As a open a supermarket could be a common question for new entrepreneurs interested in one of the most profitable businesses of our time.
The whole world goes to the supermarket. It has become the quickest and most convenient solution for doing your daily shopping. Dislocated management allows you to have a store close to your home or office for practical purchases and the offer is always growing.
Let's see together some ideas and some ideas to get started, including how (and why) open a supermarket franchise e how to open a convenience store.
The first requirement required to open a supermarket is to have worked for at least two years in this sector in the field of food and beverage administration.
If this activity has not been carried out for two years (even if not consecutive) in the last 5 years, then it is necessary to attend a professional course for food administration, usually organized by Confcommercio or by private entities.
In addition to the requisites that confirm one's knowledge or skills in the sector as required by DM n.375, article 12 of 4 August 1988, one must be registered in the Business Register in the Commerce sector.
Registration is possible only by opening a VAT number with the right ATECO code, and the subsequent opening of the Inps and Inail positions.
Regarding the opening of the activity it is necessary:
- The certificate for the administration of drinks and food
- Request the SCIA from the competent Municipality
- Buying or renting a commercial space with the right intended use
- Health certification issued by the ASL
Finally, the owner and the employees must compulsorily follow the HACCP course (for cleaning and sanitizing environments) and the Fire Fighting Course.
With the company franchise the costs are agreed with the parent company, which knows the trends of the area and will be able to advise you to increase sales without reducing the quality of the service.
Why is it necessary to have a business plan?
The helmsman of a company cannot think of leading it to success if he is not clear objectives, strategies and obstacles to face. Before opening you will have to, alone or with a consultant, draw up a business plan (click here to learn how) for your new business, taking into account all the different factors.
Even if you are new to owning a business, you can build a solid “supermarket business plan” in six points:
- Description of the activity and the context in which you intend to work; you must have clear all the mechanisms of the activity and the dynamics of the place. Knowing if for religious reasons the population tends to buy this rather than that other product, knowing the percentage of vegetarians and vegans, knowing if the city has set up campaigns to raise awareness of the consumption of healthy food: all this information will allow you to make targeted purchases and sure success with your customers.
- Strategies and positioning in the market; search for information on competitors and the target customers you want to hit; this planning will also help you during negotiations with suppliers.
- Operational plan: make your business decisions clear. Translate these plans on paper and make them the centerpiece of your and your employees' work.
- Structure and management: if you intend to hire employees, you will have to assign each collaborator a role in the organization chart, with precise tasks and salaries. Also envisage a staff for daily cleaning, if the place is very large and you prefer a specialized company to take care of it (the one on hygiene will be the first check by the ASL).
- Resources and funding: study the financing plans available, both privately through banks and financing institutions, and with public tenders for the opening of new business activities.
- Result projections: Specify the objectives you intend to achieve and estimate a period of time within which to achieve them.
How to open a supermarket: choose the location
Il place you choose must first of all be easily accessible. Mass distribution has now become widespread, and opening in a neighborhood where there is no supermarket is an excellent idea.
Then you will have to provide for the possibility of parking in the immediate vicinity.
The place must also be made suitable for sale of food products, with refrigeration equipment and structural systems up to standard.
The law is very complex for this issue: the necessary information can be found at the Chambers of Commerce and the municipalities.
To have a greater appeal on customers and retain them, instead of focusing only on the occasional passer-by in front of your window by chance, you have to amaze them with something that other points of sale don't have: a cafeteria, a coffee grinding point, a sushi bar, a product tasting point vegetarians and vegans (particularly in demand in this historical period). Be creative!
How much does it cost to open a supermarket
If you want to know how to open a supermarket, know that the costs before opening are particularly high. You will need to provide:
- Rent or purchase of the premises, usually large enough for a single commercial activity.
- First refueling: it is the greater expense, the more quality you want the product, the more you must be willing to invest.
- Furnishing adjustments: for the sale of food products you will need to prepare refrigeration systems, floors, hygienic parameters. These furnishings alone can cost up to 100.000 euros, in the case of the largest and most renowned supermarkets.
- Opening of the VAT number: to get help you will have to agree with an accountant or click here to know how to do it; if you intend to open a company, you will also have to foresee the cost of the notary.
- Registration at the Chamber of Commerce, All 'INPS, All 'INAIL, yours and your employees.
- Requesting and obtaining the SHAH, that is the certification that authorizes you to open a business. Also expect i ASL checks mandatory for businesses that sell groceries.
Subsequently, the monthly fixed expenses will have to include the Salaries of employees, the bills,purchase of goods and dealer (if you decide to open without relying on a franchise).
What are the earning possibilities?
The initial amount to open a supermarket is very high. Earnings are too, though. In general, we can say that a small supermarket allows you to earn a net sum ranging from approximately 3 to 10 euros per month.
How to open a supermarket: why consider opening through a supermarket franchise
The economic crisis that has hit our country hasn't affected franchised businesses in the same way. These activities, in fact, continue to create an overall induced of almost 25 billion euros a year, according to the latest data.
Having a solid company already known by customers behind you allows you to rely on known knowledge and tools to make your shop work.
- Assistance before, after and during sales. If you don't know the subject you will be adequately trained and you will be followed in the progress of the activity by learning how to manage a supermarket.
- You will have less expenses, both for the opening and for the management. You will be provided with advertising material, you will not have to pay part of the set-up costs out of your own pocket, you will be presented with the suppliers chosen by the company (particularly important since otherwise you would have to manage dozens of different suppliers and brands).
- La customers will already be loyal, you will be able to take advantage of the customer base already created previously and in some cases you will be guaranteed that the same company will not open other points of sale in the immediate vicinity, reducing direct competition.
