How to offer office supplies in an organization. Your own business: how to open a stationery store

When choosing a niche for a business, it is difficult to find an unoccupied cell, however, trade in office supplies is always in demand, and, with a competent approach to opening and running entrepreneurial activity, you can achieve stable profits.

Stationery products are used by people of all age groups. No educational institution can function without writing materials. They are necessary for work in all enterprises. The scale of demand for such products is enormous, so it’s worth thinking about opening a stationery store.

Stationery store

Where to begin Any activity begins with planning.

Its positions are documented in the business plan. At the same time, you can register a business entity as an individual entrepreneur. To carry out the procedure by authorized bodies, it is necessary to pay a state fee of 800 rubles. Trade in stationery as a type of activity is directly provided for in OKVED. By indicating it in the registration papers, the entrepreneur can choose a simplified taxation system with a rate of 15 percent.

Additionally, you will have to obtain a number of permits, without which a fine will be imposed on the entrepreneur, and the operation of the store may be suspended at any time.

If a business representative plans to make a sign for a store, then he must obtain permission to use the attribute. Papers from firefighters and SES are required. Additionally, you will need a document confirming the registration of the cash register.

To obtain all permits, an entrepreneur must have a completed business plan for a stationery store, a lease agreement with the owner of the property that will be used as a retail outlet, or a paper confirming his ownership.

The business plan reflects the stages of implementation of an entrepreneurial project that allows you to open a stationery store with minimal expenses that will pay off in the near future. The document provides reasonable calculations from which you can understand:

• how much money is needed to start a business;
• what kind of profit can you expect during the first time of its operation;
• what regular expenses should be planned;
• After what time period will all funds invested in the project be recouped.

Store location

The correct choice of location for a retail outlet is a guarantee of successful activity. One of the conditions is that the store is located near office buildings or educational institutions. An advantageous factor may be the location of a transport stop nearby, as well as the availability of parking.

Room

If the entrepreneur does not have personal real estate that could be used for a store, he will have to rent it. The area of ​​a retail outlet is determined by the number of potential buyers. To open a stationery store in small town

, no need to look for a huge room. It is necessary to think over the product range for the target client and plan its placement on the display. The area of ​​the sales floor should allow the product to be fully presented to the buyer for viewing. It should have good lighting and ventilation. The store must have additional premises such as a warehouse, a toilet and a staff room.

Encyclopedic reference: a stationery store is a specialized retail outlet whose assortment consists of office supplies: notepads, pens, pencils, staplers, hole punches, paper clips, and other accessories for correspondence, preparation and storage of documentation. Stationery can be safely classified as essential goods for business activities and the education system. In any company and every family with a preschooler, schoolchildren or student, stationery supplies are allocated a separate (and, as a rule, rather large) budget item. Every year, the volume of the office stationery market is growing by 15–19%, and sales of school writing supplies are increasing by 10–12%. These indicators indicate the feasibility of working in the stationery trade niche. From our article you will learn how to open your own stationery store quickly and with the least investment, how to avoid typical mistakes

Step by step to stable profits from selling office supplies

Step one: choose the format and room

An office supply store can operate in one of two modes: self-service or over-the-counter. The second option is for those who want to start at the lowest cost, since a self-service store requires a large sales area equipped with display cases, shelving, surveillance and security systems. And with a counter, you can organize a retail outlet in a small area, and all the goods will fit on the shelves and remain under the supervision of the seller.

The optimal location for a large stationery store is in the central part of the city, where there are many business centers and all kinds of offices. It is advisable to locate small shops in the vicinity of schools and universities. There are also good sales at a stall in a shopping center or market. When selecting premises, be guided by the principle: the greater the flow of people there, the better. Convenient entrances and a parking area will add attractiveness to your store in the eyes of customers.

When calculating the required area, keep in mind that in addition to the sales area, you will need utility rooms and a warehouse where at least 30% of the product volume presented for sale should be stored.

Step two: we form an assortment

Analyzing whether a stationery store is profitable, experts came to the conclusion that the greatest profitability can be achieved by maintaining the following proportion in the assortment: 60% office supplies and 40% student supplies.

Marketing research has shown that the greatest demand is for multifunctional stationery (marker pens, pencils with an eraser, staplers for 2 sizes of staples and others), as well as stationery with an unusual design, with adults preferring the products dark shades, and young buyers prefer bright “acid” colors.

Step three: We make service convenient for customers

To increase sales, you will have to constantly fight for customer loyalty. Follow the latest news on the stationery market - by updating your assortment, you will make your store always interesting to customers. Good way to buy regular customers- regular promotions, discounts, prize draws and sales.

Monitor the quality of service. Queues in the store can please you only at first, and then customers will simply stop coming in, because they are wasting their time with you, and everything they need can be bought from a competitor. To avoid this, pay attention to the display of the product: it should be visible and within easy reach of sellers. Monitor the work of the staff: all sellers must be well versed in the assortment, know the prices and location of goods in the store. Arm sellers with catalogs - this way they will quickly select the product the client needs.

