers will want to come back to you.

Periodically arrange sales and promotions for customers. Discount cards for regular customers work well. For building materials, clothing, and toys, distribution of printed advertising through mailboxes is suitable.

Create a unique offer and colorfully design your flyers. Printing 5 thousand copies will cost approximately $100.

Step 13: Risk Assessment

Before starting a business, you should evaluate all the risks and benefits. What do you need to know?

pros

An established point of sale is a source of stable income. A company in a good location and with a wide range of products will always have customers.
If necessary, a trading enterprise can be easily sold as a ready-made business.
Quite a simple calculation system.

Minuses

Large investments in business and high level of competition.
Remains of unsold products that have to be written off or sold at a discount.
Seasonality of some types of trade.
The risk of losing up to 80% of your investment in the event of an unfortunate turn of events.

Let's consider the features and nuances of opening stores of various types. Based on the previous points, the minimum cost of registering a business, repairs and equipment, rent and advertising is approximately $8 thousand.

Clothing store

Area - from 50 sq. m.

Costs of opening a clothing store

Mannequins and busts, torsos (about 10-15 pieces) – approximately $500;
Full-length mirror for the sales area – from $50;
2 fitting booths with curtains + 2 mirrors – $200-250;
Hangers and racks for clothes -$300-400;
Electronic product protection system – $1400;
Barcode scanner – $100-150;
Printer for printing barcode labels – $400-600;
Purchasing things six months in advance – 10-15 thousand dollars.

The total investment in the business will be 20-25 thousand dollars. Markup – from 50-400%.

Important nuances: large assortment (at least 1000 units), availability of popular sizes, sale of related products and accessories (handbags, wallets, hangers, jewelry, belts, etc.). Regularly hold sales and promotions (“third item free,” “discount on second purchase,” etc.).

Lingerie store

15-25 sq.m. is enough. m. The list of equipment differs from the previous type of outlet only in the type of mannequins. You will need special bust hangers, “hangers”, “legs” for tights and socks, etc. Demonstration of goods on mannequins and torsos works well. You need to invest at least $13,000 in opening.

Good and popular lingerie brands: Incanto, Lormar, Milavitsa, Agent Provocateur, Victoria's Secret, Calzedonia, Passionata, Rosme. The best demand is for products in the mid-price category. It is necessary to create an assortment for women, men and children in order visitors made purchases for the whole family.

Grocery store

Required area – from 30 sq. m. Additional equipment and costs:

2 Refrigerators – 1100 $;
Shelving for vegetable spreads (vegetable box) – $150;
Product racks- 600 dollars;
Printer for printing barcodes and labels – $400-600.

In total, together with the purchase of goods, capital costs will amount to 13-15 thousand dollars.

A grocery store needs a warehouse to store food. There are also special requirements for such companies.

To obtain a work permit from Rospotrebnadzor, you must comply with the conditions of SanPiN 2.3.5. 021-94— “Sanitary rules for food trade enterprises.” All standards, GOSTs, etc. are spelled out here.

Products must have price tags, weight indications, and a good shelf life. Products with defects are sold separately, with mandatory notification of the defect. Be sure to have scales.

Company employees must have health records, work in a uniform with a hat, have a badge indicating your name and position.

Children's clothing store

Selling clothes for children will require the same opening costs as a regular clothing store. Mannequins need to be purchased for children.

The amount required is around $17,000-20,000. It is important to decide on a price category (the best option is medium), and sort the products by age.

Commission shop

Area 50-60 square meters.

Peculiarities

There is no need to look for suppliers, people hand over their things themselves;
The size of the company’s commission for the sale of used products is 20-50%;
There are no problems with unsold balances. The owner takes back items not sold;
It is best to locate a second-hand clothing store in a densely populated residential area;
Unlike a clothing salon, you don’t need a lot of expensive mannequins, just a few torsos, busts, and hangers are enough.

To open a thrift store on your own, you will need to spend approximately $9,000-10,000.

Auto parts store

The required room size is from 60 square meters. m. The equipment you will need are counters, racks, and a cash register. The investment amount starts from $12,000, including the purchase of spare parts.

The secrets to the success of this business

It is better to specialize in one or two car brands, but provide spare parts for the entire model range;
Sell accessories (mats, scented keychains, etc.);
Salespeople must be knowledgeable in the device of the car;
Select several suppliers for each product group so as not to keep customers waiting. By collaborating with official dealers, you will increase trust in the company and will be able to officially use the brand logo in your advertising;
Offer a home delivery service.

Flower shop

Area from 20 sq. m. The sales area needs shelving, a table for packaging and arranging compositions, stands and flowerpots for flowers, ideally a refrigerator to maintain the desired temperature.

In addition to flowers, packaging paper, baskets, gift ribbons, bows, transparent cellophane, mesh, felt, and tape are purchased as consumables. Small tools you will need are scissors, wire cutters, a glue gun, and floral knives.

Investments in equipment and the first purchase of cuttings – from $12,000. To begin with, it is worth working with local wholesalers; with good promotion, it is recommended to buy flowers from capital and foreign suppliers.

Nuances:

Organize individual sales of flowers and ready-made bouquets and arrangements;
Flowers must always be fresh, so you need to learn how to correctly estimate the volume of purchases;
Diversify your assortment with gift cards and soft toys;
Having created a thematic website, an entrepreneur can start designing custom-made holiday celebrations.

Draft beer store

Required space – from 70 sq. m.

Necessary equipment

Racks with taps and beer barrels;
Coolants and defoamers;
Snack counters.

A complete set will cost approximately $2000. About two thousand more will be needed to purchase 10-15 types of beer, 100 liters each. In total, the opening will cost about $13,000.

Secrets of sales organization: you need an assortment of 10-15 types of drink and the availability of snacks in packages and by weight (crackers, chips, fish, etc.)

Hardware store

Area – from 60-70 sq. m. In addition to standard equipment and counters with shelving, demonstration stands are needed. Warehouse space, packaging and delivery services are required. Capital investments in the enterprise will amount to 16-20 thousand dollars.

Most popular products: finishing materials, tools, paint and varnish products, plumbing. It is best to place a retail outlet in the city center, near major roads and intersections, markets, and shopping centers. Margin on products - 25-40%.

Franchise store

Using a franchise is easier than starting from scratch yourself. Obvious advantages: working with a well-known brand, assistance in the design and advertising of the company. In fact, this is the acquisition of a ready-made enterprise.

Minuses: quite high cost of the franchise, monthly deductions from sales, purchase of products from strictly defined suppliers. The initial payment is 5-10% of the total investment in the business, the monthly royalty is 6-10% of revenue.

The price of a franchise of a well-known brand is rather high, but there are companies that are ready to help you open a business under your own name for a minimal fee. This is done with the aim of deep integration into the market, promotion of certain manufacturers from whom franchisees purchase.

You can open any business with a franchise and make a good profit. The average cost of a small business is around 6-7 thousand dollars.

To open a store on your own requires good investment and legal knowledge or the help of specialists.

In your calculations, always include an amount for unforeseen expenses, never work “back to back” so as not to go broke. The trading enterprise pays for itself in a year or two and begins to generate good income.

The history of human civilization began with trade. And its very first type was trade in products. When people learned not only to provide themselves with food, but they had a surplus, they began to think that they could exchange it for something useful with their neighbors: hunters began to exchange meat for grain from farmers; fishermen sell their catch for vegetables and fruits from gardeners.

Then came the need to purchase copper, iron, textiles and other goods to produce more products. There was money to evaluate all this. Markets and fairs, where exchanges were made, began to turn into permanent retail outlets - shops and shops. The progress of civilization has begun...

