How to open a gift and souvenir shop from scratch

How to open your own souvenir and gift shop? What are the advantages of this business? First, the type of product. Any souvenir and gift products are usually small in size, which makes it easy to transport and store them. Unlike food, the shelf life of storage and sale of souvenirs cannot expire.

Secondly, the demand for the product. Several times a year we celebrate big holidays, including New Year, February 23rd, March 8th. And add professional holidays, Valentine's Day, birthdays and anniversaries to them! And for all these holidays people buy gifts for each other. Having correctly organized the work of a gift and souvenir shop, you will definitely not be left without customers.

Gift Shop Business Plan

When opening even a small retail store, it is important to draw up a high-quality business plan. It will provide you with the reliability and stability of your business, and all potential problems will be taken into account in advance. Here you can download a business plan for a gift shop

Business Registration

You just need to formalize yourself as an individual entrepreneur. You can read how to do this in our article: How to open an individual business. You do not need to obtain licenses or special permits, because gift and souvenir products do not require this. Only children's toys are subject to certification, if such a category of goods is presented in your store.

Finding a room

The premises for the gift shop must comply with the requirements of the fire department and the sanitary and epidemiological station. Since you will not be dealing with food, the process of checking the premises and issuing a permit is usually simplified.

It is better to immediately look for a room that is already in the non-residential fund, otherwise you will have to tinker with the documents.

The size of the room is selected based on your own capabilities and preferences. You can open both a very small store with one showcase and a stand behind it, or a large store with products of several categories.

Probably, it's not worth talking about the popularity of souvenir products, since the answer is obvious. Many holidays in our country, and not only such as March 8, February 23, February 14, New Year, but also personal (birthday, wedding, anniversary, promotion at work, birth of a child and many others) make it possible for such outlets to have stable income throughout the year.

Souvenirs are a huge list of various kinds of goods that are perfectly combined in the format of this type of store. Often, even in the presence of competition, you can always choose a completely different product and work in parallel with similar sales departments.

In this article, we'll discuss how to open a gift and souvenir shop and what you need to do. Let's look at the step-by-step instructions and try to show the most important points.

Formatting your store as the first step towards success

Due to the huge competition in this niche, it is difficult for novice businessmen to take their place in the souvenir market. One of the most effective ways out of this situation is to give your trading place a certain format. For example, you can specialize in the sale of hand-made products, or ethnographic goods, wedding gifts, gifts for business people and much more. Choose whichever niche you want and offer your customers the largest possible assortment in your city. In this case, you can get the largest number of target customers. Over time, it will be possible to expand and replenish your assortment with products from other directions, but at the same time you will already have a list of regular customers.

There is also a division into offline and online gift trade. Offline means, first of all, the presence of a store with showcases and the ability to view and pay for goods. An online business is its own online store that sells goods by sending them by delivery services. Both of these approaches have pros and cons. A stationary store inspires greater customer confidence, allows you to inspect the goods, and an online store requires much less start-up investments. You can choose any convenient option, but in this article we will consider a comprehensive solution, namely, an online gift store will be launched on the basis of an offline retail outlet.

Another format is the sale of gifts only during the season. For example, before the New Year holidays. Thus, by investing a very small amount of money several times a year, you can receive additional income.

Documents

The first thing to do before starting to trade in gifts and souvenirs is to issue all permits.

Here's what you need:

For a more accurate consultation, we recommend contacting an experienced lawyer who, at first, will help you to conduct your business competently and legally.

In the era of chain stores, it becomes more and more difficult to find a unique item for a gift to a loved one. However, if you turn to the masters of hand-made, such a present can still be purchased. But what if the hero of the occasion is not a fan of handicrafts and all the “readily available” gift options are not suitable? Departments and shops of gifts and souvenirs contribute to the solution of this problem. It is because of the increasing popularity that such points are opening more and more often.

In order for the souvenir and gift department to really make a profit, the organization of a business should be approached with considerable attention. The most important thing is the selection of the assortment and taking into account the seasonality of the business. But let's start from the beginning.

Business registration and required documents

The legal basis of this business is one of the most unpretentious. It is enough to issue an IP - and you can act. If you decide to choose a detached building for a retail outlet, you will have to obtain permits from the SES and fire supervision. It is advisable to work with suppliers of certified products, because the gift should not be hazardous to health.

Premises and assortment

A good department or store location is one of the ingredients for success. Placement should be thought out taking into account what assortment is presented in the windows. If it is "standard" - figurines, gift sets, tea pairs, medals and cups, pens and lighters - then the location of the department in a shopping center with many potential buyers would be an ideal option.

If the assortment includes ethnically “tourist” goods, it is worth placing the department near sightseeing routes and places of interest in the city. Well, if the assortment contains completely unique goods, which competitors have no analogues, you can “hide” the shop on one of the streets far from the main thoroughfares of the city, where rent, by the way, will be much cheaper. Customers will find you on the outskirts with non-competitive offers!

In addition to what has already been said about the assortment, it is worth noting that the more individual approach to its selection, the more successful the business. It is necessary to make the range of goods as diverse as possible in order to please a large number of customers: from cute inexpensive figurines (which can be purchased from manufacturers or wholesalers) to bouquets of chocolates, hand-painted plates, and luxury gift sets (which can be made to order from components selected by the client).