An excellent opportunity to increase sales is to organize the delivery of office supplies to offices. Business people, who value time and comfort, prefer to place an order by phone, pay by bank transfer and receive the goods directly to the office.

Where can I get money?

To understand how much it costs to open an office supply store, analyze the costs of renting premises, purchasing equipment and the first batch of goods. Keep in mind that the average markup on office paper is 15–20%, on writing instruments - 30–40%, on office souvenirs and expensive stationery - up to 200%.

Information for those who decide to take out a loan: a small store will pay for itself in about 1 year, the average business profitability is 15–30%.

Underwater rocks

The main difficulty you may encounter is difficulty in pricing. On the Russian market, the chain from the manufacturer to the end consumer is too long, which ultimately leads to the impossibility of making an attractive price offer without reducing the trade margin.

Only the demand for school writing supplies is subject to seasonality in this business - by wisely approaching the formation of the assortment, you can reduce the influence of the seasons to a minimum.

Let's sum it up

To enter the stationery market, moderate investments are required. Advantages of the business: good growth prospects, ease of organization of work. Disadvantages: relatively low profitability, possible difficulties in finding suppliers.

To open a stationery store from scratch, you need to take into account the size of the available starting capital. The scale of business varies significantly: from a small retail outlet to a specialized self-service store.

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Business relevance

Factors indicating the relevance of a business project for a stationery store:

1. Consistently high demand for office supplies. It is not affected by economic and financial crises.
2. Wide range of potential clients. People of different age and social categories need office supplies. Neither educational institutions, nor offices, nor other institutions can do without an office. The market's prospects are also driven by the rising birth rate observed over the past decade. It has led to an increase in the need for school supplies.
3. The products sold become obsolete very slowly, both morally and physically. For its storage, for example, refrigeration units and other special devices are not needed.
4. In order to open and run a business you do not need to have special skills. This type of activity is suitable even for an inexperienced entrepreneur.

Market analysis and target audience

The Russian stationery market has a pronounced seasonality. In the period from May to July, when children have vacations and adults have vacations, the demand for stationery falls. By August-November it reaches its maximum.

About half the capacity of the Russian stationery market is occupied by eight large distributors. The leading positions in sales were secured in the segment of paper and white and writing accessories. The capacity of the domestic consumer market in this segment is about $2.5 billion per year.

• preschoolers (children under 7 years old), for whom their parents and other relatives make purchases;
• primary and secondary school students (children from 7 to 12 years old) who come shopping with their parents;
• high school students (teenagers from 13 to 18 years old) making purchases on their own;
• students (from 18 to 30 years old);
• teachers and professors (from 23 to 55 years old);
• other categories: office workers, employees of government agencies, etc. (from 22 to 60 years old).

An entrepreneur has the right to choose the specialization of the store and the orientation of its work towards a specific category of clients.

Competitors and competitive advantages

Main competitors:

• specialized stationery stores;
• departments in supermarkets and hypermarkets;
• small retail outlets selling stationery;
• specialized online stores.

Despite the very high competition, even a novice businessman has every chance to occupy his market niche and recoup the initial investment.

The key to successful operation of a store should be the following competitive advantages:

1. Thoughtful pricing policy. The cost of a product should be based on an analysis of the prices of direct competitors.
2. To attract and retain customers, you can hold promotions, sales, provide for the issuance of discount cards and develop a bonus program.
3. Discounts for wholesale buyers.
4. Convenient store opening hours (ideal time is from 8 am to 8 pm). It is important that he does not have days off, especially on Saturday and Sunday.
5. Reliable product manufacturers guaranteeing high quality.
6. Diverse modern assortment. The covers of notebooks should depict popular cartoon characters, actors and musicians.
7. Friendly service.
8. Providing additional services: delivery, printing of files, photocopying, lamination, etc.

Step-by-step instruction

To open a stationery store from scratch, you will need:

1. Conduct a market analysis.
2. Develop a business plan and determine how much the project will cost.
3. Register the company with the tax and other authorities.
4. Select product suppliers.
5. Select a premises and sign a lease agreement.
6. Renovate the sales area.
7. Purchase commercial equipment and install it.
8. Obtain trade permits.
9. Conduct a marketing campaign.
10. Recruit staff.

Business registration

Key points of the business registration process:

1. A businessman can register a store as an individual entrepreneur or LLC. The second form is suitable if there are several organizers or if there are plans to open a chain of stationery stores in the future.
2. When registering an individual entrepreneur, the state duty will be 800 rubles, and for an LLC – 4,000.
3. The documents filled out when registering a store indicate the OKVED code - 47.62.2. It is called: “Retail trade in stationery and stationery products in specialized stores.”
4. It will be beneficial for an entrepreneur to choose single tax on imputed income or a simplified taxation system (15%).
5. Having purchased a cash register, you must register it and enter into an agreement for its maintenance.
6. So that the store can accept payment by bank card, the company must have a current account.