Any aspiring entrepreneur thinking about starting his own business first turns his attention to the food trade. And he is right: such trade has existed and will always exist. But many I am frightened by the considerable number of dangers and pitfalls that exist along this path, therefore, they abandon this idea, sometimes preferring less profitable, but more reliable areas of business. And here we can also agree - there are many difficulties along this path. But he who is forewarned is forearmed. And when starting your own business in this type of commerce, the most important thing is to create for yourself, and on its basis, a step-by-step business plan that maximally includes all the steps and unexpected risks along the road to prosperity.

Business Features

The first thing you need to decide for yourself is the type of future store:

Supermarket, the product range of which must include all main groups of food products.
Special shop: dairy, meat, vegetable, bread, fish, confectionery, grocery (read about how to open a draft beer store).
highly specialized, selling only one type of product, for example, cheeses, wines, beekeeping products, tea and coffee, etc.
mixed type: meat and dairy, bakery and confectionery, wine and grocery and others.

According to the form of trade organization, a grocery store can be organized as:

Supermarket with large retail areas, warehouse and refrigeration facilities, parking. Equipped for customer self-service with rows of shelving for easy access to goods, rows of cash registers, carts, etc.
Small free-standing or located in a residential building grocery store to serve the residents of a small area. May have both self-service and counter-service options.
grocery store or kiosk. Mainly for groceries. Not intended, as a rule, for trading perishable products.

Also at the first stage it is necessary to decide on the choice of business model of the future enterprise:

Franchising. Now in this market there are many offers for a grocery store: “Crossroads”, “Pyaterochka”, “Kopeyka”. This model, which provides a ready-made business from scratch, is designed to alleviate the initial difficulties of opening a store and getting it started, but it also creates a fair amount of dependence on the terms of the franchise agreement.
Medium and small enterprises with annual revenue limits of 1 billion rubles. and 400 million rubles. respectively.
Micro-enterprises with up to 15 employees and no more than 60 million rubles. revenue.

According to the legal form of a small enterprise:

An LLC with several founders and an authorized capital of 10 thousand rubles, operating and distributing profits on the basis of its charter. LLC participants are liable for its obligations only to the extent of their contribution.
An individual entrepreneur is an individual entrepreneur who is liable for obligations with his personal property. Constituent documents and registration of a legal entity are not required. Profit received after taxes distributed at its own discretion.
Other forms: CJSC, OJSC are not used in small businesses; they operate in the organization of large retail chains.

Opening a grocery store: where to start? The video talks about the mandatory steps that should be taken before starting your own business in the trading field.

Registration

The procedure for completing a package of documents for opening a small business begins with submitting an application to the local Federal Tax Service inspectorate. In order to do not write additional papers, it is advisable to indicate the taxation model in the application, which must be selected in advance. For small businesses, the most optimal options are:

USN - "simplified", replacing the payment of personal income tax, VAT, UST, sales and property taxes. Other taxes are paid as usual. The main advantage is Facilitation of accounting for individual entrepreneurs. However, the list of expenses that reduce taxable profit is not so wide.
UTII - "imputation", the easiest tax to calculate, which also replaces the main tax payments to the budget. The main advantage is a fixed payment amount per year. Limitation - The retail area of the store should not exceed 150 m2, and the number of employees should not exceed 100 people. This system is suitable for the smallest shops, pavilions, kiosks, trays and even for non-stationary trade. Disadvantage - it is not applied to all types of activities and not throughout the entire territory of the Russian Federation.
Patent - for a period of up to 1 calendar year for micro-enterprises with a number of employees up to 15 people. and retail area up to 60 m2 or without it at all for outbound trade.

The use of simplified taxation models also implies simplified forms of accounting.

Also, when submitting an application for registration of an enterprise, you must indicate OKVED statistics codes. The future activity of the store depends on their correct choice, and if some of them are not taken into account initially, then you will have to register them again and pay for an extract from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities or the Unified State Register of Individual Entrepreneurs. In the OKVED classifier, codes for a grocery store are located from 52.2 to 52.27.

To obtain a Certificate of Registration, you must pay a state fee of 800 rubles. for individual entrepreneurs and 4000 rub. - for legal entities. An individual entrepreneur must obtain a certificate of issuance of a TIN of an individual, if he has not received it previously.

In order to avoid visiting the tax authorities once again, it is advisable to immediately submit an application for registration of a cash register machine (CMR) along with the preparation of basic documents. To do this, it must already be purchased and a contract has been concluded for its servicing at a service center, where meter readings must be taken. Besides, a lease agreement or certificate is required for its registration, confirming ownership of the commercial premises. All documents for the cash register must be completed within three days after its purchase, so you need to find out exactly what days this procedure is carried out at the tax office in order to get everything done on time.

If you plan to open a grocery store with hired workers, then you need to register with the Pension Fund. Total costs for processing all registration and permitting documents can amount to up to 30 thousand rubles. Individual entrepreneurs who are officially registered as unemployed can receive subsidies from the employment center to start their own business:

4 thousand rubles - compensation for registration costs.
58.8 thousand rubles - to organize self-employment.
58.8 thousand rubles - for each hired worker from among the unemployed.
Regional subsidies up to 300 thousand rubles.

To obtain them, you need a well-drafted business plan, which will have to be defended on all counts.

Room

As we can see, already at the stage of completing the initial package of documents with the tax authorities Documents are required for the right to own a retail space or to rent it. Before you start trading you need to get in control State fire inspection conclusion of the State Fire Department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations about the fire safety condition of the premises, which requires:

the entire package of registration documents with the tax authorities;
document on ownership or lease and BTI plan;
fire alarm installation and maintenance agreement;
premises insurance contract.

In addition, the following documents are required to open a grocery store:

An expert opinion from the SES of Rospotrebnadzor, which, in addition to all the above documents, requires: contracts for disinfestation, removal of household waste, and maintenance of ventilation and air conditioning.
Certificate of the local authority of the Ministry of Social Health on the initial certification of workplaces.
Permission for trade and outdoor advertising from the local administration.

The premises must be equipped with the necessary power networks, water supply and sewerage, utility areas for storing goods, and a telephone line. It’s also a good idea to have a platform for unloading delivered goods. If it is impossible to collect the daily proceeds on a daily basis, the premises must have a separate room for storing the cash register, equipped with an alarm, a steel door and a safe. Otherwise, fines for violation of cash discipline cannot be avoided.

During the operation of the store, the sales area must contain:

fire evacuation plan;
text of the Law on Consumer Protection;
guest book;
certificates for quality and compliance with the standards and norms of products sold;
licenses for the sale of cigarettes and alcoholic beverages, if any are planned for sale.

Average running costs for a room of 100 m2 can be:

rent - 100 thousand rubles;
utility bills - 40 thousand rubles;
expenses for alarms, current repairs, etc. - 20 thousand rubles.

The correct choice of location for a grocery store, successfully combined with all the necessary parameters of the premises, and even combined with high traffic of potential buyers is half the success of a future enterprise. The other half: equipping it with modern equipment, selecting and training experienced personnel, providing the required range of goods, solving in real time problems that arise during the work process.

Equipment

The equipment required to start operating a grocery store includes:

racks and slides;
counters, display cases are warm and cold;
cash registers, currency detectors;
electronic scales and barcode scanners;
shopping trolleys and baskets;
refrigerators and freezers;
video surveillance equipment.

In the future, as needed, you can purchase various additional equipment: meat grinders, bread slicers, slicers, vegetable cutters, vacuum packers.

Capital costs for the purchase of equipment for a store with an area of 100 m2 can be up to 600 thousand rubles. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the costs of purchasing the initial product range - up to 1 million rubles.

Staff

Experienced, honest and competent staff are a huge support and assistance to the head of the enterprise. And here, in addition to measures to punish negligent workers, it is necessary to provide for ways to encourage conscientious ones, as well as compliance with all the norms of the Labor Code. Also very important determine the minimum required number of staff, depending on the operating mode store.

Much attention should be paid to regularly checking your knowledge of current prices and product range. It is necessary to monitor the timely renewal of medical records by employees.

