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Considering options for opening your own store? If you want to receive a stable and constant income, regardless of the economic situation in the country and various force majeure, we recommend that you start selling fabric and various sewing accessories. In this article, we will analyze how to open a fabric store from scratch, consider the principles of such a retail outlet, calculate the profitability and payback of the event.

Introduction

Today, clothes can be bought on almost every corner: they are sold in classic stores and over the Internet. But many people are not satisfied with the classic models or their physique is such that ready-made options simply do not fit. No less often, people do not want to overpay for a brand, preferring to sew a skirt or dress for themselves, and for this they only need fabric and appropriate accessories. That is why the fabric store will always be relevant. It allows you to both save money and show your imagination, design qualities and craftsmanship.

To create such a store, you don't need anything special: you just need to register with the tax office, find a suitable premises, set up shop windows and purchase goods. Consider how you should proceed to create a successful and profitable business in your community.

Market research

The first step is to study the market in order to understand what you will have to face. Find competitors that operate in the proposed area of placement, study their prices, range and the principle of doing business. Then start looking for suppliers - study offers from wholesalers, check offers on the Internet, or even contact raw material manufacturers. In Russia today there are many wholesalers and dealers selling high-quality fabric, so choose the most interesting offers for assortment and prices.

Attention: the wider the assortment, the more sales will be in your outlet. Try to put on sale different types of fabrics, if necessary, expand the range of curtains and tulle.

Finding a place

After you have studied the market and decided on the suppliers, you should think about where to locate the store. Let's say right away - fabric is rarely bought impulsively, so it makes no sense to place a store on the first line in a walk-through place, it is quite possible to move it to sleeping areas, to traffic interchanges, etc. The client will come to you deliberately to choose and buy fabric or accessories someone, just walking by the store, decides to sew a dress for themselves. Therefore, there is no need to look for expensive retail space in the very center or in large hypermarkets. You can rent an inexpensive and cozy shop somewhere off to the side, which will help save on rent and monthly expenses.

Let's consider what kind of area is needed for a retail outlet. It all depends on how many prospective buyers you will have and what financial capabilities you have. For a small retail outlet, a space of 25 m2 is enough, but this is the very minimum, in which you simply place fabric samples around the perimeter, create an inner “island” and put several display cases with accessories. The middle point will require an area of about 50 m2 - this is already a full-fledged store in which it will be possible to create a full-fledged showcase, install a sewing machine or overlock, create a small warehouse and a room for staff. Large retail outlets will require an area of 100 m2 - this option is used if you plan to work with wholesale customers.

Given the regular demand for fabrics of all kinds, there is hardly any doubt that the business of selling fabrics will turn out to be profitable - with the right approach, of course. Moreover, there are no seasonal and geographical restrictions, and buyers can be people of any age, including representatives of workshops, ateliers and other specialized enterprises. If you are thinking about how to open a fabric store, then make every effort to fully realize the potential of this business idea.

Marketing research and assortment selection

Before opening a fabric store, be sure to study the market situation:

Track the locations of the stores that will become your competitors.
Study their assortment and make a conclusion about what is missing.
Check out customer reviews and statistics on assortment extensions and reductions.

Also pay attention to a few key factors without which you have little chance of carving a profitable market niche:

There are too many fabrics to cover in their entirety. Better to focus on a specific segment.
Decorative and expensive fabrics always have a chance to become a unique offer. However, this is a double-edged sword: it is impossible to predict in advance how much an exclusive product will be in demand.
Most buyers pay attention primarily to the color of the fabric, so the color scheme should be as diverse as possible.

Don't get hung up on retail customers - various businesses can become your regular customers, especially if you give them a small wholesale discount.

Possible difficulties with the purchase of goods

Having drawn up a preliminary sales plan and having thought about how to open a fabric and accessories store, soberly assess the possibility of purchasing goods. Many types of fabrics cannot be found in Russia, and you have to purchase them abroad - you will need to think in advance about who is the best to buy from. To conclude contracts for the constant supply of large quantities, you will probably have to personally meet with a representative of the supplier or send your trusted person to negotiations.

Do not rely too much on deliveries via the Internet - most of them are based on oral agreements, and agreements, even if they exist, can lead to lengthy proceedings, during which the regularity of the store is disrupted. Some suppliers may suddenly disappear from the connection altogether, which also does not affect the store in the best way. A partnership agreement is much better, regardless of whether it is a Russian or foreign company.

There is another option - contacting intermediaries. The plus is obvious: usually this is a well-established product transfer channel that you do not need to support yourself - several worries are off your shoulders at once. There are also disadvantages: firstly, you need to choose from the already offered assortment, even if it is very large; secondly, mediation is never free. But all of these options are better than purchasing low-quality products, because the lack of proper quality can quickly lead to financial ruin.

