The concept of “showroom” came to us from the West; translated from English it means “room for display” or “room for demonstration”. As a rule, samples of products, for example, branded clothing or shoes, are displayed in such rooms. Representatives of clothing stores and retail chains can study samples and place orders for some copies for their enterprises at wholesale prices.
Showrooms in Russia are also used to sell equipment, furniture, construction and finishing materials. As a rule, both large brands and start-up manufacturers have such showrooms. In the first case, they work mainly for dealers and wholesale buyers. In the second case, they are an alternative to renting retail space for beginning designers and fashion designers who produce things individually.
If you plan to sell the items displayed in the windows, the design follows the same principle as the design of a small retail trade enterprise. The organizer needs to select the reporting format and type of enterprise -:
- A limited liability company is suitable if you plan to trade in small and large wholesale.
- An enterprise in the individual entrepreneur format is more profitable for those who rely only on working with retail customers.
Depending on the choice of the type of enterprise, a document flow policy will be built in relationships with suppliers. An accountant or lawyer will be able to advise on what forms of delivery notes will be required in each case.
Copies of certificates of quality compliance with state standards will be required for products sold. If the store displays products from imported manufacturers, you will also have to obtain customs declarations for each group of goods. Many bureaucratic problems can be avoided if the product is only displayed and not sold.
What can you trade?
- Most Russians associate showrooms with sales. clothes or shoes.
- Exhibition halls where you can examine samples are also a popular format. kitchen and furniture. Such furniture can be produced to individual order with a choice of the color of the wooden panels, the type and color of the upholstery. For this reason, selling it through such outlets is a very profitable business. After all, it is not possible to put all the design variations of just one headset on the sales floor.
- Exhibition halls have also begun to open in many cities across the country. perfumes, household appliances, motorcycles or bicycles. For buyers of large goods, it may be more profitable to study the assortment of goods in such an establishment, and then order it through an online store with home delivery.
Many online stores organize their own showrooms or enter into partnership agreements with existing ones, where some of their products can be displayed.
You can find out whether it is profitable to do this and what difficulties may arise in the following video:
Selecting a location
The choice of location for organizing a point depends on the tasks. In some cases, your own or rented apartment is suitable for this. If the goal of the project is to sell high-quality clothing from foreign online stores, this format of the premises is quite suitable.
For larger-scale tasks or for large goods, it is worth choosing a location in accordance with the business plan.
For example, a showroom for plumbing fixtures or kitchen furniture will be more effective if located in a new neighborhood with many new buildings. Car and motorcycle showrooms should be located in areas accessible to private transport, since many buyers come there to exchange their old “iron horse” for a new one.
Showrooms of perfumery, shoe or cosmetic stores should be located in walk-through areas, since often such halls are also a pick-up point for online boutique buyers. The premises may be chosen to be more modest than for an office or store. Even rooms on the upper floors and in semi-basements are suitable, because such points at the online store process only a small part of their orders. And buyers come there having already decided on the choice of goods.
Room decoration
Premises for showrooms are divided into two classes, almost opposite to each other:
- One option is practically storage room or small room, in which online store buyers can pick up a product after trying it on. For example, dresses of three sizes are delivered to such points; the client has the opportunity to choose the size that suits him on the spot.
- Another variant - author's design of premises in the style of the brand that is sold there. Sports class motorcycles may require a room made of glass and concrete, associated with something modern and modernized. And for handmade knitted clothes, a room stylized as a grandmother’s apartment or an exhibition of folk crafts is suitable.
As for documents, it all depends on the form of enterprise chosen to manage the showroom. Both a limited liability company and an individual entrepreneur can register with the owner of the premises. If a room in an apartment is used for the point, then registration may not be required, but then the sale of things will be considered unofficial. 
Staff
- The showroom of a furniture company or car dealership requires a large number of personnel to service it. Among the hired workers may be sales managers, couriers, possibly technical specialists or consultants. Essentially, this is a retail store option.
- The showroom of an online store can be staffed by one or more administrators, depending on the turnover of the enterprise.
- Placing fashion apparel for wholesale may require a purchasing manager or merchandiser.
- A similar hall of an individual author, where all goods are sold only at retail, can be staffed by a salesperson who will introduce visitors to the assortment.
- Today's fashionable showrooms for selling home theater systems or stereo systems may require a technician who can tell you the differences between one model and another.
To summarize, sales personnel are always needed, and consultants, merchandise experts, couriers and other specialists may be required for individual tasks.
Supplier search
The very concept of showrooms implies the presence of special conditions for the sale of goods. For wholesale companies, this issue often seems resolved at the time of organizing the work of the exhibition hall. But based on the results of communication with customers, an idea begins to emerge about which product models sell better after viewing, and which ones sell the same or even worse.
In this case, the owner of the hall must decide whether he wants to focus on the fastest-selling items or, on the contrary, display in the hall something that sells poorly through other sales channels.
In matters of clothing trade, private entrepreneurs usually look for suppliers of cheap clothing and shoes from Europe or China, start purchasing goods there in bulk, and then offer them to their customers. In Russia, there are many low-quality and expensive goods on the clothing and footwear market.
So selling clothes from a trusted supplier through your own sales channels is a very profitable business. And a good supplier here is the basis for success, which becomes especially obvious after the emergence of a loyal customer base.
Advertising of the establishment
Large retail chains, furniture showrooms and motorcycle exhibitions can even advertise on television. Sometimes these companies include the address of the location in all of their advertising.
As for clothing sellers, it all depends on the class of brands presented. Exclusive handmade items should be advertised among fashionistas, people who value a unique and inimitable style. And cheap but high-quality goods from Western online stores, ordered by showroom owners almost in a single copy, are usually promoted on social networks and by word of mouth.
If beautiful and high-quality things are also cheaper than in the city’s retail chains, then there are no interruptions in customers. They themselves are waiting for new deliveries and are interested in assortment updates.
Total costs and profits
Organizing such an establishment is a profitable business, especially in the clothing market. Private stores selling shoes and clothing can count on turnover 30-70 thousand rubles almost from the very first months. Their clients are people who are willing to pay an average of 5-6 thousand rubles for one thing.
If these items are of high quality or are produced by well-known brands, but are sold at huge discounts, a customer base is developed through recommendations and word of mouth methods quite quickly.
The method of making money at a showroom can be different. Some organizers of such halls choose excellent premises in passageways and central areas of the city, then rent out the shelves to online stores and various companies. The cost of renting a hall is divided into several companies; they can range from several tens to several hundred thousand per month.
Entrepreneurs who start selling clothes from foreign manufacturers in their establishment can make do with a personal apartment at first. Then their costs for purchasing and delivering things can range from several thousand to several tens of thousands of rubles per month, and income also fluctuates in this range.
However, classic showrooms, where there are no retail sales, but only samples of clothing that can be bought wholesale, are the most profitable type of business. If there are well-functioning delivery channels, they can bring in hundreds of thousands of rubles per month at a cost ten times less.
The first showrooms appeared in the West and served as a place for meetings and negotiations between clothing designers and sales managers. The main distinguishing feature of showrooms is a place for concluding contracts. In Russia, this phenomenon has also recently gained space for development. First of all, brand name clothing is displayed here, and trade is usually in a duty-free format, that is, purchases are not subject to additional tax. Getting into the showroom is not so easy, as a rule, either through an acquaintance or a special invitation.
According to our estimates, in order to open your own clothing showroom you will need at least 300-400 thousand rubles, it is necessary to take into account the high competition in this market segment. If you plan to sell designer clothes, then this amount may even increase.
In addition to clothing, showrooms can display other types of products, from electronics to cars, but this article will primarily focus on the clothing showroom.
Distinctive features of the business
Where to start - you ask. First of all, you need to choose the format of the institution. This could be a wholesale warehouse for displaying clothes, a boutique offering branded clothing at relatively low prices, or an atelier store.
There is also a home showroom option. At the same time, the business, as a rule, is not officially registered, which, however, does not greatly affect sales. The reason is the uniqueness of the items sold and the prices are significantly lower than market prices.
Show room at home
When drawing up a business plan for a showroom, it is necessary to take into account that this business can be run at home until the flow of customers becomes too large. From now on, you will have to register an LLC or individual entrepreneur. We recommend opening an individual entrepreneur, which will be more profitable.
How to register a business
If you plan not only a demonstration, but also the sale of exhibited samples, you will definitely have to register a legal entity. First of all, this will depend on the scale of activity: if retail trade, then an individual entrepreneur will be enough; if you are planning wholesale trade, then a limited liability company. The type of accounting of the enterprise and invoices will also depend on this. Again, opening an individual entrepreneur is easier in terms of accounting and cheaper.
Read also: Sample business plan for a business center
In addition, if you plan to sell samples, you will need to obtain product quality certificates confirmed by government standards. It is also important to remember that if the products supplied were purchased abroad, customs declarations must be obtained for them.
Where to buy items for display
There are many places where you can buy fashion items for showrooms. We list them below.
