How to open a grocery store

Professionals claim that there are only 3 key factors to the success of a product store. Firstly, this is his place, secondly, a place and, thirdly, once again a place. Why? Because after the money has been invested in the selected room, it will not be possible to return it back. We’ll talk about how to choose the location of the store, what criteria it should meet, and how many percent non-compliance with these conditions reduces the flow of customers, we’ll talk in this article.

Instruction manual

1

The store must be located on the ground floor of the building. Not in the basement, not in the basement, not on the second floor. Sometimes there are owners who arrange shops on the second floor and are waiting for a stream of customers. Their expectation is not destined to come true. The second floor scares off 50-70% of buyers.

2

There should be no steps at the entrance. This factor of psychological perception of the entrance to the store cuts off another 15% of buyers.

3

The proximity of pedestrian flows should be maximum. The approach to the store should be convenient. The presence of any obstacles and obstacles (ravines, dug holes, etc.) is extremely undesirable. In addition to pedestrians, attention should be paid to motorists. It is necessary to evaluate whether access by car will be convenient, if there is a parking place.

4

The proximity of shopping and entertainment complexes. Firstly, the shopping and entertainment center is a center of attraction for residents of the region, and secondly, it guarantees a stable foot traffic.

5

The proximity of public transport. The main buyers will be people whose usual route of movement passes directly near the store. It is naive to believe that shoppers on the other side of the street will regularly visit the store. A four-way road cuts off the entire client stream. And the need to cross the bipolar road will deprive the store of "only" 70% of customers.

6

Location near the housing estate. The population of the surrounding area will become the main target audience of the store. The radius of coverage of the outlet is 750-1000 meters. This distance from the store to the home, the buyer walks in about 10 minutes. When calculating the average number of consumers, the influence of competitors on the intersecting territory of coverage should be excluded. When analyzing the target audience, one should calculate the number of apartments (households) and their consumption level (prevailing social status of the population). This will further determine the assortment, since it is impossible to satisfy absolutely all customers, and consumers from different social groups do not intersect in one place.

7

The presence or need for communication. It is very difficult to fix such things. The wiring and connection of electrical capacities, water, sewage, the availability of technical feasibility of their implementation, the time and procedure for coordinating the relevant documentation - all this also needs to be laid down in the budget and time plan.

The buyer does not climb the stairs, does not go to the second floor, does not cross the road and does not go to a store located further than within a 10-minute walk from the house. If you decide to open a convenience store, all these nuances of consumer behavior should be considered when choosing a suitable location. The more criteria described above will be met initially, the higher the likelihood of success of the future store.

Dmitry Potapenko, owner of factories, newspapers, ships, on how to make a good store