How to open a pet store from scratch: instructions

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

To get a regular stable income in the modern world, you need to think about your own business. That's just how to decide on a niche, so as not to miscalculate? Aspiring entrepreneurs are often interested in how to open a pet store from scratch. This topic has been quite promising in recent years. Every year the pet products market grows by 20%. In this review, we will consider the main advantages and disadvantages of this business, the list of documents required for opening, a step-by-step algorithm, as well as the calculation of investments required for the first time.

Features of doing business

How to open a pet shop? The sale of such peculiar goods is a very promising business. Most of these outlets pay for themselves after 1-1.5 years. Some stores are expanding much faster. However, a short return on capital is far from the only advantage of trading in pet products. The ever-increasing demand can also be attributed to the positive aspects. In eachthe third house today has a pet. At the same time, even in the conditions of the economic crisis, most families are not going to reduce the costs spent on keeping pets. This means that it is currently profitable to open a pet store. The trade in pet products today gives many people the opportunity to do what they love and help animals.

Advantages and disadvantages

Let's take a closer look at this aspect. So, how to open a pet store from scratch? Starting a business in this area is quite simple. There are many manufacturers of pet products on the market today. Therefore, each store may well form a unique competitive assortment of goods. Another main advantage of this type of business is a relatively small list of permits. It is significantly smaller than that of a simple grocery store. Thus, we can say that the trade in pet products today is a fairly promising business sector that pays off in about a year.

There are such activities as the sale of pet products, and their drawbacks. These include high competition. In many large Russian cities, network and private pet stores are successfully operating today. And feed and fillers can be bought in a simple supermarket. So, at the start of work, your store will have to immediately identify its competitive advantage. You can offer your customers products from new manufacturers, promotions or low prices, the ability to order online.

Another disadvantage of this line of business is the peculiar smell of the goods. When starting a business, this minus may seem frivolous. But sometimes it has a decisive influence on the selection of personnel. In addition, if the store also sells live animals in addition to pet products, the store owner will have to bear full responsibility for their he alth. A sick animal in a store can be the subject of a lawsuit and greatly damage the reputation of the establishment.

Permits and documents

This aspect should be given special attention. How to open a pet store from scratch? What do you need first? Like any other business in Russia, the trade in pet products must be legal. Therefore, to open a retail outlet, you will need to issue a package of permits.

It includes:

1. Statutory documents: certificate of registration of LLC or individual entrepreneur, TIN, lease agreement for premises, certificate of assignment of OKVED.
2. Permitting documents: the conclusion of the sanitary and epidemiological service, approving the decision from the fire inspectorate, a pharmaceutical license (for the sale of medicines, including flea and tick products).
3. Receipt of payment of the state fee (7500 rubles).
4. Veterinary certificate from the State Veterinary Administration (in case you plan to keep and sell live animals in the store). In addition, a separate certificate must be issued for each animal, which confirms its state of he alth.
5. Production control program, disinfection contract, waste disposal document, sanitation logs - all these papers are necessary for Rospotrebnadzor.
6. Documents of employees: employment contracts, medical books with a mark on passing a medical examination and sanitary training.

As in any retail outlet, a consumer corner must be equipped in a pet store. It is also necessary to determine the location for placing the evacuation plan. These documents are drawn up in accordance with standard rules.

It may take up to six months to prepare the necessary documentation. In addition, certain expenses will be required. Usually they do not exceed 20-25 thousand rubles.

Step by step instructions

How to open a pet store from scratch? The instructions below will help you understand everything. We'll take a step-by-step look at how best to choose a location for a future outlet, what you need to know about the product range, and also consider other important aspects of running a pet products business.

Choose a room

This aspect should be given special attention. The success of the entire enterprise largely depends on the right location. How to open a pet store from scratch? Business will go better if the outlet is located in high traffic areas. The most profitable solution would be to rent a space in a shopping center. There are always potential buyers here who are able toensure the store profits even on weekdays.

The size of the room will directly depend on the size of the assortment presented in the store. If you plan to sell just a few categories of popular food, toys and medicines, then only 15-20 square meters of space is enough for you. If it is supposed to trade a large assortment of feed belonging to various price categories, as well as medicines and related products, then a room with an area of 50-70 square meters will be required.

Of course, the store must be equipped with everything you need: electricity, running water, sewerage. It is also worth thinking in advance about a high-quality ventilation system. Only in this case you will be able to avoid the specific smell emitted by animal feed. If you do not deal with this problem, it may well scare off potential customers, and even provoke a conflict with neighboring stores.

Another important criterion for choosing a retail outlet is the ability to adjust the lighting system. It is important to strike a balance between light that is comfortable for keeping animals and bright lighting for buyers. Counters should be illuminated with light with an indicator of 200-300 lux. For an area with pets, it is better to use sources of 100-150 lux.

Name

How to open a pet shop? Step-by-step instructions must necessarily include such an important point as choosing the right name. So what do you need to know about it? After you decide on the name, you will need to print advertising posters and ordersignboard. When choosing a "name" for your outlet, it is important to comply with the following requirements, namely:

1. In the name of the store, try to make a reference to the world of animals. This will let potential buyers know that you are in the business of selling products for their beloved pets.
2. Do not use names that are officially registered as trademarks. This carries a heavy fine. To check if the name is branded, you can use special online services or the official website of the tax service.