Involving intermediaries in the process of legal registration of a company’s status will save the entrepreneur’s time, but will require additional material injections.

To start a store you will need the following documents:

• documents confirming the fact of registration of the company;
• certificate from the statistics service on assignment of a code according to OKVED;
• a document permitting the use of a sign;
• a certificate confirming ownership of the retail premises or lease agreement;
• expert opinion from the sanitary and epidemiological service;
• expert opinion of Rospotrebnadzor;
• expert opinion from the Fire Service;
• permission from the city chamber of commerce;
• an agreement with a company that will dispose of waste and garbage;
• documents for the cash register;
• employee certificates confirming that they have undergone a medical examination and medical records;
• insurance for the store.

Room and location

Features of choosing a location for a trading enterprise:

1. It is advisable to open a store in close proximity to potential clients and partners, close to various educational institutions and office buildings. A good location for a store can be a residential area or a large shopping center.
2. Convenient approach, access to the store and availability of parking.
3. Infrastructure development. Availability of stops public transport, metro stations, etc.
4. Neighborhood with stores selling children's products (eg toys, books, clothing).
5. No direct competitors nearby.

Premises requirements:

1. For a small retail outlet, an area of ​​up to 30 square meters is suitable. To launch a medium-sized store you will need about 70 square meters, and a large one - more than 100.
2. Availability of communications: electricity, heating.
3. A dry room, since you will have to store goods that deteriorate from high humidity.
4. It is better to rent a room on the ground floor.

The store area is divided into the following zones:

• shopping room;
• cash register;
• utility room;
• stock;
• bathroom

Range

The assortment of the future store mainly depends on the following factors:

• material capabilities of the entrepreneur;
• targeting a specific group of target consumers;
• size retail space.

The entire list of goods can be divided into three main groups:

• products for those who study (for example, school bags, notebooks, covers, pens, pencils, albums, notepads, rulers, compasses, erasers, etc.);
• office supplies (for example, printer paper, office kits, hole punches, staplers, glue, folders, notebooks, files, etc.);
• other goods (for example, educational and children's literature, gift and souvenir products, calendars, etc.).

In addition to providing the main service of selling office supplies, the store can offer customers additional services:

• copying documents;
• printing files and photos;
• sale of cartridges or paint for them;
• home delivery of goods;
• accepting orders through the online store.

You can also place a payment terminal, ATMs, etc. in the free space of the store.

For entrepreneurs on a tight budget, it is expensive to cover a wide range of office supplies. You should not order many varieties of similar product items. To begin with, it is enough to present at least 20 items in the window in all price categories: inexpensive, expensive, at an average price.

Any stationery store should have the following product items:

• several types of handles with different rods;
• pencils of varying degrees of hardness and fat content;
• erasers;
• rods;
• sharpeners;
• strokes (correctors);
• rulers, triangles, protractors;
• drawing supplies;
• folders and files;
• printing paper;
• colored paper;
• notebooks with different numbers pages, squared and lined;
• notepads and notebooks;
• cardboard and colored paper;
• brushes and paints;
• hole punchers and staplers;
• felt-tip pens, colored pencils, markers, etc.

Selection of suppliers

Suppliers of goods can be:

• manufacturers of goods (delivery is always at the expense of the buyer);
• wholesale stores;
• wholesale centers;
• online markets, etc.

Main criteria for choosing a supplier:

• the price of the product;
• product quality and availability of quality certificates for products;
• delivery terms;
• remoteness of the supplier;
• possibility of deferred payment for a consignment of goods;
• reputation and image of the supplier.

Necessary equipment

Cash machine- 20,000 rubles Horizontal display cases - 30,000 rubles Shelving for a warehouse - 15,000 rubles Shelving for the sales area - 30,000 rubles

Since the equipment for a standard office supply store is inexpensive, the overall size capital investments its acquisition will cost about 235 thousand rubles. The costs of organizing a large store are significantly higher.

To provide customers with a full range of additional services, you will need to purchase the following equipment.

Laminator - 5,000 rubles Xerox - 100,000 rubles Wide format printer - 130,000 rubles Photo printer - 20,000 rubles

In this case, the starting investment grows by about 70 percent.

The video presents commercial equipment for the stationery business. Filmed by the channel "KievMetService - Metal shelving, commercial equipment."

Staff

For a medium-sized store that is open seven days a week, you should hire four salespeople, who will also act as cashiers.

Requirements for the seller:

• attentiveness;
• communication skills;
• courtesy to the client;
• grammatically correct speech;
• accuracy with the goods;
• no criminal record;
• pleasant appearance;
• Higher education is welcome;
• knowledge of the assortment;
• acquaintance with effective techniques sales;
• knowledge of etiquette.

You should also bring to work:

• directors – 1 person;
• security guards – 2 people;
• cleaning lady – 1 person.