The average wage fund for a small store consisting of a staff: an administrator, two salespeople, an accountant and a cashier-operator can be 150 thousand rubles. It can be reduced by combining some positions.

Problems

In the current work of any enterprise many expected and unexpected problems arise that the manager has to solve, and the work of a grocery store also has its own specifics:

accounting, write-off and disposal of expired goods;
constant work with suppliers to ensure continuity of supply and provision of all necessary documentation for goods;
timely renewal of all licenses, permits, submission of documents to tax and inspection authorities;
daily analysis of market demand and needs and timely response to them;
Constantly monitoring the activities of competitors, taking into account other people’s experience and mistakes in their work.

The key to success in business can be:

ability to think outside the box;
the ability to be patient while waiting for the desired result;
thorough analysis of mistakes and achievements;
a sober assessment of your abilities and the ability to direct them in the right direction;
skillful organization of your work and your subordinates.

But you shouldn’t be afraid of problems, the main thing you need to remember is that the stingy pays twice. Trying to save on premises, equipment, goods and experienced specialists, you should not count on success in any business.

Is it profitable to open a grocery store? Let's take a look at some facts. To open a small store with a trading area of 100 m2, you need a starting capital of at least 2 million rubles, including capital expenses are 1.5 million, and operating expenses for the first year of operation are 500 thousand rubles. With an average profit per month of 300 thousand rubles. and a profitability threshold of 25%, the payback period for investments is approximately 1 year.

How to open a grocery store or retail outlet? We invite you to learn the algorithm of action from the video.

Retail trade in food products is considered one of the fastest-paying and profitable types of business, as it offers the sale of goods of general and constant consumption. Despite the fact that there is a rational grain in the idea, it is not easy to implement it and open a grocery store from scratch; you must follow many different rules and take into account important nuances. In this article we will talk about what to pay attention to and how to avoid complications as much as possible.

To open a grocery store and make it successful, you need to take into account many operational nuances. We invite you to consider step-by-step instructions that guide you through each stage of preparation.

Step 1. Collect the necessary documents

In order for the business to be opened to have a legal basis and be able to be opened, it is necessary to draw up and collect a whole package of important documents. Let's take a closer look at what papers will have to be dealt with so that the legal component of the future business is in perfect order.

Registration of the future owner of a grocery store in (IP) or legal entity (LLC). When choosing between one or another form of registration for conducting official business activities, you should assess the scale of the planned enterprise and assess the potential risks. If you do not intend to resort to the help of banking systems or private lenders as part of running this business, and the risks arising are minimal, such as the possibility of remaining deeply in debt, it is better to register as an individual entrepreneur. In this case, you get simplified procedures. The activities of an individual entrepreneur are regulated in accordance with Article 23 of the Civil Code, as well as various legislative acts of the Russian Federation. When starting a business, an individual entrepreneur can come with a request for legal support and financial assistance (almost 60 thousand rubles) to the employment center of the city of residence. In addition, the taxation system for individual entrepreneurs is much more lenient than that of legal entities. However, LLC has the advantage: by becoming a legal entity, you significantly reduce the degree of responsibility for the activities of the enterprise, its employees, etc. In the case of an individual entrepreneur, the individual is 100% responsible.
When giving the choice to a legal entity, you must ensure that you have a constituent agreement and charter.
A document indicating that the entrepreneur is registered with the city tax office, as well as the assignment of a TIN to the taxpayer. For each entrepreneur, the chosen tax model for the enterprise is of particular importance. For an individual entrepreneur, this is a simplified model, the registration of which is carried out according to the submitted application.
Extract of registration in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities or Individual Entrepreneurs (Unified State Register of Legal Entities or Unified State Register of Entrepreneurs). It is also issued by the tax office. Which register you belong to is up to you.
An informational letter from the Federal State Statistics Service, with collections of OKVED codes. Their classification is not influenced by the chosen form of ownership or the source of incoming investments; only the activity of the organization itself is important. When registering, it is advisable to select codes without errors, since subsequently the procedure for changing or adding them will be very complicated.
A document confirming the registration of the owner of the establishment with the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation.
An agreement regarding the lease of premises suitable for trading products, or a document confirming ownership of the specified premises.
Official conclusion of the Federal State Fire Supervision, which is issued on the basis of:
1. application submitted by the owner of the premises;
2. presented certificate of completion of the business registration procedure;
3. drawing from the Bureau of Technical Inventory;
4. confirmation of the installation of the fire alarm system;
5. accident insurance.
A conclusion from the local Office of Rospotrebnazdor, issued after inspection of the premises on the basis of:
1. businessman's statements;
2. registration certificate;
3. agreements on renting or owning premises;
4. sanitary information from a special passport of the premises;
5. a compiled list of goods to be put up for sale;
6. agreement on the removal of garbage and other household waste from the territory of the enterprise.
Certificate confirming the registration of the cash register. To receive it, you must provide:
1. completed application;
2. agreement on the rental and ownership of premises;
3. business registration certificate;
4. passport for cash register equipment;
5. hologram from the service provider.
A document indicating the full certification of each workplace is obtained from the local branch of the Ministry of Social Health.
A certificate issued by the city administration where the business is located confirming that the enterprise is included in the Trade Register, that is, permission to conduct trading activities.
Permission to place outdoor advertising, also obtained from the city administration.
Medical books for each employee of the enterprise.
A book of complaints, reviews and suggestions, with numbered pages and stamps in the appropriate places, as well as with the signature of the manager.
The exact text of the Federal Law “On the Protection of Consumer Rights” in the latest edition.
A clear plan of escape routes in case of a fire.
Certificates of standards and compliance with the norms for the products sold.
Licenses for the sale of tobacco and alcohol products.

As you can see, many of the documents required for opening are tied directly to the premises in which the trade will take place. This means that choosing a platform to sell products is in fact the most important step for business success. Let's see what characteristics of premises affect the development of an enterprise and where to choose.

You will find step-by-step instructions for opening an IP in the article on our portal. You will learn more about the required documents, links to download them, and requirements for registration.

Step 2. Choosing premises for a grocery store

It is necessary to approach the choice of a place to locate a retail store consciously, since, ultimately, the correctness of the decision made will seriously affect the level of sales of goods. Of course, this grocery store will not be the first in a city, village or town, therefore, all the best places have long been taken over by competing companies. We'll have to choose the best from what's left. Let's begin to consider the factors of site suitability.

First of all, pay attention to such an indicator as the traffic of potential clients. It will be at an acceptable level if all the following conditions are met.
At least 2-2.5 thousand people live within the radius of the proposed location of the shop. Simply put, nearby there are approximately 7-8 standard five-story panel houses or 6 nine to ten storey buildings. The condition is especially necessary for opening a “convenience store”, where people do not come for the entire grocery basket, but stop in on the way home to buy sweets or cereals for a side dish.
It is best to locate a retail outlet close to:
1. public transport stops;
2. metro stations in big cities;
3. railway and bus stations;
4. children's and adult clinics;
5. clothing markets;
6. schools and universities;
7. sports stadiums, etc.
Location close to crowded places is always beneficial, but also involves a high level of competition. In addition, legal restrictions regarding the opening of outlets selling tobacco and alcohol products in the vicinity of educational institutions should be taken into account.
You should not compete with chain stores, supermarkets, hypermarkets located within a radius of up to two kilometers from the intended location of your shop. It is not hopeless if your shop is located closer to a residential area, however, it will not bring much profit.
It is necessary to study the assortment of goods in competing stores and become leaders by selling products that are not available there. The difference can be surprisingly small, for example, expand your confectionery range or sell frozen fish and find your buyer. More precisely, you will take it away from your competitors.
It is necessary to be attentive to the needs of the target audience. Do not rely only on adults, working people, as is now customary among marketers. Believe me, the lion's share of income is brought by such seemingly insolvent segments of society as:
1. pensioners;
2. teenagers;
3. children.
Related products are the key to success, especially if they are properly placed on the shelves. In order to trade them, in many cases it is necessary to obtain special permits, but it is definitely worth it.
A single corporate identity for the store – plus 100 points to your reputation. It consists not only of external paraphernalia, such as uniforms, color scheme in the decoration of the hall, the symbolism of the store, but also:
1. courtesy of the staff;
2. ability to advise the buyer.
The presence of elements of customer comfort and working infrastructure is mandatory. This is about:
1. areas for unloading goods;
2. driveways;
3. sufficiently spacious parking;
4. warehouses for storing food with refrigeration equipment;
5. electrical networks of sufficient power;
6. sewerage and water supply system;
7. telephone line, etc.
Despite the fact that for the absence of one of the above components you can safely demand a large discount from the landlord, it is better to avoid getting into such a situation, because, ultimately, you will still have to eliminate the shortcoming that has arisen.
In some cases, installing a modular structure on a leased plot of land may be more profitable than renting a ready-made one. In addition to financial advantages, independent determination of the size and location of the future store will allow you to get closer to a potential buyer, as well as adjust the amount of specialized equipment required for installation.

