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Food warehouse business. How to open a warehouse in an unstable economic situation

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Wholesale business from scratch (intermediary model)

I will tell you very briefly about how you can create a wholesale business from scratch and earn your first serious money.

In general, a wholesale business can help you make good money from the comfort of your own home. Starting a wholesale business can bring you fast and big money.

The standard scheme by which the wholesale business operates is well known: due to the fact that you buy goods in bulk, these goods cost you much less. Then you can sell these goods in the same way in bulk, but at a higher price. Or you can sell these products already at retail and for a lot more.

You might think that starting a wholesale business would require money, at least for the first batch of goods. And since we buy in bulk, it means that it will take a whole mountain, or maybe several wagons of money. Not! The beauty of a wholesale business is that it can be done with absolutely no start-up capital (apart from minor expenses).

To be honest, wholesale is a relatively simple business, its huge advantage is that success in this business can be completely copied from another wholesale business.

What is the advantage of the wholesale business in general?

1. Wholesale business is serious business. There are large volumes, which means big money. But the coolest circumstance is that the wholesale business scheme is simple even for beginners.
Simply, beginners start with small volumes, and when they realize that they are already ready for a big swim (primarily psychologically), they increase momentum. A pleasant surprise awaits wholesalers when they realize that in order to get 10 times more money, you need to sell not 1 bag of potatoes, but 10. But the amount of time spent on 1 bag and 10 bags is about the same. So from a beginner people turn into entrepreneurs with money.

2. Being engaged in a wholesale business, you can concentrate entirely on one product or one niche. This is much easier than dealing with a huge assortment of a retail outlet, for example. The more expertise you have, the better you are doing.

3. The wholesale business scheme is simple and accessible to everyone, even those who have no experience.

4. Copying a successful wholesale business model is easy enough. All for the same reason - the scheme is simple and transparent.

5. No large initial investment required.

6. Initially, the wholesale business does not require a lot of time, so until you are sure that your business will bring you money, you can stay at your job without any risk.

How to start wholesale

Starting a wholesale business is much easier than you think!

There are two main work scenarios:

  1. You buy or sell a product and sell it for a higher price, making a profit from it.
  2. You find a buyer of goods, organize the process of buying and selling. After that, the provider pays you a commission for the completed transaction. But this needs to be agreed in advance with the supplier and conclude an agency agreement with him.

The first option is the classic model used by major players in the wholesale market. As you understand, quite serious financial resources, storage facilities and personnel are needed to start.

The second option is the so-called intermediary model, which is widely used in small businesses. That's where I suggest you start.

Here are its benefits:

  • No initial investment is required to purchase the product.
  • You do not need to open an individual entrepreneur or LLC. You can work as a physical contract person.
  • You do not need a warehouse and employees.

A wholesale business can be launched entirely via the Internet, without having an office, employees, and never even seeing your suppliers and customers. This means you can start wholesale quickly, easily, and with virtually no investment.

Modern warehouses are complex complexes with equipment for receiving, storing and dispensing various goods. There should be shelving, refrigerators and freezers. Many companies do not build their own warehouses, preferring to rent premises.

Any trading or manufacturing business is impossible without warehousing. In addition, the growth of business with an increase in turnover is necessarily associated with the expansion of warehouse space.

A modern warehouse is a complex complex structure equipped with equipment for storage, as well as quick receipt and release of various industrial and food products.

Warehouses are equipped with refrigerating and freezing chambers for storing products subject to quick spoilage, special racks, forklifts for unloading, storing, shipping and moving goods.

Most companies do not have their own storage facilities and are limited to renting existing ones. From this point of view, opening your own warehouse for the provision of warehousing services is a promising type of business.

Consider in detail what you need to open your own warehouse, what income you can count on and how soon you can recoup your investment.

What do you need to open a warehouse

So, you will need:

  • Detailed warehouse business plan.
  • Premises for a warehouse (leased, purchased or newly built).
  • Equipment according to calculations.
  • Required permits.
  • Staff in the amount of 5-10 people.

The business plan should detail all the nuances of the business that you are planning. If this is an area unfamiliar to you, hire a specialist who will dedicate you to the details.