The entrepreneur himself or a visiting accountant can prepare reports and submit them to the tax and other organizations.

Promotion and advertising

Activities necessary to promote a stationery store:

1. Establish connections with partners. In order to find regular customers represented by representatives of various companies, institutions and organizations, you need to tell them about the store and offer cooperation. Partners can be higher education institutions, schools, municipal enterprises, private entrepreneurs, insurance companies and many others. It is acceptable to offer store services to potential partners over the phone, but it is better to schedule a personal meeting: this way the chances of reaching an agreement are much higher. Regular customers can be offered mutually beneficial terms of cooperation, including favorable prices, the right assortment and delivery. To work with legal entities It is important to be able to make payments by bank transfer.
2. Order outdoor advertising. To attract customers to the store, it must have a bright, high-quality sign. Not far from the retail outlet, you can place a sign indicating it (signpost).
3. Grand opening of the outlet. On this day, an entertainment program should be organized, small souvenirs, discount cards, etc. can be distributed. Lotteries and drawings are also held. Potential customers should be invited to the opening of the store. To do this, you will need to place information on the store about its opening date and distribute invitation leaflets among passers-by and residents of the area.

When starting your own business from scratch, you cannot do without an advertising campaign:

1. A medium or large store must have a website. You can also launch your own online store.
2. Posting information on the city forum, bulletin boards and social networks.
3. Placing advertisements in local media.

Financial plan

The cost of opening a store depends on:

• the size of the store's sales area;
• targeting the assortment to a specific target audience;
• location of the outlet;
• the city in which it is planned to open a business;
• provision of additional services.

Starting investment for opening a medium-sized stationery store from scratch in a provincial town.

For comparison, opening a small retail outlet (4-6 square meters) for the sale of stationery will cost approximately 500 thousand rubles.

Regular investments

Monthly expenses for running the store.

Approximate opening and operation dates

From the moment of developing a business plan and registering a company to opening a stationery store, it will take approximately two to three months.

During this time, it is necessary not only to prepare the retail space to receive the first clients, but also:

• decide on the assortment;
• conclude contracts with suppliers of goods;
• carry out marketing activities (including conducting preliminary negotiations on the supply of products to offices and institutions);
• hire the required personnel.

Advantages and disadvantages

Business strengths:

• consistently high demand;
• weak dependence of demand on economic crises;
• high profitability;
• positive feedback from market participants indicates low barriers to entry into the industry;
• possibility of a quick start.

Weaknesses of the business:

• high costs for assortment formation;
• many suppliers (in a situation of direct purchase of products from manufacturers), and, as a consequence, big job with them;
• competition;
• seasonality of demand.

Risks and payback

Main business risks:

• increase in prices for goods by suppliers or manufacturers;
• force majeure circumstances during product delivery;
• reduction in the quality of the supplied goods;
• damage to goods due to improper storage or care;
• theft of goods by staff;
• decrease in revenue in the spring-summer period;
• active actions of competitors (for example, advertising, promotions, discounts, sweepstakes, etc.);
• increasing fees for rented retail space;
• reluctance to renew the lease agreement for retail space;
• low qualifications of personnel;
• a decrease in the store's reputation due to errors in its management or poor quality of service.

The payback period for the business will be 18-24 months, with a monthly profit of 100 thousand rubles.

Today, stationery and stationery products are in demand not only among students, but also in almost all areas of business. However, the development of this market in Russia occurred in the first half of the 90s, it was then that foreign products began to appear in this segment, which at that time were very different from domestic stationery not only in shape and color, but also in their range. Many accessories, without which today it is impossible to imagine normal office work, were unclaimed at that time; for example, in those years no use was found for a regular stapler.

During recent years Two trends have emerged in this market. Firstly, branded products have become in great demand. Secondly, the range of stationery used has increased significantly.

Today, office supplies mean the following groups of goods:

• Register folders;
• Drawing supplies;
• Staples, buttons, sharpeners and paper clips;
• Desk sets;
• PVC and PP folders;
• Writing instruments;
• Glue, adhesive tapes, files, etc.

Room

To open a stationery store, it is better to choose premises located in those areas of the city where there is the largest concentration of small businesses and various offices; a location near a university or technical school would also be a good place.

As a working option, you can agree to rent a small area on the territory of stores with children's goods, but in this case the main target audience will be parents getting their children ready for school, that is, the business will become strongly seasonal.

The rented space must include:

1. Shopping room;
2. Staff premises;
3. Bathroom;
4. Small warehouse.

The size of the premises of a stationery store directly depends on the total quantity of goods displayed. To organize the work of a small store, it will be enough to rent a room of about 15 square meters. m. It is worth noting that high humidity in the room negatively affects the quality of paper, so when concluding a lease agreement, this point must be discussed.