- Outlets, an analogue of shopping centers selling branded clothing at prices below market prices. Here you can buy clothes wholesale and retail.
- Factories who sew ready-made clothes. Here you can order a whole batch of designer clothes in advance. As a rule, they sell only in large volumes.
- Online stores. Here you can also find clothes from fashion brands and in large quantities, however, they can often be of low quality.
Promotion means
You can resort to creating a profile on social networks, given the low costs of promotion and advertising. In addition, this is an opportunity to quickly attract the required number of subscribers. Also in this area of business, the so-called “word of mouth” is well suited.
One of the most important points is the competent development of the concept. First of all, you need to decide on the format, target audience and price segment. The gateway ranges from a casual clothing store to a boutique selling high-end designer items. Accordingly, an advertising campaign, depending on the chosen option, can vary greatly in budget.
Where to organize
To open your clothing showroom from scratch, first of all, a large space is important. This could be a building of already inactive plants or factories. Here, in terms of interior design, you can go all out.
A showroom requires a large space
But the most popular places to locate a showroom are shopping centers. First of all, this is explained by their cross-country ability. In addition, it can encourage occasional purchases as well as developing a loyal customer base.
It is important to know that the premises must comply with a number of standards, namely:
- area from 50 to 150 square meters;
- availability of a certain amount of energy capacity;
- availability of ventilation and air conditioning systems.
In addition, there are other criteria for choosing a location:
- the level of competition with similar stores in your chosen territory;
- cross-country ability and traffic patterns;
- income level, gender and age of the population in the selected area;
- prospects for the development of the area in the future, the presence of large residential development is possible.
After choosing the location of the store, you can move on to its interior. First of all, attention should be paid to the location of the product. The client should not have any problems with the opportunity to get to know the products more closely. Therefore, it is necessary to correctly arrange the racks on which the products will look advantageous. Remember that the atmosphere you choose can make all the difference.
It is important to properly furnish the room in which the negotiations will take place. The room should be furnished with the greatest possible comfort so that lengthy negotiations do not cause inconvenience to customers.
How are they
Now more than half of the Russian clothing market consists of products from neighboring countries, including Central Asia and China. A fifth of clothing is produced in Russia, and these are simple brands, and less than 15 percent are branded Russian and foreign clothing.
Show room of branded clothing
Recently, more and more fashion manufacturers are turning their attention to China. This is due, as you might guess, to the relative cheapness of their products, as well as to the large number of production facilities. To cooperate with Chinese manufacturers, it is enough to conclude a dealer agreement with a Chinese company that has representative offices in major cities.
The desire to open your own business certainly arises in every person at least once in their life. But how to choose a successful type of income, in what niche to organize a business? This is a question many newbies ask.
In the previous article we discussed, in today's publication, let's talk about how to open a clothing showroom and make it popular. The desire to plunge into the world of fashion and start creating clothing collections usually arises among people who have already done something similar before. There is an opinion that creating a show room is no more difficult than creating and repairing clothes. But this is a deep misconception. To make it more clear to you, you need to clearly answer the question of what a show room is and what its features are.
What is a show room?
The concept of “Show-room” came to us from abroad. In Europe and the USA, show rooms are called rooms at the place where a fashion show takes place. It is in such an establishment that you can see the models who were present at the show, touch the fabric and agree on ordering the product directly with the designer.
In Russia and the CIS countries, a showroom refers to designer clothing and accessories stores where you can view and choose the items you like. The advantage of these places is that here you can buy exclusive items from the designer in a single copy.
The popularity of show rooms gives rise to their rapid emergence. But, despite this, this niche is still relatively free, so if you have the ability to sew clothes, then you can safely take this business idea into service.
Showroom opening
How to open a clothing showroom? We will try to answer this question.
First you need to decide on the direction. There are several options, let's take a closer look at each of them.
Sewing and selling clothes. If you are looking, then this way of earning money may interest you. This option assumes that you have the ability to sew clothes. If you are a talented young fashion designer, then God himself told you to organize a show room. At the initial stage, you can offer clothes from your collection to friends and acquaintances, and later, to everyone. It is not worth registering a business at first; it is better to do this when regular orders and clients appear.
Video on the topic
Sales of exclusive clothing, like . This option only requires the availability of free time and the possession of minimal entrepreneurial qualities. There are no special financial investments here. This method of earning money involves selling clothes online. You need to create a group on a social network and advertise your product there. Opening a showroom for clothing from China is not at all difficult; almost anyone can do it. The idea of making money is that you find clothing suppliers abroad, place orders for items that customers have purchased from you, and receive your percentage of each transaction.