A properly drawn up business plan, basically, reflects the real economic situation that the business expects in the first year or two. Further development depends on various factors, listing which now does not make sense.

The best location of the warehouse is the outskirts of the city with the possibility of unhindered access. In addition, land in such areas is much cheaper. There are four types of warehouses, depending on the space, equipment and possible storage conditions - A, B, C and D:

Among them, A-class warehouses stand out with anti-dust flooring, ceiling heights of 10 m, fire extinguishing systems, video surveillance, alarms and burglary protection. Such warehouses are especially in demand among Western companies, as they fully meet European requirements.

Class B warehouses are more accessible. They are well renovated, equipped with modern equipment and communications. Such warehouses have asphalt or concrete floors, ceiling heights of 4.5–8 m, fire alarms, hydrant extinguishing systems, and a ramp for unloading trucks. The temperature regime of such warehouses is +10-18 °C. Office premises with communication are located on the territory of warehouses.

Warehouses of class C - capital industrial premises or insulated hangars. Floors - asphalt, concrete or tiles, ceiling height from 3.5 m, zero mark votor (car enters inside), heating (winter temperature +8 to +14°C). Class D warehouses - cold hangars, basements of residential buildings, garages, utility rooms.

To decide which class to stop at, you need to marketing research in your region.

Such research should answer the following questions:

  • Which company's products may need warehousing.
  • What are the requirements for the storage of this product.
  • What are the offers of potential competitors in this sector.
  • What are the needs of potential consumers?

Experts recommend building your own warehouse. The technology of using metal structures allows you to quickly build a warehouse that meets European requirements. It should be taken into account that a warehouse made of monolithic reinforced concrete will cost about a quarter cheaper than a warehouse made of metal structures.

Construction will take from 3 to 12 months, depending on the size of the premises. Renting may not always be profitable. One such case may be a long-term inexpensive lease of an old building. By re-equipping it and raising the class of the complex, it is possible to provide warehouse services much more expensive. The most convenient in this case would be a lease with the option to buy.

A security alarm and fire extinguishing system must be installed. The list of storage services will be significantly expanded by a refrigeration unit in a separate small room, where it will be possible to store food products that require deep cold.

Warehouse space must be properly organized. The warehouse space is divided into sections:

  • Reception of products.
  • Storage.
  • Options.

The finished premises are completed with specialized warehouse equipment and loaders. To calculate the required amount of equipment, you need to know the range of goods and materials, their dimensions, weight, and the total amount in stock.

Given the rapid rise in land prices, pallet storage of goods on the floor is becoming very expensive, so more and more rack storage is used, which usually provides for at least 4 tiers.

Warehouse staff is at least 5 people. Depending on the volume of the warehouse and the range of goods and materials, the number of staff can be increased up to 10 people. Recruitment is best entrusted to the head of the warehouse.

Warehouse cost. Payback.

The construction and equipment of a modern warehouse economy costs a lot of money. According to statistics, warehouse complexes with an area of ​​1,000–1,500 sq. m.

The cost of building 1 sq. m of a cold warehouse is about 3,000 rubles, warm (sheathed with sandwich panels) - about 6,000 rubles. Thus, the cost of a warehouse with an area of ​​1,000 sq. m will be respectively 3 million rubles (insulated - 6 million rubles) without taking into account the cost of acquiring land and equipment.

Renting a high-quality insulated warehouse of class C and D costs about 400 rubles per 1 sq. m excluding warehouse equipment.

Thus, the payback of the constructed warehouse will be only 1-2 years, depending on the cost of equipment and current costs.

So, the warehouse services business can be very promising. The main condition for the success of such a business is the correct marketing research and the formation of an offer that exactly meets the needs of the market.

In general, the need for warehouse space is not decreasing, and both the construction of a new warehouse complex and the reconstruction or leasing of an existing warehouse can be profitable.

The main idea of ​​the wholesale business is to purchase goods in large quantities at the same price and sell them in small wholesale at a premium. Alternatively, you can open your own store retail selling goods even more expensive. You can open a wholesale business from scratch without even having huge capital to purchase the first batch of goods. It can be taken for implementation. The scheme of building any business is easily copied from any existing enterprise.