Staff

For a small stationery store, one sales assistant and a cashier will be enough. The consultant must bring goods from the warehouse and also keep an eye on the actions of customers. Despite the prevalence of office supplies, their use is associated with some nuances that the seller must be able to explain to potential buyers. To prepare reports and communicate with representatives of the tax office, it will be enough to hire a part-time accountant.

Pitfalls and payback

Despite the ever-growing demand for stationery, it is not so easy to succeed in this segment due to the availability large number already developed competitors. The situation is further complicated by the fact that a start-up store simply needs to stand out from its competitors in some way, and this is really difficult to do in the stationery niche.

Despite the general annual increase in stationery sales, the office stationery segment is growing annually by 15-20%, and school supplies - only by 10-12%. In fact, office supply sales account for about 60% of a small office supply store's total sales.

The amount of initial costs for opening a stationery store ranges from 500 thousand rubles. This amount will be distributed approximately as follows:

1. Renovation of the premises - 70 thousand rubles;
2. Purchase of commercial equipment – ​​100 thousand rubles;
3. Advertising – 30 thousand rubles;
4. Purchase of the first batch of goods – 300 thousand rubles.

The monthly costs of maintaining the store will include:

• Rent – ​​20 thousand rubles;
• Payment of workers - 90 thousand rubles;
• Advertising – 10 thousand rubles.

Total: 120 thousand rubles.

The average markup for office supplies ranges from 50%, for some inexpensive items - 150-200%.

It is worth noting that currently the services of scanning and copying materials, as well as printing documents with electronic media. Additional income can be obtained by selling related products such as magazines, CDs, postcards and document forms. You should not ignore seasonal goods in the form of various school supplies, such as pencil cases and backpacks.

Taking into account additional income, the payback period for the initial costs will be about one year.

* The calculations use average data for Russia

1. PROJECT SUMMARY

The goal of the project is to open a stationery store for the retail sale of office supplies and related products in Rostov-on-Don. The store's target audience is schoolchildren, students and corporate clients.

The main advantage of the business is the high demand for products, which guarantees a stable income. The difficulty of running an office business is the need for constant participation of the owner.

To implement the project, a retail space with an area of ​​20 sq.m. is rented, located in close proximity to educational institutions. The area of ​​the sales area is 10 m2.

The initial investment is 577,000 rubles. Investment costs are aimed at purchasing equipment, the initial purchase of goods and the formation of working capital, which will cover losses in the initial periods. The bulk of the required investment is in inventory - 43%. Own funds will be used to implement the project.

Financial calculations cover a three-year period of operation of the project. It is planned that after this time the business will need to expand. According to calculations, the initial investment will pay off after twelve months of operation. The industry average payback period is 12-16 months. The monthly net profit of the project when reaching the planned sales volume is about 68,000 rubles. For the first year of project implementation, net profit will be 535,205 rubles, and return on sales will be 12.7%. Prospects for increasing the profitability of a stationery store are 35%. Integral indicators of project effectiveness are presented in Table 1.

Table 1. Key project performance indicators

2. INDUSTRY DESCRIPTION

The Russian stationery market is at a stage of active development. Steady growth in sales volumes led to the fact that in 2016 the market capacity amounted to 90,448.1 million rubles. Despite the crisis in the economy, the stationery market continues to show positive dynamics. This is explained by the fact that office supplies are consumer goods. Even in the face of falling incomes and deteriorating economic situation retail stores maintain their sales volumes. There is a slight decrease in revenue, which occurs due to the transition of buyers from one price segment to another. However, statistics show that average per capita spending on stationery in Russia at the end of 2016 increased by 2.7% and amounted to 619.5 rubles per person.

The domestic stationery market is developing in all segments, but experts recognize the sale of school and creative supplies as the most promising direction. Firstly, the demand for these products is stable; secondly, in this segment there is an increased markup on goods; thirdly, the segment occupies only 15% of the market share.

In the structure of stationery sales, writing instruments lead – their share is 17%; in second place are products made from PVC and PP – 12%; The top three are completed by cardboard boxes and binders – 7%. As can be seen from Fig. 1, the stationery market is represented by a wide range of products, where each segment is in demand. Based on these statistics, it is necessary to formulate the store’s assortment.

IN general view The stationery market in Russia is characterized by the following features:

Unlike many other consumer markets, the office supply market is virtually unbranded.

The stationery market is characterized by pronounced seasonality. Peak revenue values ​​occur during the preparation period for the school year, from June to September;

long chain from manufacturer to final consumer;

high level of competition, which is due to the presence of large retail chains engaged in the sale of office supplies. It is difficult for small stores to compete with large retailers.

Despite fierce competition in the industry, at the moment in Russia, according to 2GIS maps, there are more than 11 thousand different office supply stores operating. The main advantage of the business is the opportunity to receive consistently high profits throughout the year. The main difficulty that an entrepreneur may encounter is that the office business is a rather multifaceted project that requires the constant participation of the owner.