Step 3. Calculate the starting capital

So, to open a good grocery store filled with all the necessary equipment and goods, on average, you will need a certain amount of money, which we will now calculate based on the cost of all the necessary elements.

The official registration of an enterprise and the execution of documents authorizing the conduct of trading activities will cost a businessman a price of 25 to 35 thousand rubles.
The purchase of the necessary equipment, its installation and communication systems will cost about half a million rubles, plus or minus 100-150 thousand.
Installing a burglar alarm and fire prevention system will cost between 60,000 and 70,000.
The initial assortment of goods needed to launch the enterprise will cost about 650-800 thousand.
The cost of transport and other expenses related to the life of the enterprise will total about 90 thousand units of Russian currency.

In total, adding up the maximum received values, we get the amount of starting capital: 1 million 600 thousand rubles.

It must be remembered that this amount does not include periodic expenses necessary for:

payment for rent of premises (about 30,000-40,000 for premises up to 45-50 m²);
staff salaries (for two people you will need at least 30,000 rubles);
payment of utilities and taxes (20,000 rubles).

It turns out that almost 100,000 extra per month must be attributed to the starting capital.

In order for the costs listed above to pay off, during the first 12 months after opening the store, the net profit received should be about 250,000 per month. The average trade margin for a food product is 30% of the original cost, so it is quite realistic to do this.

Video - How much does it cost to open a grocery store?

Step 4. Install the equipment in the grocery store

The equipment necessary to open and operate a grocery store is divided into two groups:

basic;
additional.

The first is necessary from the moment the enterprise is launched, the second is acquired directly during operation. Let's look at the components of each group. The main ones include:

Equipment for installing dry products in the hall:
1. shelves;
2. racks;
3. slides, etc.
Equipment for storing food in the utility room and warehouse:
1. racks;
2. refrigerators;
3. freezers.
Equipment for displaying frozen or perishable products in the hall:
1. refrigerated display cases;
2. display cases with ice for seafood;
3. freezer chests.
Showcases for storing confectionery and bakery products.
Counters, including cash registers.
Inventory:
1. scales;
2. containers;
3. boards;
4. knives;
5. baskets and carts for products;
6. packages;
7. containers, etc.
After the store has successfully opened and become popular with customers, the technical base is expanded using tools for creating working comfort:
1. slicers;
2. meat files;
3. vacuum packers;
4. refrigerators for storing drinks;
5. ice cream tanks;
6. camera surveillance systems;
7. climate control, etc.

As a result of the selection of equipment and its installation, the grocery store creates the most convenient conditions for interaction between staff and customers, as well as for making a purchase. The range of goods offered for sale significantly influences the starting set of equipment required for opening.

Step 5. Decide on the product range of the grocery store

Even the small retail space of a modest grocery store near your home can accommodate almost 4-5 hundred items of various goods. There are mandatory elements for sale, without which the establishment is unlikely to receive the necessary increase in clientele. Let's see what we're talking about.

Table 1. Approximate range of products

Priority demand products	Everyday products	Seasonal demand products
bread	buckwheat	soft drinks;
grocery	rice	alcohol
milk	millet	ice cream, etc.
yoghurts	pasta
kefir	canned food
cheeses	tea
eggs	coffee
sausage	salt
meat products, etc.	spices, etc.

As you can see, the main group of products has three main areas. Products of primary demand include goods that are purchased little by little every day and are not staple foods. Of these, the most popular is, of course, bread, because people eat bread at least several times a day, if they do not adhere to a special menu. Everyday demand involves buying side dishes, tea, coffee, etc., nothing special and nothing too expensive to run to a big store and buy cheaper. Seasonal demand suggests the popularity of drinks, alcoholic or non-alcoholic, as well as ice cream and other similar products. All this should always be in stock, but by the time summer comes, you can add several new flavors of your children’s favorite soda and fill your refrigerator chests with delicious ice cream.

At the same time, it is necessary to take into account the increase in demand for specific goods as important events for society approach, for example, before the New Year, the demand for champagne and red caviar increases, before Easter for eggs, before March 8 and February 14 for Raffaello sweets and etc.

After launch and throughout the entire life cycle of the establishment, it is necessary to constantly monitor consumer demand and respond to requests in a timely manner, that is, as quickly as possible. In addition, even “pointing your finger at the sky,” that is, adding product items at random, based on your own assumptions, you can significantly increase the traffic rate, and as a result, the profitability of the store.

Step 6. We enter into agreements with product suppliers

Finding suppliers in your city is quite easy. Bread and bakery products are supplied by bakeries and confectionery factories, meat products are brought from meat processing plants and farms. By the way, finding out about the opening of new grocery stores is the direct responsibility of suppliers. Most often, they find you on their own and offer excellent options for cooperation.

The lion's share of attention will have to be paid not to searching for suppliers, but to monitoring their reliability, as well as the accumulated reputation and price/quality ratio for each product.

When concluding agreements with suppliers on the supply of food products to an opening store, you need to pay attention to the following points:

set a delivery schedule;
determine the timing of product delivery;
payment for goods is made before or after delivery;
what are the conditions for deferring payments;
how to return an item that is not in demand, etc.

When receiving the goods, pay attention to reviewing the documents for it, at a minimum:

overhead;
quality certificates, etc.

On the packaging of each product must appear:

date of manufacture;
best before date;
compound;
calorie content;
the presence of food additives, etc.

In addition to checking the reputation and compliance of your suppliers with it, develop your own for them in order to receive more profitable offers for cooperation. So, it follows:

timely pay for the delivered consignment of goods;
do not cancel orders at the last moment;
conduct business diplomatically and professionally.

After the launch of the enterprise, the organization will have to work on prepayment, when trust is built up, you can pay for the receipt of products after the fact. A grocery store's good name in business is important to both its clientele and its suppliers. When you feel approved, you will understand that it is time to expand.

Step 7. Hiring staff

It would seem that it is easier to select experienced workers for a grocery store. However, this is hard work; it is necessary to carry out daily and painstaking work with the hired personnel from the first day of hiring. To set the required level of motivation and provoke conscientious work activity, it is necessary to establish an acceptable remuneration system, as well as regular bonus payments to those who have distinguished themselves.

It is important to draw up a correct work schedule and avoid violations of labor laws. The distribution of vacations is an item that should be taken seriously if you do not want constant staff turnover. It is necessary to control the timely extension of the validity of workers’ medical records; this condition is mandatory, because people come into direct contact with goods consumed as food.

Before sending staff to work, check their knowledge of the products and prices available in the assortment.

It is better to start hiring employees based on the basic needs of the enterprise. Find a minimum number of people, for example, a sales assistant, a storekeeper and a cashier, expanding the staff at the same time as expanding the store and changing its operating hours.

Step 8. Getting ready to launch

Launching a grocery store requires the presence of ready-made elements:

selected and equipped premises;
purchased goods;
hired personnel.