Key business benefits

The first advantage that entrepreneurs consider when trying to open a wholesale business from scratch is big money. This advantage is perfectly complemented by a simple and understandable start scheme, even for beginners. They usually start with small volumes, gradually increasing the scale of the business.

A wholesale business requires specialization in one particular product or niche. This allows you to fully delve into one area, having studied it thoroughly, increasing your expertise in it. And the better, more detailed you understand your business, the bodies are easier, more efficient for you to conduct your business.

The simplicity of the scheme of any wholesale business allows you to copy any convenient and effective scheme of competitors. You can start a business with minimal investment. Moreover, it does not require significant time costs. Therefore, you may well start a business while working at your main job.

Decide on the type of business

Before you start a wholesale business from scratch, you need to decide what type of wholesale business you will be. There are several ways to earn wholesale sales.

  1. Become a big wholesaler. Your task is to buy large batches of goods at the factory and sell them in smaller ones. Often such entrepreneurs work with several manufacturers, offering a wide range of products.
  1. Become a mid-range wholesaler. Such people prefer to open a store selling goods in one particular industry, but they specialize in it very well. They can offer one type of product and various accessories for it from different manufacturers.
  1. Highly specialized wholesaler. Usually offers one type of product, for example, only shoes, or only bags. Often works with different manufacturers.
  1. Intermediary. For this activity, it is not necessary to open a store. It is enough to find a buyer with a specific request, and he needs to find a seller. Then control the progress of the sale, receiving a percentage of the transaction. The process can also go in the opposite direction: first, a seller is found with a product for which a buyer is being sought.

These are just the most common forms of business organization with which you can start your wholesale business. If you search, you can find other interesting schemes for doing business on the market.

Looking for your industry

Before you start your business, it is advisable to understand what industry you plan to work in and what the main patterns work in it. Therefore, it is easiest to open a business in an industry in which you already have some experience. Although, if desired, you can master other areas of interest.

To decide in which industry to open your wholesale store or base, think about which industry you most often encounter in life, what do you understand the most? It can be both the main job and a hobby. Of course, it is desirable that you like this industry and are sincerely interested in it.

In addition, it is important to understand such nuances that affect the choice of industry for wholesale activities:

  1. What kind of production is your region specialized in? After all, these products can be purchased here at the lowest possible price. At the same time, you will not have problems with delivery and all issues can be resolved as quickly as possible - manufacturers are, as they say, at your side.
  1. Having chosen a product, try to determine the market capacity: what is the demand for it, what is the turnover of the product, average prices for it and other details.
  1. Evaluate the seasonality of the product. Of course, it is easiest to work with goods that are not subject to seasonal fluctuations. But in other cases, you can find ways to smooth out these differences. It is always better to focus on those products that are in demand in any economic conditions.
  1. How easy is it to store the product. This question is especially relevant when you are thinking about how to open a wholesale warehouse. If your business involves perishable products, you need to pay special attention to your storage space to ensure the necessary conditions. And this is an additional expense.
  1. How easy is it to transport the goods. This applies not only to the overall dimensions of the goods, but also to its fragility. For example, it is very difficult to deliver glass and porcelain products, as there may be a high percentage of broken goods. This should also be taken into account when calculating the profitability of your business.

How to choose the right product

Before opening a store, you should not only decide on the product, but also test the demand for it. To do this, it is recommended to conduct such a campaign. Choose about three to five products that you are interested in working with and that can really be in demand in your area. Then hang ads on the Internet for their sale on free boards.

It is important to follow these rules:

  • post ads on the same boards;
  • post them in a unified form, one for everyone, so that later you can compare the result.

After posting ads, carefully collect and analyze feedback. Consider the number of calls and what the callers are interested in: volumes, prices, willingness to place an order, and so on. Thus, you can estimate the demand for the product that your store plans to sell. Potential clients you can also answer that the goods are not in stock yet, or call back a little later and report that it is over.

Determining viability

Only after you have decided on a niche, a product, an approximate market need, its capacity, you know the needs of buyers and sellers, you can assess how viable your undertaking is and whether it is worth opening a store of this kind.