3. DESCRIPTION OF GOODS AND SERVICES

This project involves opening a stationery store with the aim of retail sales office supplies. The product range includes various product groups aimed at a wide target audience. The majority of the assortment, about 70%, consists of the most popular and cheap office supplies (pens, pencils, notebooks, printer paper), and the remaining 30% are products for children's creativity, student supplies, etc. It is worth remembering that in stationery stores there is a group of goods with seasonal demand - for example, school bags. If you add them to the store’s assortment, you need to estimate the quantity of the purchased product, since long-term storage is undesirable (the product takes up space in the warehouse and loses its presentable appearance). Thus, when forming an assortment, you should clearly define the direction of the store and highlight those groups of goods that will be presented in it. The stationery market is very vast; only large stores can cover it in full.

The assortment of stationery products must be clearly planned and structured. This project provides for the opening of a store specializing in the sale of goods for schoolchildren and office workers. Based on this, the store’s assortment includes the following groups of products presented in Table 2. Each type of product must be presented in at least three copies from different price categories for a category of different tasks: educational, industrial, creative.

Table 2. Assortment of stationery store

The choice of these two groups as the main ones is explained by the fact that:

The demand of schoolchildren and students for stationery supplies is ensured all year round, and these two groups of buyers form the basis target audience;

According to marketers, the share of sales of office supplies is more than 60%, and the demand for this type production is growing annually by almost 20%. In addition, the actual profitability in this market segment is higher than in the rest. Those. office supplies – the most promising segment of the stationery trade;

gift products are represented in the assortment insignificantly, because they are not in such high demand. However, purchases of such goods are often spontaneous. Gift products are positioned as related products.

Ready ideas for your business

After forming the store’s assortment, the question becomes of finding reliable suppliers. It is recommended to purchase goods at wholesale centers, of which there are huge quantities on the market today. After studying the catalogs of wholesale suppliers and comparing prices, you can enter into a cooperation agreement with distributors. If the store’s income is consistently high, you can cooperate directly with the manufacturer. However, this requires large volumes of purchases.

Currently, there is an increased demand for stationery products with the following characteristics:

products High Quality- despite more high price, consumers give preference to quality;

functional products – stickers, marker pens, etc.;

products with an unusual design - this is especially true for paper products (notebooks, notepads, etc.);

new products - the consumer tries to choose a product that has not been previously presented on the market. Constant update products has a positive effect on sales.

It is also worth remembering the difficulties that may arise when selling individual product groups. This can happen for the following reasons: expensive product, unattractive in appearance, low quality. Therefore, it is recommended to constantly monitor the demand for products and replace products that are not in demand.

Thus, a properly formed assortment is an important competitive advantage. A wide selection, unique offers and affordable prices will ensure a high level of sales.

It is worth paying attention to the additional services that a stationery store can provide. Often, profits from these services take up a significant portion of revenue. Additional services may include: printing, photocopying, laminating documents - for this you will have to purchase specialized equipment; sale of cartridges and printer ink, refilling cartridges; operational printing and bookbinding; photograph for documents; delivery of orders from corporate clients - this will require a car, or the involvement of courier service; installation of machines that accept payments. There are many options for additional services - it all depends on the direction of the store, its location and the project budget, since most additional services are associated with the purchase of expensive equipment. However, it is fair to note that the income from these services can be significantly high, and in some cases even exceed the turnover from the sale of the stationery products themselves.

This stationery store will have the following competitive advantages:

a wide range of;

frequent product updates;

big choice paper products, unique offers due to careful selection of product suppliers. For example, it is planned to purchase certain categories of goods from foreign online stores;

additional service of printing, scanning and copying documents.

4. SALES AND MARKETING

The target audience of a stationery store consists of various consumer groups. Among the regular customers of stationery stores, the following categories can be distinguished:

schoolchildren and students;

companies that purchase stationery for corporate needs.

Ready ideas for your business

Advertising for a stationery store can be divided into two types - passive and active. Passive advertising includes signs, banners, pillars, etc. Active advertising involves distributing leaflets, distributing business cards, and advertising on the Internet. IN in this case It is planned to use the following advertising tools:

Advertising sign - attracts the attention of buyers. It should be bright and located on the facade of the store building and be clearly visible. The production of an advertising sign, as well as its installation, will cost approximately 15,000 rubles.

A sign is an additional tool for attracting attention. On it you can place not only a pointer to the store, but also information about unique trade offers. The cost of the pillar is 3000 rubles.

Leaflets - bright leaflets advertising the store can be distributed to the mailboxes of nearby houses, as well as in places where the target audience gathers - near schools, universities, office buildings. You can also place discount coupons on the flyer that the consumer can use on their first purchase. Design and printing of leaflets, as well as their distribution by the promoter, will cost approximately 4,000 rubles.

