How to Start a Pet Shop
Business
Even in the
period of the financial crisis Russians would rather scrimp on themselves than
on dumb animals.
Since we
become responsible, forever, for those we have tamed.
Pet shops
are seemed to be one of few businesses which haven't suffered recession.
Well-known trade-marks such as Pedigree, Chappy, Whiskas, KiteKat indefatigably
encourage us from TV screens to buy food and toys for our pets.
The market
of pet products is huge and full of prospects.
In this
article we'll discuss how to open a pet shop.
It is very
good if you have your own
pets and you are a regular customer of a pet shop yourself. Then you have
an idea on what you like in the currently available shops and what you can
improve. Certainly, the perfect alternative is to have a veterinary education
and wide knowledge about pets.
The most
simple and low-cost way to start business in the pet products sphere is to set
up a small shop where the choice will include food, grooming products and
accessories.
License for
such shop set up is not required; its floor space can start from 10 sq. m.
It is better
to look for the room for such shop in a bedroom suburb. If there are no
competitors nearby, you can safely open you own small pet shop. With proper
assortment and comparable prices, such shop will always find its customer.
Assortment
in a small shop should be formed of the most fast-moving items - these are
goods for cats and dogs. Such small shops usually pay back within a year;
however it is not worth expecting a big gain from a single shop.
Traditionally
a pet shop owner, who has opened one store and has well-proved sale technology,
sets up the next one.
An average
retail margin in small pet shops amounts to 30%. As for the most demand goods
(popular food and litters) the margin is less, for rarely sold items the margin
can come up to 200%.
The second
variant of a pet shop presupposes a large range of pet goods, starting from
food and finishing with pets on sale. In this format there are absolutely
different requirements to the floor space of the shop, its staff and product
range selection. The sales area of the full-range store usually starts from 70
sq. m. You can find a shop room both in the center of the city or in a bedroom
district. It will be profitable to set up a pet shop attached to veterinaries
or not far from it. Payback of such store is 1-2 years.
The product
range should be large; in the meanwhile it should include goods, which enjoy
high demand. Exclusive and rarely purchased goods should be sold on request.
The
assortment should include pets, birdcages and boxes, toys, there should be a section of veterinary
preparations, vitamins and mineral supplements.
You can gain
good profit selling pets, but take into account that animals can die at
mismanagement.
Wide-range
shop assistants should be well-qualified; they should perfectly know all the
ins and outs about pets and products for sale.
Competent
advice is a very important component of a pet shop success. If an assistant of
the shop recognizes that a customer is inexperienced, he should query the
client about his pet and help to make the right choice.
Sale of pet
pharmaceutical products is subjected to licensing. In order to get a license
there must be a veterinarian in the store staff, but the veterinarian is
required not only to obtain all essential documents. If assistant veterinarian
works in the pet shop, this fact causes customers' trust and pushes up sales.
The third
variant of the pet shop is a specialized store. If you have experience and
knowledge in one specific area, you can set up a high-specialized shop.
For example,
aquariums grows in popularity and you can set up a store specialized
exceptionally on toy fish.
Being
engaged in toy fish business, you can sale a broad range of fish, aquariums,
fish food, veterinarian preparations and books on toy fish. The shop assistant
should be much aware of goods for sale. You can also gain an extra income from
customs aquariums manufacture, its installation, designer aquarium décor and
aquarium service.
If you have
chosen a high level of specialization, you should offer you customers a full
complex of services in the given field and provide clients with full
information during sale. Then you can rely on the popularity of the store.
The retail
margin in such shops is higher, than in the wide-range ones, but for the higher
price your purchaser gets more qualitative consultations and an opportunity to
buy unique goods, which are not available in full-range stores.
If you
intend to set up a small store, it is more reasonable to start cooperation with
only one supplier, who has a wide product range even if the prices are not the
best. The larger a projected shop, the more quantity of suppliers it is
efficiently to cooperate with in order to buy goods at the best price. You can
ask the suppliers for recommendations on the primary assortment formation. In
the beginning of the work mistakes in the product range are unavoidable, but in
few months it will become clear what products are in demand, what products
should be purchased additionally and what should be returned to the supplier
(discuss this option in advance).
In any case
forming the primary product range your should presume that the assortment
should include food for cats, dogs, rodents, birds and dry food for fish,
litters, grooming products and accessories.
If you will
sell pets, configure a line of additional products which can be purchased along
with these pets.
Give your
preference to the goods of the well-known producers, which are actively
advertised.
Don't try to
earn big profits at once, it is better to advice a client more suitable product
that more expensive one. The customer will appreciate it and will come next
time in our shop.
Arrange
degustation, distribute probes, let your purchasers know about newly-developed
products, carry our promotion actions.
All the
product range should be properly exhibited on display and grouped thematically,
price tags should be large.
If products
on request are sold in the shop, the correspondent information should be easily
available for clients. Colorful catalogues and full information should be
provided for such products.
There should
be a good smell in the shop even if pets are sold there. See about good
microclimate.
It is also
very important to select the staff of people who really love pets and can give
advice to every customer.