Calculate how long it will take you to deliver the goods and how much it will cost you. Monitor the trucking market that operates in your area and choose the right carrier for you. Then calculate how much you can get in the saddest and most optimistic scenarios. Based on the data received, he can decide whether you should open a wholesale store, base, warehouse or not.

Let's get down to business

Having solved all the preliminary questions, decide according to which scheme you will conduct your business. There are two main areas of doing this kind of business:

  • Looking for a buyer, find a seller, organize and control the process of buying and selling, receiving a percentage of the transaction. For this type of activity, you must first conclude an agency agreement with the manufacturer.
  • You buy goods for your own funds at a wholesale price and sell it at a premium, making a profit from the difference.

As a rule, the last model is used by large market players who have large finances for transactions. In addition, this form of doing business involves the availability of a warehouse, personnel for its maintenance, and the cost of their maintenance.

A novice entrepreneur can limit himself to the first option, which excludes these expenses, as well as the cost of purchasing goods. In addition, it is not necessary for him to register an LLC or an individual entrepreneur, he can work as an individual, drawing up an agreement. And if you start such work via the Internet, it will be even easier to organize a wholesale business.

Two words about competition

When planning to open your own wholesale store, consider the competition in the region and in the industry as a whole. A small player in the market can go bust if there are already large distribution networks in this area that have established a huge teamwork. Therefore, if you want to compete with such giants, study their features, think about how you can win in front of customers.

Wholesale business from scratch: how to start trading, what you need to know? Today, this question worries a lot of people. The reason is simple: this area can bring considerable income.

Short description

This industry involves the resale of goods from a supplier from whom they are purchased in bulk to buyers (eg grocery stores) to whom the goods are transferred in much smaller quantities. It is important to understand that we are not talking about selling to the end consumer, but to entrepreneurs.

The key requirements for a successful wholesale business is the lease or purchase of a large premises that will be used as a base warehouse. It is important to choose the right location, as it should be convenient for customers. In addition, this business is demanding in terms of initial investment, since the rent and purchase of goods will cost a round sum.

At the first stages, the key task is to find suppliers and buyers who will sell the goods in the future.

Advantages and disadvantages

  1. No need for advertising campaign. Instead, you will need to secure yourself a customer base in advance.
  2. When working with large wholesale prices are much higher.
  3. The sales area of ​​the goods is as wide as possible.
  4. Opportunity to work with large manufacturers who often resort to the services of wholesale companies.
  5. Work only with the most profitable positions of goods, including alcohol, tobacco products and semi-finished products.
  6. Savings on the purchase of goods.
  7. The possibility of receiving payment directly upon delivery, without waiting for the final sale of the batch.
  8. Simple rules and tax system. You will only need to pay regular contributions to the simplified tax system or OSN.
  9. The absence of conflict situations due to discrepancies due to the strict rules for concluding contracts in this area.
  • Frequent requests for deferred payments.
  • Experienced buyers will constantly try to bring down the price.
  • Frequent and serious debts on the part of buyers.
  • Significant customer turnover.
  • Requirements from customers on various occasions, as an example, the application of special stickers.
  • Huge penalties for breach of contract.

A more detailed business plan for a wholesale company using household chemicals as an example can be downloaded at.

Beginning of work

There are two main business options here. The first involves acting as a link between the wholesaler and the retail network that will sell the goods. In the second, you will have to deal with resellers, significant markups appear, which ultimately negatively affects profits.

At the initial stage, you will need to register a legal entity, rent an office and hire professional managers and accountants. You will also need to additionally hire a law firm that will accompany all transactions. Separately, it is worth noting the need to rent a building for a warehouse in which goods will be stored before sale. In rare cases, it turns out to do without it, which significantly reduces costs.

If you plan to provide services for the delivery of goods, you will need to organize your own structure that will deal with this, or enter into an agreement with one of the transport companies on the market today.