Carrying out various promotions, a customer loyalty program - it is possible to attract the attention of consumers with special offers, which can be notified through advertisements in the newspaper, distribution of leaflets, etc. These may be seasonal promotions designed to stimulate sales in summer months when there is a decrease in demand, or promotions during periods of high sales, aimed at maximizing the attraction of buyers. For example, you can organize a promotion before the start school year and offer a 10% discount on a whole group of products; or provide a discount for students who present a student ID/record with “good” and “excellent” grades. There can be many options - unusual offers can attract the attention of the consumer and attract him to the store. A customer loyalty program will help you build your customer base and retain consumers. Distribution of savings cards, a discount on every 5th purchase, a gift for a purchase of a certain amount, etc.

It is quite difficult to predict sales volume in an office supply store. This depends on the location of the outlet, the effect of the advertising campaign, and the markup on goods. In the office supply trade, each group of goods has its own markup - from 60% to 300%. To simplify calculations, the average trade markup for office products of 200% will be used. The planned sales volume is calculated based on the average bill of 400 rubles and the number of customers 1000 people per month. Not only retail customers are taken into account, but also corporate clients with whom it is planned to establish cooperation in the first stages of launching a store. Thus, the average revenue will be 400,000 rubles per month. It is planned to reach the declared sales volume within nine months of the store’s operation.

5. PRODUCTION PLAN

The implementation of this project includes the following stages:

1) Business registration. No special permits are required to conduct retail trade in office supplies.

To open a store, you will need to collect a package of documents, which includes a sanitary and epidemiological conclusion from Rospotrebnadzor, permission from the fire inspectorate, registration of a cash register with the tax office, regulations to the store.

For reference commercial activities An LLC is registered with a simplified UTII taxation system. Type of activity according to OKVED-2:

47.62.2 - Retail trade of stationery and stationery in specialized stores

Additional activities are:

82.19 - Photocopying and document preparation activities and other specialized support activities to support office activities.

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2) Choosing a location. As for any establishment dealing retail trade, the location parameter of the office supply store plays an important role. A favorable location determines 70% of the success of a retail outlet.

Assessing the location of a store takes into account such components as the characteristics of the area, the intensity of pedestrian flow, visibility and remarkableness, proximity to similar enterprises, and proximity to places where the target audience gathers. Table 3 shows the characteristics of the most profitable locations for a stationery store.

Table 3. Characteristics of the location of the stationery store

Thus, based on comparative characteristics locations for opening a stationery store, it was decided to open a store in close proximity to educational institutions. The range and availability of additional services correspond to the selected point.

To open a stationery store, a retail space of 20 sq.m. is rented, which involves dividing it into two premises - a sales area and a warehouse. For a sales area, 8-10 square meters will be enough. m. There are no special requirements for the premises and interior of the store - the main thing is good lighting, low humidity, cosmetic repairs. It is planned to rent premises that do not require renovation in order to open a store in a minimum preparation period.

The retail outlet is located near educational institutions, which allows it to reach a wide range of potential consumers. Rent of retail space with a total area of ​​20 sq. m. in an area with high pedestrian traffic costs about 20,000 rubles per month.

3) Equipment. The business of selling office supplies is also attractive because it does not require special expensive equipment. To organize a retail space, you will need several display cases and exhibition shelves, racks, and glass display cases. Specialized equipment will require purchasing a cash register, a laptop, as well as two MFPs that allow copying, scanning, black-and-white and color printing.

Table 4 shows the main costs for equipment, which amount to rubles. The total cost of equipment is 177,000 rubles.

Table 4. Equipment costs

4) Search for suppliers and purchase of goods. Suppliers should be looked for in person, visiting wholesale centers in the city, or via the Internet. The first method is convenient because during a personal conversation it is easier to agree on partnership terms; the second is that you can save on transportation costs, reach a wide range of potential partners, find more favorable conditions and enter into contracts with suppliers not represented on the local market.

An analysis of existing retail outlets selling office supplies. You should familiarize yourself with the range of competitors to identify which manufacturers are represented and what the price segment is.

Having decided on suppliers, you need to purchase goods for the store. Practice shows that for an average stationery store it will take about 250,000 rubles to create the initial assortment. Based on the specifics of demand and the conditions of suppliers, it will be necessary to purchase additional goods. The main thing in this matter is to correctly calculate the required volume of goods in order to diversify the assortment, but to avoid oversaturation of product shelves.

5) Personnel selection. Since a stationery store is a narrow-profile enterprise with a low level of financial statements, then accounting is quite simple and is often carried out directly by the business owner. The main personnel in the store are salespeople. For a small store, one seller will be enough. However, if the store's operating schedule includes daily work, then it is recommended to hire two salespeople who will work in shifts. You can also practice temporarily hiring additional salespeople during sales peaks, which occur in the summer months and September.

Requirements for sellers: punctuality, politeness, attentiveness, responsibility, knowledge of the specifics of the product, knowledge of PCs and office equipment.

The functions of manager and accountant are assigned to the entrepreneur himself - this will save money in the first months of work. He can also assist the seller in his work, which helps to understand the trading process and assess the demand for products.