In addition, it is necessary to decorate the store, because appearance is another point of success for an establishment. The walls must be clean and at least plastered, but preferably decorated by section; the following elements must not be placed:

pointers;
flags;
information signs, etc.

Sellers and other personnel flashing in front of visitors must be dressed in uniform. If there is no money for a uniform, but there is a desire to unify the style of the establishment, pay attention to the purchase and distribution of branded aprons with a logo or the name of the store. You can also improvise a unified style by buying the cheapest T-shirts, for women and men, that have the same shade and ask the sellers to come only in them.

In addition to external paraphernalia for staff, there is also ethics of behavior. You should also teach this to employees who come to work, so as not to get into trouble and lose clients due to ordinary everyday rudeness, for example. Many sellers are perplexed why their good grocery store, with a wide assortment, has so few visitors, but they go to the neighboring stall for bread and beer. And he suffers losses because he placed an arrogant lady behind the counter who speaks rudely to customers. To avoid unpleasant communication, all residents of neighboring houses avoid entering the store.

It is necessary to arrange products on the shelves carefully, if possible “figuratively”, with a hitch, making slides of cheeses, rows of sausages, etc. Not only should the product smell and attract the visitor with its appetizing nature, it is also necessary to take into account the positive impact on sales of the appearance and styling of the product.

What problems may arise

Thinking about opening a grocery store and relaxing while the work gets done? Whatever the case! With the launch of an enterprise, you will forget for a long time about having personal time, since you will have to strictly control all aspects of its activities every day if you want to achieve success as soon as possible. So, you need to track:

level of consumer demand;
products of interest to consumers;
ups and downs of competitors, as well as their reasons;
staff behavior and performance;
staff going on vacation, maternity leave, sick leave;
current cash flow of the store;
changes in legislative acts of the Russian Federation relevant to your activities;
timing and timeliness of making payments, renewing licenses and other documents, submitting papers to the relevant departments, etc.

Remember, the first time, and the next, the business for the most part rests only on you and your efforts. Not a single employee is passionate about running a grocery store with all his heart, because he receives a fairly standard salary, works hard and, in the end, always has the opportunity to leave for competitors. You cannot leave, because you have invested your own strength, money, experiences, time, etc. into the creation of the enterprise.

Of all the aspects that must be strictly controlled, documentation tracking is the most important. By failing to submit reports on time or renewing your license to sell alcohol, tobacco or other products, you risk becoming a criminal by committing an administrative violation and suffering consequences of varying degrees of severity, from a fine to the complete closure of the enterprise. The most important thing that can be lost in this case is the good name of the organization as a whole and its owner personally.

Soberly assess the strength of your competitors and do not rely on the old Russian “maybe”. It is imperative to respond to their expansion of the assortment or the entire store, because you risk not only losing a high level of demand, but the whole business as a whole. While the outflow of funds will flow to a neighboring store, its owner will not only be able to open an additional department, but will also “crush” you completely.

Let's sum it up

As you can see, opening a grocery store is a step-by-step process. By approaching every part of it wisely, you will surely complete the event with well-deserved success.

In this article we looked at a small store, in a “close to home” format. The bottom line is that it is the easiest to open. You can expect to open a larger enterprise, for example:

minimarket;
supermarket;
hypermarket, etc.

However, in this case you will have to add related products in large quantities to the range of food products, for example:

household chemicals;
packaging materials;
skincare cosmetics;
textiles, etc.

To combine these types of products, you will need to invest even more money in preparing the necessary documentation, renting premises, purchasing equipment, etc. It is not profitable to do this if you do not have enough money and experience in sales. Start small and grow, let everything work out!

Food products are in demand at all times, including the most difficult periods or devaluation of the national currency. Therefore, products as a business, if properly organized, can bring a stable income to the store owner. Contrary to popular belief, small stores account for a fairly significant share of sales even in large cities. For example, in Moscow, of the 634 retail outlets that opened over the past year, 57% were small grocery stores near homes. In order for a small store to compete with large supermarkets located nearby, it must specialize in any group of goods, for example: meat, dairy, fish products, alcoholic beverages, sweets, etc.

Important! The average profitability of such a business is about 200 thousand rubles per month, and the payback period for capital investments is from 9 to 24 months.

Premises: a key success factor

Location

The correct choice of premises for trading accounts for half the success in this business. It should be located in walk-through areas near traffic intersections in residential areas or in a business zone. In the first case, people will buy something in a store on the way home, and in the second, on the way to and from work. In the case of a room, you can:

rent or buy non-residential real estate and independently adapt it into a store, carrying out major repairs and equipping it with everything necessary;
rent or buy a store ready for use;
rent or buy a plot of land and put a modular building on it or build a full-fledged premises for a store.

Square

The choice of type of premises directly determines the size of capital investments and, accordingly, the payback period. It is better for novice entrepreneurs to rent a ready-made store or premises that are maximally prepared for trading. To accommodate a universal grocery store with a varied assortment, you will need a premises with an area of about 200 square meters; for specialized trade, a total area of up to 100 square meters will be sufficient.

In addition to the sales area, the store should have a warehouse area and a manager’s office with Internet access. It would be good if the warehouse part faces an overpass for easy unloading of cars. The costs of the premises will include equipping it (if necessary) with heating, air conditioning, video surveillance and fire extinguishing systems.

Current equipment

The list of equipment will directly depend on the selected group of goods. To trade meat, dairy and fish products, you cannot do without refrigeration and freezer compartments, refrigerated display cases and slides.
A universal grocery store as a business requires the purchase of commercial equipment for storing and presenting bakery and confectionery products, fruits and vegetables, tea and cereals, pasta, alcohol, etc.
In addition, you will need to buy cash registers and plastic cards.
Equipment can be budgetary or expensive depending on functionality and manufacturer.
To save money, you can purchase everything you need from one supplier, thereby earning a volume discount, or buy used equipment in good condition.
The cost of furnishing a store can range from 150 thousand rubles and more.

Personnel and trade organization

Personnel decides everything

The operating time of a retail outlet in a grocery business that is convenient for customers is from 9:00 to 22:00, therefore, hired personnel must work shifts. For a small store you will need to hire:

manager;
two sellers;
two loaders.

The salary of a salesperson and loader can range from 15 thousand rubles and more, depending on the city where the store is located and the availability of additional functions. For example, the seller and loader can additionally pack products or clean the sales floor and storage area. The manager will need to pay 30 thousand rubles per month and more. When starting a project, the manager functions can be performed by the store owner.

Formation of assortment

The purchase of goods can be carried out at wholesale warehouses or directly from manufacturers located in the region. Many of them deliver the order to the buyer, so transportation costs can be eliminated. At the same time, self-transportation can be more economically profitable. In addition, the store can sell goods from private farmers who have formalized their activities and received all the necessary documents for the goods.

Important! Food products are perishable goods, therefore the closest attention should be paid to planning the assortment and inventory.

Advertising and necessary documents

To minimize advertising costs, a grocery store as a business can be based on the purchase of a franchise. Large companies give entrepreneurs the opportunity to trade under their own brand, helping them create the optimal range of products, select a store location and calculate estimated profits. The cost of the franchise will be about 300 thousand rubles. The price also includes the provision of advertising materials, and in some cases, certain commercial equipment.

Those entrepreneurs who decide to promote their store on their own will need to develop a corporate identity, come up with a good brand name and organize an advertising campaign. A store in a residential area can be advertised using outdoor advertising, distributing leaflets, and placing an ad on local radio and television. It will also be necessary to order the design development, production and installation of the sign.

An individual entrepreneur who decides to start a food business can choose one of the preferential taxation systems: simplified tax system or UTII. To register the chosen system, you will need to submit an application to the Federal Tax Service within the prescribed period. In addition to the tax and registration certificate, organizing trade may require the following documents:

notification of the start of work for Rospotrebnadzor;
work permit from the SES and fire inspection;
license to sell alcoholic beverages and tobacco;
registration documents for cash register equipment;
agreement with the bank for account servicing and collection;
agreement with a security company.