Do not ignore handicraft souvenirs, including the beloved nesting dolls. Make contacts with craftsmen of different directions and sell their products. Highlight in the department a "shelf" for high-value hobby goods: diamond mosaics, large paintings by numbers - not every lover of spending time in this way will decide to buy expensive entertainment, but he will be very happy to receive it as a gift.

When composing your assortment, do not forget about seasonal offers, the proceeds from which will make up a considerable share of the total annual profit. Try to stand out among competitors, pick up original products - demand will be guaranteed.

Advertising + additional services = profit

The opening of a point of sale of souvenirs and gifts cannot be ignored. The easiest way to inform prospective buyers about this is to distribute leaflets in the area where the store is located. If the budget allows, interest potential customers with an announcement banner; when the point is located in the shopping center, you can also order audio advertising. The catchy name of the department will play into the hands.

Have you counted at least once in your life the number of holidays that take place during the year? Birthdays of relatives and friends, New Year, Christmas, March 8, February 23, Valentine's Day, May Day, May 9, etc. Moreover, each holiday is accompanied by festivities and, most often, gifts, because you cannot go to a holiday empty-handed. That is why gift shops are gaining great popularity, which offer customers a wide range of goods. Even small "islands" in shopping centers on major holidays (New Year, March 8, February 23) make monthly revenue in just a few days. Therefore, many aspiring entrepreneurs ask themselves the question: how to open a gift shop? We will talk about this in our today's article.

Where to start?

In order to build a successful business in the field of gift shops, you must choose one of two proven paths:

• to open a chain of gift shops with the same assortment;
• to open one small cozy store with a wide selection of original gifts.

Both options can be profitable, but the first one will require large investments, because the chain of stores should include 3-4 outlets. And this means you need to purchase goods for 3-4 stores, purchase equipment for them, hire staff and pay them a salary, pay rent. Therefore, it will be very costly for a novice businessman, and without experience it is almost impossible to develop a successful network.

Once you have decided on the type of store, you need to proceed to the registration of your activities, so as not to spoil your relationship with the law. In order to open a gift shop, there is no need to obtain specific licenses and permits, quality certificates and other documents. To open, you need a standard documentation package:

• Registration with the tax office. The ideal option would be an individual entrepreneur, because it is not known how your business will go, and there will be much more costs and difficulties with an LLC. The state duty for opening an individual entrepreneur is 800 rubles, you still have to add 1500-2021 rubles to the expenses for certification of documents by a notary.
• A lease agreement for a premise or retail space where the store will be located. If the premises are the property of the entrepreneur, then it is necessary to submit documents for the ownership.
• Permission from the fire inspection, which confirms the compliance of the premises with all norms and standards.
• A conclusion from the SES, confirming the safety of the store for customers and employees.
• Select taxation. Experienced entrepreneurs in this area advise choosing a simplified system, as it is best suited for small businesses.

Remember: Selling toys for children may require additional permits and certifications. They must be provided by suppliers, so choose only trusted partners for the purchase of quality goods.

Premises

An important step in opening a successful gift shop is the choice of premises. After all, the flow of customers and revenue will depend on where your store is located. If your assortment store assumes gifts for all categories of people (not of a specific focus), then it is best to locate it in a shopping center of the city, where a lot of people pass every day. This will allow you to get a stream of customers without unnecessary advertising investments.

If the store has a special range of products, unique goods, then you can save on rent and open a store in a quiet area of ​​the city, where people will come for specific things and gifts that will not be found in other stores of a similar focus. However, this means that you exclude "random" customers, and must allocate a budget for advertising your store, so that potential buyers know about it.

The room can be small, up to 30 square meters. It is necessary to take a responsible approach to the design of the store, its interior. After all, a bright and interesting design will attract customers and make them focus on your store.

Advertising

One of the important motives when choosing a field of activity is the pleasure that work will bring. Souvenir trade will certainly be of interest to creative people. And for the successful opening of this business, it is necessary to develop a business plan for a souvenir and gifts store, an example of which we will give in this article.

Project Summary

The opening of a souvenir shop in a shopping center with an average size of a city with a population of 800 thousand people is under consideration. The shopping center is located in the central area, the traffic is quite large. We rent a small area on the 2nd floor of the shopping center, not far from the escalator, which will provide the attention of the guests of the center passing by. Unusual, beautiful and creative souvenirs will be sold in our shop. The main target audience will be young people and girls from 18 to 35 years old.

The assortment is assumed to be the following:

• Frames for photos.
• Stands.
• Candlesticks.
• Unusual gift boxes.
• Headwear for a masquerade party.
• Figurines.
• Vases.
• Creative jewelry.
• Magic ball.
• Beer mug.
• Drunken roulette.
• Original mugs.
• Jewelry stand.
• Dreamcatcher.
• Fridge magnets.
• Fur key rings.

The assortment will change depending on demand and interesting offers from suppliers. Basically, the goods will be handmade by craftsmen.

In the future, it is planned to create an online store of creative gifts under the same brand.

The main competitive advantage will be the uniqueness of souvenirs, a good choice of location, a wide assortment, the ability to place an order for creating a souvenir according to a specific design or sketch.

How profitable this business is, we will be shown a business plan for a souvenir and gifts store with calculations of costs, profitability and recoupment. In addition, the business plan will allow us to plan a sales plan for the first half of the year.

Registration and registration

To do this business, you must register your business. To open a souvenir shop in a shopping center, an IP format is enough. We choose the taxation system USN 15% (income minus expenses). When registering an activity, you must select the OKVED code 47. 8. "Retail trade in souvenirs and gifts."