Finding a source of funding

At the initial stages of work, you will need to find a considerable amount that will be used to purchase the first batches of goods. There are three main ideas for a funding source:

  1. The bank is not profitable, since credit organizations sometimes finance such projects on the most unfavorable terms for a businessman.
  2. State support for small and medium-sized businesses - there is no particular hope for this option, since the priority of financing is given to agriculture, social structures and innovative areas of development.
  3. Individuals - this option is one of the most promising, although investors often provide funds, demanding a huge percentage of the proceeds in return.

7 stages of discovery

Opening a wholesale business is carried out in several basic steps. So where to start?

The first of these will require a thorough analysis of the market in order to determine the most liquid categories of goods that can be sold as quickly as possible. Particular attention should be paid to the sale of food products.

At the second stage marketing strategy the niche in which the enterprise will work is determined. The easiest and most affordable option for beginners will be working with batches of small wholesale. This will allow you to hone your skills so that you can then move on to larger and more cash offers.

At the next stage, the final selection of product groups is made. It is best to work with those goods that you know directly. As a result, you can deal with products in any industry, but this will take a lot of time. After that, you need to find a manufacturer of products that can offer affordable prices.

In parallel, consumers are being sought, to whom the products will be supplied. An important point: you should not work with exclusive goods, as it is difficult to find buyers for them, as well as with perishable products.

The next stage of the opening model will be the selection of a warehouse. Not having your own warehouse can result in a lot of problems. Most often, due to the shortage of such real estate on the market, the rent is very high. This is especially true for large rooms in well-located places.

Perhaps the key point in the wholesale business is the search for a supplier. Ideally, it should be in the territorial proximity to the base warehouse. Large producers of the regional level are interested in working with wholesale companies, so it will not be difficult to conclude an agreement. Long-term cooperation is in the interests of all parties. It will allow you to receive various bonuses and discounts in the future.

Recruitment in the marketing department is also an important point. Sales representatives must be qualified to locate retail outlets. You also need to hire drivers, operators who will process applications, a cashier, a storekeeper and an accountant.

At the last stage, all that remains is the purchase of transport for transportation. The best option is to buy your own truck. If this is not possible, you can try to rent it. For large batches, a forklift will be useful.

Methods for increasing profits

The main method of increasing the profit of the enterprise is to increase the clientele and increase sales. To improve these indicators, several basic methods are used. First of all, this is the streamlining of the management system, the conduct of a classic advertising campaign.

The key feature of the latter is a much smaller scale than in the case of other businesses - the clientele is specific, so you can contact it directly.

Video: TOP niches to start in the wholesale business.

Sample business plan

A brief example can be summarized in the following table:

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

In wholesale trade, an entrepreneur purchases goods from a supplier in large quantities, and sells it in small batches. It turns out that the player in the wholesale market is not himself the end consumer of the product, but buys it for resale to other businessmen. Considering the large role of such enterprises in the economy of entire regions and industrial sectors, wholesale trade as a business promises a big profit to the entrepreneur.

It is not uncommon for entrepreneurs with high ambitions to have problems choosing the form of trade - retail or wholesale, which is more profitable? The answer is simple: both areas of trade have both disadvantages and advantages. The only way to make the right choice is by comparing one with the other.

The main indicators of the project:

The cost of the project is 3,000,000 rubles.

The average revenue per month is 600,000 rubles.

Profit - 400,000 rubles.

Payback - 18 months.

To organize a retail trade, you will need:

  • renting premises in the area of ​​the city where the competition is lower;
  • willingness to invest significant funds in entrepreneurship both for rent or purchase of a building for a warehouse, and for equipment, for wages service personnel;
  • to spend part of the funds on the promotion of trade, on its advertising.

Starting a wholesale business will require several other steps:

  • make a choice of suppliers of goods;
  • choose several shopping retail centers for reselling goods;
  • buy or rent means of transporting goods in the form of cars of various modifications in the required quantity;
  • to select personnel of workers of trading base.

With all of the above, the wholesale base has certain advantages:

  • in this case there is no urgent need to advertise their services;
  • location wholesale warehouse does not play a decisive role in the success of the work;
  • purchased batches of goods significantly exceed this indicator in retail trade;
  • trade coverage areas are wider;
  • for large manufacturers of goods, wholesalers are preferable to retail customers;
  • there is great freedom in the choice of goods, since a very large assortment of goods is required in retail trade;
  • there is a lot of leeway in setting prices for goods in trade;
  • for the entire scope of relations of the wholesale base with suppliers, agreements are usually concluded that oblige both parties to act predictably.