After the capital costs of opening a retail outlet are paid off, depending on the size of the markup on goods, the profitability of a grocery store as a business can range from 5% to 25%.

17Oct

Hello! Today we’ll talk about how to open a store. We will look at the opening of any store, and not a specific example based on the type of products sold.

Open your own store- one of the most common options from which novice businessmen choose. A store can generate a stable income and requires virtually no intervention, time or effort. However, many are scared off by not knowing exactly how you can open your own store, how much it will cost and when it will pay off. We tried to answer these and many other questions in this article.

What documents are needed to open a store?

Let's figure out together how to open your own store from scratch. The procedure for preparing to open a store begins with registration as an individual entrepreneur or limited liability company. Each option has its own advantages, but most often beginners prefer individual entrepreneurs, since in this case there will be fewer problems with reporting, as well as lower taxes. And the sanctions for individual entrepreneurs are much lower than for LLCs.
Unfortunately, such benefits and simplifications result in the fact that the entrepreneur is liable for all obligations with his own property, and the founder of the LLC risks only his share in the total authorized capital. Among other advantages is greater anonymity, because not everyone knows who the founders of the LLC are. You should also pay attention to the fact that when working with alcohol, registration as an individual entrepreneur is not suitable.

You should make your choice in advance, since the exact package of documents you will need to collect depends on your legal status.

LLC registration

To register an LLC, you will need to collect the following documents:

in 2 copies;
for the sole founder - the decision to create an LLC, for co-founders - the agreement and minutes of the meeting;
photocopies of the passport of the director and founders;
a document confirming payment of the state duty in the amount of 4,000 rubles (you will need to open a temporary account);
if necessary – .

If none of the founders of the LLC is the owner of the premises at the legal address, then a letter of guarantee will be required.

On average, the registration process takes about 5 days and as a result, the entrepreneur will receive the following documents:

charter with a registration mark;
registration certificate;
certificate of assignment of a TIN and registration with the Federal Tax Service;

Individual entrepreneur registration

To register an individual entrepreneur, you will need a shorter list of papers:

receipt of payment of state duty;
signed and certified by a notary;
photocopy of passport;
photocopy of TIN certificate;
if necessary, an application for transition to the simplified tax system.

An important point: those who deal with the entire process themselves do not require notarization of the signature on the application, which will save on the services of lawyers.

The registration period is also 5 days; upon completion, the entrepreneur will receive an extract from the Unified State Register of Individual Entrepreneurs and a certificate of state registration as an individual entrepreneur. All documents with information from the Unified State Register of Individual Entrepreneurs and the Unified State Register of Legal Entities for registration of LLCs and individual entrepreneurs are sent to extra-budgetary funds every day. The same information is sent to statistical authorities.

Notification of completion of registration and a letter from Rosstat can be received either in person at the institution or by mail.

Rospotrebnadzor

Thanks to recent changes in legislation, budding entrepreneurs no longer need to submit a huge pile of papers to various authorities. Instead, to open a store, it will only be necessary to notify one specific authority.

For individual entrepreneurs and LLCs opening trade according to OKVED 52.1, 52.21-52.24, 52.27, 52.33 and 52.62, this body is Rospotrebnadzor. The same applies to those who plan to engage in wholesale supplies of food or non-food consumer goods.

The notification must be submitted in the form specified in the relevant Rules. It can be delivered either in person, or by mail, or electronically, certified by an electronic signature. In the latter case, the government services portal is used. Upon completion of the process, you can open the store for the first customers.

Which store is profitable to open?

Almost all retail outlets are in demand among buyers. However, some of them generate more income than others, and the initial investment pays off faster. Next, we will look at various ideas for opening a store, and estimate how much money you need to open your own store. It is also worth understanding which store is profitable to open during a crisis.

Flower shop

Opening a flower shop is always profitable, but you need to choose the right place and understand the flower business so as not to incur losses due to damage to goods. You need to know how to sell flowers!

Produse store

A reliable and popular option, especially attractive to those new to the business. The demand for products will never subside, which guarantees a constant income if the outlet is located in a good location. However, it requires special equipment, including quite expensive refrigerators. The volume of required investments will be about 600 thousand rubles, and the payback period will be about a year.

Household goods

Such products are also consistently in demand. To open a store you will need certificates for varnishes, paints, etc. It is most profitable to open household goods stores in small towns and villages. The payback period is 1-1.5 years.

Children's store: toys, clothes, shoes

This product will always be in demand, because no one will save on clothes and shoes for activities.

Also, many parents simply cannot refuse their child when he asks for a new toy. The furnishings in such a store should be appropriate - the shelves are slightly lower so that children can reach all the goods, and the interior is best decorated in bright rainbow colors.

Furniture store

In times of crisis, it is worth paying attention first of all to more affordable solutions, and not to luxury furniture. It is also worth paying attention to domestic manufacturers. The quality of their products is not inferior to numerous foreign competitors, but at the same time they are much more affordable.

Hardware store

People are always building - in a crisis and outside it. A variety of construction and finishing materials are in stable demand. The profitability of the business, according to experts, is about 20%.

Auto parts store

Ask any car owner and he will tell you that there is always a shortage of spare parts in stores and you have to wait a long time for them after ordering delivery from another city or country. Auto parts stores will always be relevant. The main thing in this direction is to find your niche.

If you live in the province, think about which store to open in a small town. All of the above options are definitely fine. You can also consider, for example, opening a pet supply store, a car accessories store, a fabric store, etc.

The choice of commercial equipment for the store

No real store can do without the appropriate equipment. The choice of specific models should be made based on the assortment of the retail outlet. Particular attention should be paid to refrigeration equipment - it is this that takes up the most space, and prices can cause a serious blow to the budget.

The choice of showcases is made on the basis of turnover and assortment. For example, for refrigerated display cases, you should choose models with deep narrow display, and the temperature regime for them should be maintained within the range from -6 to 0 degrees Celsius for fish and meat and from 0 to +8 degrees for cheese, sausages and confectionery.

After refrigeration equipment, it is worth moving on to the selection of racks, which will become the main element for displaying goods. Today on sale you can find models with sections from 600 to 1250 mm long. The price varies depending on the length. For bakery products, the display cases are additionally equipped with wooden baskets, and the confectionery sections are equipped with limiters that do not allow the goods to spill.

When choosing commercial equipment, special attention should be paid to the following points: stability, functionality. Quality, durability and design. Before purchasing a specific model, you should pay attention to analogues, compare their parameters and only then opt for a specific option.

Choosing a room to open a store

A significant role in the question of how to open your own store is played by the competent choice of premises for it. There are a number of requirements and aspects that you should pay attention to when choosing.

Product type. Certain types of goods require that they be sold in certain places. For example, a grocery store or simple household goods should not be located in large shopping centers - preference should be given to more accessible premises. An excellent option would be a building on a busy street in a residential area.
Availability and Visibility. Remember: even the largest traffic does not guarantee a large number of visitors and buyers. The retail outlet should be located in such a way that there are as many target customers on the street as possible. You also need to take into account the location of the sign - it should be visible to everyone passing by. Remember: the better the store is visible, the less advertising it requires. It is very important that there are enough parking spaces nearby. Experts believe that the best option would be 5-8 places for every 100 square meters of retail space.
Competitors. The presence of neighboring firms can play both a positive and negative role. Here it is important to take into account their clientele: a hypermarket and an expensive boutique will not bring each other new clients, but a beauty salon may well contribute to the growth of the client base.
Price. One of the most important factors. It is worth noting that here we are talking not only about the cost of rent. Any room requires periodic repairs from the owner. In addition, this amount should also include marketing costs when the store is located away from the main flow of visitors. Don’t forget about monthly payments: utilities and others. In some cases, additional redevelopment may be required, which entails considerable costs.
Personal preferences. If you yourself plan to work in your own store, when choosing a premises it would be useful to take into account your own preferences - the distance of the place from home and the like.