Room selection

For a fabric store to be profitable, it must be conveniently located. Traffic is the basis of attendance, so it is best to give preference to an area in a shopping center or a pavilion in a covered shopping complex. The more lively the area of the city where you will locate the store, the better.

Content of the article:

We need to collect the following documents:

registration of an individual entrepreneur or LLC;
sanitary and epidemiological conclusion and permission;
contract for waste disposal;
agreement with the fire service;
agreement on disinfection, deratization, disinsection.

Trading room

For a fabric store, the first or basement floor is suitable. From the second floor, the premises are considered unsuitable for trade in such goods. Area - about 100 sq. although it depends on the assortment.

The room should have a warehouse for expensive types of fabrics (if there are any in stock). A certain temperature and humidity are maintained for the warehouse. For storage, you need racks and shelves. Special equipment is required to provide the goods: rotating hangers, shelves, sample hangers.

Provide the premises with alarm and video surveillance systems.

Features of the fabric business:

must be stored at a temperature of 15 - 20 °;
the assortment is arranged by type and color;
the popularity of the product depends on fashion trends ;
additional profit will be brought by the sale of accessories;
encourage buyers to sew, make them confident in their abilities;
with a large assortment of competitors' fabrics, you can not be afraid;
expand - start sewing and selling clothes.

Assortment formation

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Relevance

Lots of entrepreneurs have a love of easy profit. Selling fabrics is not as easy a business as it might seem at first glance. To open a fabric store from scratch, it is worth studying the characteristics of customer demand. What fabrics are considered fashionable in this season, whether visiting buyers prevail or whether buyers represent the local elite and middle-income buyers.

The city center is not a starting point for the formation of the store's assortment. The main role is played by the class and distance of nearby retail outlets relative to the store. It is beneficial to open near a clothing boutique. Of course, you cannot avoid conflicts with competitors, but the size of the net profit is worth it. Calculate if a branded T-shirt costs 50,000 rubles on average, and its real cost, including sewing and purchasing fabrics, does not exceed 1,500 rubles? Clever business women will immediately realize what you can save on.

By the way, opening a fabric business from scratch is impossible. Start with a small tailoring workshop. So you can study the features of tissue elasticity, both in terms of economics and mechanics. This is extremely important for fabrics made of wool, satin, silk and chintz, you can find out what affects the difference in the cost of similar fabrics from different manufacturers. Basically, the difference in cost is dictated by the durability of the dyes, wear resistance, thickness and weight of the fabric.

For example, fabrics with a high degree of elasticity can ruin your business. On cuts of fine wool, enterprising sellers can steal 3 cm at the expense of buyers. About 1.5 m of fabrics are produced per day. High quality wool is a commodity, the demand for which can be compared with the demand for medicines.

An experienced seamstress will immediately notice the lack of fabric. Wool is a fabric that does not tolerate excesses in quantity or shortage in sewing clothes. Here's your first step to the store's bad reputation. On the cuts of silk and chintz, you can steal 2 cm each. So, why not an entrepreneur using these little tricks and getting 15-18% more net profit by opening a tailor shop or a repair shop at the store?

Just sew the seam already. But, silk, wool, satin and velvet do not accept too stiff tightened seams. On thick woolen fabric, you can save 2.5 cm; on leatherette - 2.5 cm, on cheap chintz, 2-2.5 cm. The leatherette is covered with parallel cracks when using thin strong threads.

When making cuts from cheap fabrics for customers, you should be aware that the structure of the fabric will deteriorate rapidly if you cut it to the desired length with blunt scissors.

Responsibility and Registration

A textile store is an interesting business with prospects, if you calculate the steps in advance, draw up a business plan correctly.

Textile products are in demand, regardless of the season. Textiles are bought as a gift or for home, used for home furnishing.

Not a single household can do without bed linen, towels, tablecloths, pillows. If you adhere to the rules, a fabric store, home textiles will soon pay off and bring considerable income.

First Steps

Stores with a variety of products generate more revenue than highly specialized departments, but they require additional investments.

Seat selection

The choice of location is of paramount importance when opening a store. An unfortunate location will not attract customers, even with a variety of products and reasonable prices.

It is better to choose a place based on what kind of consumer the product is intended for. If you plan to sell elite, expensive products and rely on clients with high incomes, it is worth opening a salon on the central streets of the city.

If you are counting on a mass buyer, it is better to settle in a residential area where there is a lot of traffic, next to the market. Avoid opening a shop at the entrance of the house, where it is difficult for the buyer to find a place.

Take care of the renovation: it is more advantageous to use a bright, cozy room for displaying fabrics and textile products.

Equipment purchase

Once the location is selected, it is important to take care of the technical equipment. The amount of equipment is influenced by the size of the trading platform, the range. For a textile store you will need to buy: