UKC

I've worked in retail for some time now, managing a very successful shop in an electrical sales environment, however as time marches on I am thinking more and more about quitting the company I work for and managing my own store selling outdoor gear or perhaps even fishing gear.

My question is, I don't have the first scooby where to begin in terms of actually setting up a business?! Does anyone have any pointers????

In reply to jamesofdeath: How long before Floristry gets a mention?

In reply to toad: Flowers! (about 3 minutes...)

In reply to stonemaster:

Or even flowers!

In reply to jamesofdeath:

why in thsi day and age open a shop with all that overhead.

footfall everywhere is falling isnt it except in the big hyper centres.

Aint a well presented online presence the way to go?

Why give shed loads to some local council in rates and then a load more in rental, utilities and insurance?

In reply to jamesofdeath: I have owned art related shops but now i just have a picture framing business and what Daithu said above is correct, I now take around 40% of my turnover through online sales and it's definitely the way forward. I have to pay a certain amount in rent and rates for my workshop but it's nothing like i have paid in the past to have a shop on the high street, until the government works out a way of taxing you for an online prescence (Which i'm sure they will eventually) then the internet is the way to go.

In reply to jamesofdeath:
As others have said, the rates on small shops are frankly extortionate. Also regarding outdoor gear, I'd imagine Go Outdoors have that pretty much sown up.

In reply to Ridge:

The shops also lose a lot of business to people just using them as a sizing facility , and then ordering online.

In reply to Jim C:
Indeed. I recall a thread a while back where one poster seemed to think this was perfectly acceptable.

In reply to jamesofdeath:

The only way you'll even start to make it work would be to put in all the hours you've got (and more) and build up a good customer following in the area. And you can forget any more holidays and trips away climbing - you won't have time.

In reply to Trangia: Indeed

In reply to pneame: I avoid shopping online unless it's absolutely essential and I can't get it in a shop. In particular books and CDs aren't bought online, with the exception of one or two specialist books. If Amazon aren't paying tax, that's fine. They should make it explicit on their website how much money they have taken from the us. I don't buy gear online either - shopping for it is part of the experience!

Away from megacentres, high streets are being colonised by discount shops and more insidiously, charity shops. They are becoming increasingly professional, and if they want to run a slick retail outlet with all the benefits of a well kept high street, they should damn well pay for them, through proper rates etc.

In reply to toad:

In the last year we had 2 charity shops close down - apparently the weren't making enough money. They get their stock for free. They pay either heavily reduced or free rates. Their staff work for free. How they fail to make enough money baffles me.

On the other hand now that they've gone we still have 5 charity shops in my town of 18,000 people.

In reply to Richard Carter:

Sadly that's the new business model. Take the olympics 'event organisers'. Tax payer provides free labour on JSA, taxpayer pays for highly dubious 'training'. Employer has no wage or NI costs, gets paid by taxpayer to 'train', then undercuts legitimate businesses. Trebles all round.

In reply to Richard Carter:


They usually employ a full time manager whose wage is around £20k - £25k! Oh and all the unsaleable sh1t that gets taken to the charity shop because the owner couldn't be arsed to take it to the tip has to be binned at a cost to the charity shop.

In reply to Daithi O Murchu:

*rummages throgh paperwork*

Yep, internet business have to pay tax, landlords/mortgage, utilities...

*flick through more of the pile of paper which is just as big as the retailers pile of paperwork*

...yep, got to pay insurance as well.

In reply to Ken Lewis:
Well rummage through that paperwork again and look how much rateable per sq`mtr a shop with a shop front is for zone A and then look how much a warehouse with an office is, and obviously the initial purchase price or rent will be much lower also.

In reply to EeeByGum:

Many are being "run" by a full time assistant manager on 16k.

More and more are being enterprising with the unsaleable shtuff, bags of rag to the local garages to use as handwipes, books/shoes/bags/toys/bric a brac sorted into seperate bags and weighed in.

agreed with the sentiment though that many donators unload all their crap that they can't be bothered to take to the tip.

I guess this falls below the 18k we're all supposed to be able to survive on?

http://www.i-grasp.com/fe/tpl_oxfam.asp?KEY=24095281&C=122102235883&...

Shop Manager - Portishead, Bristol Trading England Bristol
Hours: 18 per week Contract: Open - ended Salary: £7,920 per...

Bookshop Manager - Greenwich, London Trading England Greenwich
Hours: 30 per week Contract: Open - ended Salary: £13,742 basic pa...