It is very important not to rush when choosing a location for a store. Try to research the area in advance, look at potential customers and competitors. In some cases, you should not be afraid to postpone the opening date for this, because the wrong choice will result in a whole lot of problems.

Choosing a supplier for the store

As the seller fights for each client, so the suppliers fight for their customers. At its core, a supplier is the same store, but a wholesale one. You should choose your supplier especially carefully. Particular attention should be paid to the following criteria:

Reliability. Of course, reliability is the most important criterion. It includes how obligatory the supplier is regarding the execution of the order, how honest he is during the calculations, how timely he delivers.
Price. It is completely logical that everyone wants to purchase goods as cheaply as possible. Under equal conditions, preference should be given to the supplier with the lowest prices.
Range. Another very important criterion is that the wider the product line is displayed, the more interest it can attract.
Brand recognition. Everyone knows that trading is inextricably linked with psychology. To quickly gain a reputation, you should work with the most famous and popular brands. In addition, there are much fewer problems with working with them - returning or replacing a product under warranty is much easier.
Additional nuances. Important details include discounts, bonuses, deferred payments, issuance of goods for sale, and other similar ones. They will allow you to get additional profit, so you definitely shouldn’t neglect them.

Don't limit yourself to working with just one supplier. The best option is to purchase from 2-3 wholesalers at once. This way, if problems arise with one, the others can close the gap.

It is also necessary to take into account such a nuance as logistics. To do this, you should find out in advance how the delivery network is built, which transport companies operate in the supplier’s city and your own. The best option would be delivery by rail.

Finally, communication with suppliers is most often conducted via email. All you have to do is select the items you are interested in, and the supplier will issue an invoice in response. After payment, the selected transport company will deliver the goods.

Search for personnel for the store

Every employer can take two paths when searching for employees. He can try to find high-quality professionals who will immediately show the highest results, or he can hire promising talented people who have yet to learn the art of trading. As always, there are pros and cons in both cases.

In the first case, the employer will face the problem of a shortage of such specialists. In addition, they will demand an appropriate salary, which not everyone will be able to afford. And each such employee has experience and a number of unique attitudes, so first you will need to rebuild them to new conditions. Among the advantages, it should be noted that it will be possible to save on training, and employees will be able to work on the day of hiring.

Talented newcomers will become clay in the hands of a master. With proper guidance, they can become professionals of the highest class, but there is a chance of getting nothing but problems instead. But the salary of such an employee may be lower. At a minimum, at the stage of gaining experience, training and internship. Such people can be raised in a team as successful and dedicated employees who fully correspond to the specifics of the job.

Unfortunately, talent is not always revealed, and loyalty to the company may not come. Training a new employee invariably involves costs, including attending courses and training. And just the assortment of goods will need to be learned - to find out its features, advantages and disadvantages. When hiring a talented newcomer to work, one should pay attention not only and not so much to his presentation and communication skills, but also to quick wit, because in a short time he will need to remember a lot of characteristics of various goods.

The result is the following picture: highly skilled professionals are the preferred option if you can afford them. Otherwise, you will have to make do with promising newcomers.

Who is responsible for recruiting employees? In all more or less large companies, this role is assigned to the HR department. The search for new specialists is most often carried out in the following ways:

Relatives and friends. As practice shows, this option is common, but often one of the worst. No matter how close an acquaintance is, this does not mean that he will be a good employee and seller. Unlike people on the street, it is more difficult to objectively assess a relative’s skills. Very often we subconsciously smooth out obvious shortcomings and biasedly encourage our relatives.
Posting advertisements in stores and on the street. One of the least expensive, but at the same time effective methods, which is why it is attractive. Those who apply through an ad found on the sales floor can be immediately sent to the HR department, which will save a lot of time. Unfortunately, this turns into too much traffic - the manager’s office is very close, so simply curious people can enter it, hoping for luck.
Advertisements in print publications and on the Internet. There are two main paths here. You can study the existing offer or submit your own ad. In the first case, you will have to spend a lot of effort and time to study applicants and consider their candidacies. As a result, even finding one employee can take several days. Your own advertisement has a number of advantages - if you compose it correctly, then unsuitable candidates can be eliminated immediately. You don’t have to call those interested - they will come to your HR department themselves.
Working with recruitment agencies. The main advantage of this option is that all the work of studying the resume, searching and interviewing is transferred to a third party. As a result, only those people who fully match the given profile will be sent to your company. The disadvantages of the approach are obvious: the work of a recruitment agency requires its own payment, sometimes quite a lot. And despite all the precautions, acquiring a “pig in a poke” is quite possible. You can avoid risks if the contract with the recruitment agency mentions the payment of a fee only upon the employee’s enrollment upon completion of the probationary period.
Talent hunting or Headhunting. This method of personnel search is one of the most current developments. It involves luring high-quality specialists from other companies. The main advantage of this approach is the opportunity to observe employees in action and evaluate their skills and abilities. The main disadvantage is the high costs, because you will need to make a fairly lucrative offer that he cannot refuse. And once an employee has been lured away, you can always lure him back again: you can hardly expect any kind of unconditional loyalty from such a person.

The methods mentioned above are equally suitable for finding experienced specialists and promising newcomers. The only exception is headhunting. When looking for a professional, experts recommend contacting a recruitment agency, as the chance of finding a truly experienced employee increases many times over. You can also look for newcomers using other, less expensive means. Experts believe that the optimal team will be one that combines experienced specialists and young beginners. This will make the store more efficient and reduce wage costs.

Finally, when hiring, you should not focus only on your diploma and resume. It is also worth paying attention to the applicant’s charm and appearance. Remember that sellers will become the face of your company and this face should be beautiful and cheerful.

Store business plan - tasks and goals

An important point in the question of how to open your own store is drawing up a business plan. Despite the opinion of some entrepreneurs, it is simply impossible to do without drawing it up.

Drawing up a business plan must satisfy the following goals:

It should help a potential investor understand whether the project is worth investing in.
The information in it should be decisive for the bank if a loan is required.
The plan becomes the source of all information about the project. This information will be useful not only to the founders, but also to outside observers.

Accordingly, the business plan should solve the following tasks:

Determination of the circle of persons responsible for the implementation of the plan.
Identification of target markets, determination of the position of the store in the market.
Setting short- and long-term goals, forming tactics for achieving them and development strategies.
The product of an estimate of profitability and possible costs.

It is important to remember that a well-drafted business plan is the key to the prosperity of the store. In no case should you ignore this point, since a business plan is necessary not only for large companies, but even for the most modest shops.

Choosing a form of taxation

The issue of choosing a form of taxation plays an important role when opening a store. Not only the tax burden, but also the volume of penalties for various offenses depends on this. It’s worth saying right away that there is no universal answer here, everything is strictly individual. However, there is an algorithm that will help you make your choice:

Prepare a general description of the company: where the store will be located, whether there will be legal entities among the clients, what is the value of the assets and the planned annual revenue.
Make an analysis of all forms of taxation and select taxes common to all.
Select your preferred option.

The choice of taxation form should be made based on your net profit, and not on the amount of tax burden. In some cases, it makes sense to choose a system with high taxes, which will allow you to save money in the future or achieve a certain goal - occupying a certain market segment or similar.

General taxation system or OSNO

Applicable to individual entrepreneurs and LLCs. This is the default option - if there have been no statements about switching to a different form, then OSNO is used. Requirements include accounting, maintaining a ledger of expenses and income.

OSNO taxes for LLC:

The main tax is corporate income tax in the amount of 20% of profit.
Value added tax VAT – 0, 10 or 18%.
Corporate property tax of up to 2.2%.
Insurance premiums for employees – 34%.