Retailing has a number of advantages:

  • this field of activity involves many transactions and several points of sale of goods;
  • there is no need to maintain large storage areas;
  • Retail prices can be significantly higher than wholesale prices.

Nevertheless, from all of the above, the advantages in the economic activity of wholesale work in the modern commodity market clearly prevail.

Wholesale planning

At the beginning of the wholesale business, you need to decide on the goods that will be included in the assortment and the wholesale business plan. This, for example, can be a wholesale business in vegetables, like Russian production, and supplied to the country by import. Also, in a real construction boom, it would be a good idea to trade in building materials.

Even before registering a business or immediately after it, you should find reliable suppliers of goods, rent a warehouse or build it on a leased or purchased piece of land. If you start organizing a wholesale business without investments, you will have to plan your work well without a product warehouse. Immediately upon receipt of the goods from the supplier, you need to hand it over to retail. This mechanism should be clearly planned, debugged and backed up by relevant agreements.

It is very important to have sales representatives in order to establish close interactions with retailers. These specialists must draw up contracts with a large number of retailers. outlets ready to take goods for sale. It is better to choose payment upon receipt of the goods in the store. It is impossible to deny such difficult areas trading activities like trade in meat, flowers. A sales representative can take on the functions of a forwarder, deliver perishable goods to stores and draw up the necessary documentation. You can completely engage in trade with your representatives, instruct them not only to find contactees in retail network, but also to make agreements with them for deliveries, to establish acquaintance and cooperation.

In addition to representatives of the company, an accountant with PC knowledge, a storekeeper with drivers and loaders should also be included in the staff. It is better to have your own transport than to rent it. Although, at the first stage of organizing a wholesale business, you can use the services of transport companies or small representatives of this business. If the volume of transported products is planned to be large, then you will need your own loader. This will significantly speed up the process of working with goods, and hence the sale of goods.

In the warehouse, you need to install good lighting devices, an alarm system. In addition, there should be an office space with computers to record the movement of goods. The business plan of the wholesale warehouse must include the installation software on warehouse computers, better CRM-system for wholesale trade. Without automation, trading is simply unthinkable at the present time. After all, this program connects all departments of the enterprise into one database, makes it possible to easily track the stages of delivery of bulk purchases to customers. In the programs, you can draw up acts for the work performed, maintain contracts and catalog goods. Also, with the help of the computer network of the enterprise, it is easy to organize the management of the company, to exercise control over all operations performed.

When planning and deciding how to open a wholesale business from scratch, you need to consider possible risks in this business. These should primarily include:

  • the existing competitive environment in the trade of selected goods;
  • political, and hence financial, uncertainty of the moment;
  • high capitalization of the required investments for the project.

The ideas of a wholesale business are always based on attracting investments in their activities. But a bank loan can be obtained by defending these ideas in front of the heads of the banking structure with a ready-made business plan.

The calculation of the profitability of future entrepreneurship should be done at the stage of work planning. Start-up costs should be correlated with the proceeds from the movement of goods and the profit received each month of work. It would be nice to include a plan for the development of the wholesale business. But this will be in demand only with successful activity in trade at the first stage, the stage of business formation.

To implement a medium-sized wholesale trade project, a loan of at least 3,000,000 rubles is required. It is better to take this loan for two years with a discount rate of 14%.

Typically, the break-even point of operation begins as early as the fifth month of operation. With a monthly profit of 400,000 rubles, the payback period for the initial investment is usually no more than one to one and a half years of work.

Recent studies show that the wholesale business is extremely profitable, promising, but highly risky. The key to its success is a favorable location in relation to the trade structure of the region, the dedication of the head of the enterprise and the high tension of his knowledge, efforts and tactical skills when manipulating the founding documents at the very beginning of his activity. It is necessary to fully realize that a preliminary thorough study of the entire business and the attraction of considerable capital investments are required.