Product range

We continue to consider how to open a pet store. The instruction also includes the selection of the optimal product range. The standard set of a pet store should include the following items:

• Food from various manufacturers: from economy class to prestige brands;
• cat litter of various types;
• cage and aquarium accessories;
• drinkers and bowls;
• dietary supplements and vitamins for animals;
• drugs and medical preparations;
• brushes and trays;
• collars, leashes, clothing for pets;
• carry;
• toys, houses, scratching posts, mattresses;
• cages for rodents and birds;
• aquariums and vegetation for them;
• cosmetics and shampoos;
• birds: canaries, parrots;
• rodents: mice, hamsters, chinchillas;
• bunnies;
• fish;
• turtles.

Staff

What does it take to open a pet shop? As in any other business, an important issue here is the selection of employees. Now let's talk about this in more detail. The best option for a pet store is a 12-hour working day. The opening hours of the outlet can be organized as follows: from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. or from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. In this mode of work, employees must work "2 by 2". Depending on the size of the presented range of products, from 1 to 3 employees should work per shift for the operation of one outlet. The best option for staff formation is the principle of "an employee at the cash desk and a seller in the hall." Special education for staff is not required. A couple of days is enough to understand the operation of the cash register and the assortment presented in the store. But still, the presence of a veterinary education will not be superfluous here. Such a specialist will help create a good reputation for your business. For example, you can recruit senior students from veterinary universities or colleges.

How to open a pet shop? What needs to be explained to staff? All employees are required to complete training prior to opening the store. They should be told:

• store business;
• stocked product range;
• fundamental differences between different types of food;
• rules for the use of medicinaldrugs for animals;
• basic rules for the care of animals that are kept in the store;
• regulations for working with a cash register.

Calculation of basic investments

Is it profitable to open a pet shop? It is worth familiarizing yourself with this aspect in the very first place. Let's try to understand this issue by making simple calculations.

The sale of pet food is a fairly profitable business. The trade margin for any product is about 50%. The mark-up for medicines starts from 20%, and for accessories - from 40%. The demand for pet products is quite stable, so the payback period of the outlet will be from 12 to 16 months on average.

Let's take a look at what it takes to open a pet store from scratch. The minimum investment is shown below.

Costs:

• rent of a trading floor (from 40 to 50 square meters): 80-100 thousand rubles;
• utility payments: up to 10 thousand rubles;
• purchase of commercial equipment: 30 thousand rubles;
• installation of a ventilation and air conditioning system: 50 thousand rubles;
• registration of the necessary documentation: 25 thousand rubles;
• purchase of the first batch of goods: 200-300 thousand rubles;
• installation of the lighting system: 10 thousand rubles;
• fire alarm installation: 15 thousand rubles;
• purchase of cash registers and equipment: 50 thousand rubles;
• scales: 2 thousand rubles;
• chairs and other furniture: 10 thousand rubles;
• aquarium rack: 100 thousandrubles;
• advertising costs: 20 thousand rubles.

Thus, the minimum cost at the initial stage is 742 thousand rubles. Also, do not forget about the mandatory monthly payments. These include replenishment of commodity stocks (up to 500 thousand rubles), utility obligations, administrative expenses (2000 rubles), insurance premiums, disinfection and removal of solid waste (1000 rubles), detergents (1000 rubles), as well as expenses for animal feed, which are contained in the trading floor (15,000 rubles). Staff salaries should also be taken into account. A lot depends on the state of the employee. The average salary of a salesperson is about 20,000 rubles.

Profitability

So you've decided to open a pet store? Reviews confirm that all stages of registration of activities do not cause any special problems. However, in order to obtain good profitability, it is necessary to choose the right location and product range. According to statistics, the average check for standard pet stores ranges from 400 to 600 rubles. Thus, subject to attracting 45-55 buyers per day, an entrepreneur can count on receiving income in the amount of 25 thousand rubles. After carrying out simple economic calculations, we can conclude that the payback period of the project will be approximately 2 years. Profitability from running this type of business will average 9.7%.

Conclusion

In this review, we examined in detail how to open a pet store. The step-by-step instructions given in the article describe the main stages of conducting this type of activity. The first thing a novice entrepreneur should do is to carefully study the demand for this type of product and make preliminary calculations of the profitability of the enterprise. To ensure a stable flow of customers to the outlet, you should carefully consider the choice of premises and the selection of a product range. You should also consider your marketing strategy. Special promotions and a loy alty program will help attract customers.

Specialists in this field recommend focusing on selling unique products that are not available in other stores in your city. An important issue is also the selection of qualified personnel. It is good if you manage to attract specialists with veterinary education to work. They will be able to give buyers competent advice on keeping pets, as well as tell about the features of a particular product. Provided that if you are done correctly, the enterprise will pay off after 1.5-2 years. In some cases, this period may take less time.

And finally, I would like to note that if you decide to run your own business, then you need to be ready for anything. The most important thing is not to be afraid to take risks!