OSNO taxes for individual entrepreneurs%

Personal income tax in the amount of 13% of income.
VAT – 0, 10 or 18%.
Insurance premiums.

The main disadvantage of OSNO is the complexity of the calculations - only experienced accountants can cope with them.

Simplified system of taxation of the simplified tax system

LLCs under the simplified tax system do not pay property taxes, income taxes and VAT. An individual entrepreneur is exempt from VAT, personal income tax and property used in activities. USN is not available to everyone.

Requirements of the simplified tax system for LLC:

Less than 100 employees.
Income less than 60 million rubles a year.
Lack of representative offices and branches.
Income for the last 9 months is less than 45 million rubles.

There are no restrictions for individual entrepreneurs.

USN tax rates: 15% for taxes on income minus expenses and 6% on income. The latter option is preferable for stores with low costs. Most often, entrepreneurs choose the first option with a simplified tax system of 15%. However, you should not consider this option the best - before making a choice, it is better to analyze both options.

Single tax on imputed income or UTII

It is a single tax on imputed income, that is, a fixed tax for a specific type of activity. This tax does not depend on income; it is paid even if there is no income. Payment is made every quarter.

Conditions for switching to UTII:

Suitable activity.
Less than 100 employees.
Must be permitted in the territory where the activity is carried out.
For an LLC, the share of a third party should be no more than 25%.

The transition to UTII is not possible for individual entrepreneurs on a patent basis, and for those who pay agricultural tax.

Patent system or PSN

Currently, there are 47 types of activities that fall under the patent tax system. You can find them in section 346.43 of the tax code. The rate for individual entrepreneurs is 6% of the possible annual income. To transfer, the company must have no more than 15 employees, and annual income must not exceed 60 million rubles. The validity period of a patent ranges from a month to a year.

The main advantage of PSN is the absence of reporting, the need for a cash register and a fixed tax amount. This option is optimal for entrepreneurs whose activities are seasonal in nature and are of little use for stores.

How much does it cost to open a store?

Many people are wondering: how much will it cost to open your own store? Which store to open with minimal investment? It is simply impossible to answer this question with any certainty; there are too many factors at play. What exactly are you planning to sell? In which city will the store be opened, and in what area? Because of this variety, prices vary very, very widely. More often than not, something definite can be said already at the business planning stage, and then a new, even more interesting question arises: where to find start-up capital to open a store?

Experienced entrepreneurs begin searching for funds after registering a business. In this case, you end up with a detailed business plan, in which you can see the entire project, indicating the amount for its implementation. It is possible that the required amount could have been found much in advance and now there are no problems with the issue of payment.

Otherwise, you can refer to the following sources:

Investors. After you have a ready-made business plan, you can try to find an investor for the project. Unfortunately, this path is one of the most difficult - not everyone will be ready to invest their own money in your business.
Banks. A bank loan is also a common method of solving the problem. However, you should not think of it as a panacea - it often falls on the shoulders of a beginning entrepreneur like a yoke, significantly slowing down the development of the business.
Friends and relatives. You can always try to involve friends or relatives in the matter. Moreover, we are talking here not only and not so much about a loan, but about a full partnership. After you develop, you can simply buy out the share.

Attracting first clients

After opening a store, the question of attracting the first customers arises. Currently, marketers have come up with many recipes for success, but the simplest and at the same time effective are:

Distribution of leaflets. The main thing here is a bright, attractive design that would make a person not only take the leaflet, but also become interested in its content. It should also contain important information regarding the products you offer, as well as address, contact numbers, etc. You can distribute leaflets not only on the streets, but also scatter them through mailboxes and place them on tables in supermarkets.
Posting advertisements. The method is as simple as it is effective, but not without its drawbacks. Not many people look at notice boards (unless they are located at public transport stops). In addition, such a method can spoil the reputation in the future - “advertising on poles” is perceived negatively by many.
Display advertising. Perhaps the most optimal method to date. You can place an ad in newspapers, on television, but, above all, it is worth advertising on the World Wide Web. The last option is especially good because it will not require much investment, and the audience reach will be simply huge. In addition, you can choose literally any convenient format for your advertising.
Recommend to friends. You can tell your acquaintances, friends, relatives, relatives of friends, etc. about your product. This option will be the easiest way to advertise your product without spending any money at all. At the same time, it is also distinguished by its effectiveness, because we all trust our own surroundings much more than even the most beautiful advertising leaflets. The effect of “word of mouth” should not be discounted. Even experts admit that it is one of the most effective advertising methods.

Finally, it’s worth giving a few tips that may be useful to novice entrepreneurs thinking about how to open their own store.

Instead of developing a completely private brand, entrepreneurs prefer to work as a franchise. This phenomenon is called franchising and is a special type of relationship between entities in which the franchisor transfers the rights to conduct business without limiting either the basic principles or business model of the franchisee.

This approach has its pros and cons.

Advantages:

Saving money;
Product certification;
Ready soil for business (no need to develop a strategy, concept, etc.);
More acceptable lending conditions;
Reduced advertising costs (you won’t have to promote your brand again);
Centralized marketing strategy;
Support from the copyright holder in terms of procurement, supply, design and staff training.

Flaws:

Difficult conditions for both sides due to shortcomings in the legislative framework of the Russian Federation.
The contract is concluded for a period of 5 years. Termination is subject to penalties.
Expenses in the form of monthly royalty payments.
Constant control by the copyright holder of the brand and some restrictions.
Franchising does not eliminate the need to go through numerous bureaucratic procedures, including registering an LLC or individual entrepreneur.

You can find franchises of many stores in ours.

Conclusion

As you can see from the above, if not everyone, then many can open a store today. You need to know where to start to open your own store. The main thing in this matter is careful planning and understanding of the store’s operating processes. Of course, not a single business at the beginning is complete without a lot of troubles, but if you follow the tips given above, within a year or two your own retail outlet will begin to generate a stable income. We hope that we were able to help you, and now you can easily answer the question of how to open your own store!

Step 2: Store Name

Step 3: Business Plan

Mandatory points of a business plan

Step. 4: Search for premises

Step 5: Arrangement and renovation of the premises

Requirements

Placement permission and when to get it

Step 6: Business Registration

How to open an individual entrepreneur?

Documents required for tax purposes

Other documentation

Step 7: Selecting Suppliers

Step 8: Shop equipment

Step 9: Recruiting staff for the store

Step 10: Formation of assortment

Step 11: Security

Step 12: Opening a Store and Advertising

Step 13: Risk Assessment

pros

Minuses

Clothing store

Costs of opening a clothing store

Lingerie store

Grocery store

Children's clothing store

Commission shop

Peculiarities

Auto parts store

The secrets to the success of this business

Flower shop

Draft beer store

Necessary equipment

Hardware store

Franchise store

Business Features

Registration

Room

Equipment

Staff

Problems

Step 1. Collect the necessary documents

Step 2. Choosing premises for a grocery store

Step 3. Calculate the starting capital

Video - How much does it cost to open a grocery store?

Step 4. Install the equipment in the grocery store

Step 5. Decide on the product range of the grocery store

Step 6. We enter into agreements with product suppliers

Step 7. Hiring staff

Step 8. Getting ready to launch

What problems may arise

Let's sum it up

Premises: a key success factor

Location

Square

Current equipment

Personnel and trade organization

Personnel decides everything

Formation of assortment

Advertising and necessary documents

What documents are needed to open a store?

LLC registration

Individual entrepreneur registration

Rospotrebnadzor

Which store is profitable to open?

Flower shop

Produse store

Household goods

Children's store: toys, clothes, shoes

Furniture store

Hardware store

Auto parts store

The choice of commercial equipment for the store

Choosing a room to open a store

Choosing a supplier for the store

Search for personnel for the store

Store business plan - tasks and goals

Choosing a form of taxation

General taxation system or OSNO

Simplified system of taxation of the simplified tax system

Single tax on imputed income or UTII