Before starting work, personnel must undergo training, familiarizing themselves with the range of products, their characteristics and sales technology.

6. ORGANIZATIONAL PLAN

The preparatory stage lasts about two months, during which registration procedures, establishing partnerships with suppliers, searching for suitable premises, recruiting personnel, purchasing equipment and goods are provided.

In this project, the entrepreneur performs the main functions of a manager - goes through all registration procedures, recruits personnel, negotiates with landlords and suppliers, purchases goods, engages in strategic promotion of the store, hires employees, accepts and counts goods and draws up the relevant documentation.

To carry out the trading process, salespeople work in the store. Since the store is open daily, a 2/2 shift schedule should be established. One salesperson works per shift.

The store's opening hours are from 9:00 to 18:00. Based on these conditions, the staffing table is formed. The wage fund is 84,500 rubles.

Table 5. Staffing and wage fund

7. FINANCIAL PLAN

The financial plan takes into account all income and expenses of the project; the planning horizon is 3 years. It is planned that after this period the establishment will need to expand production and product range.

To launch a project, it is necessary to calculate the amount of investment. To do this, you need to determine the costs of purchasing equipment, the initial purchase of goods and the formation of working capital, which will cover the losses of the initial periods. The initial investment for opening a stationery store is 577,000 rubles. The bulk of the required investment is in inventory – their share is 43%; equipment purchases account for 31%, working capital accounts for 17%, and remaining costs account for 7%. The project is financed from own capital. The main items of investment costs are shown in Table 6.

Table 6. Investment costs

Variable expenses consist of the costs of purchasing goods. To simplify financial calculations cost variables calculated based on the amount of the average check and a fixed trade margin at 200%.

Fixed expenses consist of rent, utilities, payroll, advertising costs and depreciation. The amount of depreciation charges is determined by the linear method, based on the useful life of fixed assets of 5 years. TO fixed costs also include tax deductions, which under the UTII system are a fixed amount. The tax is calculated based on the retail space and the k2 coefficient for the city of Rostov-on-Don).

Table 7. Fixed costs

Thus, fixed monthly expenses were determined in the amount of 132,124 rubles.

8. EVALUATION OF EFFECTIVENESS

The payback period for the project with an initial investment of 577,000 rubles is 12 months. The net monthly profit of the project when reaching planned sales volumes is about 70,000 rubles. Reaching the planned sales volume is planned for the ninth month of operation. Volume net profit for the first year of work will be 535,205 rubles. Return on sales in the first year of operation is 12.7%. Considering that the profitability of an office supply store can reach 35-40%, we can conclude that the financial plan was drawn up according to a pessimistic forecast. It is possible to achieve increased sales with a competent marketing policy, a successful choice of store location, quality products and an attractive assortment.

The net present value is positive and equal to 183,254 rubles, which allows us to talk about investment attractiveness project. The return on investment ratio is 19.58%, the internal rate of return exceeds the discount rate and is equal to 9.85%.

9. POSSIBLE RISKS

To assess the risk component of the project, it is necessary to analyze external and internal factors. The specifics of the establishment determine the following operating risks:

Increasing purchase prices for goods, unscrupulous suppliers. In the first case, there is a risk of increased costs and, as a result, the selling price, which may negatively affect demand. In the second case, the risk is associated with interruptions in the trade process due to a shortage of goods. It is possible to reduce the likelihood of these threats by choosing suppliers wisely and including in the contract all the necessary conditions that include financial liability the supplier in case of their violation;

Insufficient level of demand. Firstly, the demand for office supplies has some seasonality; secondly, there are many competitors in the market; thirdly, errors in choosing a location significantly affect sales; fourthly, there is a possibility of errors in the formation of the assortment. This risk can be reduced by carefully planning the store’s activities and financial results, wisely choosing retail space and assortment, holding various promotions and discounts, stimulating repeat purchases, and flexible pricing;

Competitors' reaction. Since the office supplies market is quite saturated and competition is high, the behavior of competitors can have an impact strong influence. To minimize it, it is necessary to create your own client base, constantly monitor the market, have a customer loyalty program and create competitive advantages;

Property risks. This category includes risks associated with damage and theft of goods. Compliance with the rules for storing goods and the attentiveness of the seller will help to minimize the threat;

Refusal to provide rental premises or increase in rental costs. Since location is one of the most important parameters for trading, losing a location can result in large losses. To reduce this risk, it is necessary to enter into a long-term lease agreement and carefully select the landlord;

Problems with personnel, which mean low qualifications, staff turnover, lack of motivation of employees. The easiest way to reduce this risk is at the recruitment stage by hiring employees who meet all the requirements. It is also worth providing bonus motivation for employees;

WITHa decrease in the store’s reputation among the target audience due to management errors or a decrease in the quality of services. It is possible to mitigate the risk by constantly monitoring the quality of goods and service, receiving feedback from store customers and taking corrective measures.