Renting premises
To open your show room you will need premises. It is necessary to calculate the attendance of the establishment and the approximate area. It is also very important to determine its location. Particular attention should be paid to the interior. Buyers should be comfortable and comfortable; large mirrors, comfortable sofas and comfortable fitting rooms must be present.
How to open a show room at home?
As a rule, all beginning fashion designers opened their first show rooms right at home, thus saving significantly on renting premises and rapidly developing in their chosen direction. I recommend that you do the same, and after a base of regular customers is formed, you can rent a place in the city center.
We form an assortment
The difference between show rooms and stores is that in the first establishments, exclusive clothes are presented, sewn by the designer, and not purchased at the factory. Thus, showroom buyers can be sure of the uniqueness of the item. And for fashionistas and society ladies, this is very important.
When opening your show room, be sure to decide on the format of the establishment, and also come up with your own feature.
Brand show room. In this case, you buy things from famous brands abroad and sell them in your store. Naturally, it is cheaper to purchase models from previous collections, which are sold in special foreign stores (outlets).
Show rooms always offer exclusive items of good quality and, most often, well-known brands. Accordingly, the price of such clothes and accessories is quite high. Therefore, your clients will be wealthy people.
Advertising
How to attract clients?
“Show room” in Russia is most often in demand exclusively among its contingent: acquaintances, relatives, close friends and celebrities. But there are also stores that almost everyone can visit. It's up to you to choose which direction to work in. If, say, you are a designer, then your advertising will be organizing a fashion show, where famous people are invited, who in the future will become your regular clients.
In order to create a show room or atelier, a lot of effort and diligence is required. But the most important thing is to make this establishment popular, attract people there, and acquire regular customers. To do this, a person who wants to open a business in the service sector must have entrepreneurial qualities and talent.
I wish you creative success and achievement of all your goals.
In many countries around the world, a “showroom” is a room at the location where a fashion show is held, where designers communicate with potential buyers. Nothing is sold in such rooms, but the best deals are made there. In “showrooms” of this kind, you can examine and touch the models from the collection in detail and negotiate the supply of the clothes you like.
In our country, a “showroom” is understood as a place for tax-free trade in things, usually luxury clothing. Usually such places have a certain touch of mystery and mystery, because you can get into one or another showroom only by appointment or by appointment. You can earn quite a lot from such a business project: from 1000 USD. per month, although profits may be unstable. For many, opening a “showroom” is only the first step towards developing a legal business.
Business Features
A showroom can be both an object for demonstrating clothes to wholesalers, and a kind of boutique for those who want to acquire stylish and exclusive clothes without visiting abroad. Those who want to make quick money should not organize a showroom, since this business does not bring quick profits. In addition, there is always a risk that the purchased clothes will not be in demand.
As a rule, the owners of such private boutiques do not see the point in registration and official registration, and also the clients who buy high-quality designer clothes at half the price do not see the point in this.
This form of doing business is justified if the showroom’s customer base does not exceed 150-200 people, and the owner himself will carry the goods. If the facility is planned to work with wholesale buyers, and the business will expand, then it is worth thinking about officially registering, for example, an individual entrepreneur. Registration of an individual entrepreneur is cheaper, but it is worth remembering that the entrepreneur is liable to the extent of all his property, and when organizing an LLC he risks only the authorized capital.
Illegal activities have other disadvantages:
- In the absence of contracts with suppliers, there is no protection and no official guarantees when working with them.
- The goods will not be shipped to an individual at wholesale prices, and therefore prices in the boutique will be at least 20% higher.
- If employees work in the showroom, then if they work illegally, there is no guarantee that if they are dissatisfied, they will not try to destroy the business by contacting the tax office.
- Dissatisfied customers can do the same, and they can also contact the consumer protection committee.
Room
It is necessary to select a room for the future salon and make repairs in it. The boutique should have a cozy atmosphere with maximum comfort for customers, so you should not skimp on decoration and interior design. A significant amount should be allocated for repairs (from 10 thousand USD). If you don’t have money for rent at first, you can try to open a showroom at home, allocating one of the rooms for this.
Staff
If at first you can do it on your own when selling clothes, then as the number of clients grows, you will need at least one more assistant. In addition, a business owner is unlikely to be able to be on site all the time. It is advisable that the seller in the showroom has the skills of a stylist or knowledge of modeling and tailoring. Only professionals should work with fashionable, beautiful and expensive clothes sold in showrooms.
Product
The peculiarity of such clothing sales outlets is that customers can not only buy any item they like, but also dress from head to toe, that is, the range of items should be very diverse: from outerwear to accessories and jewelry.
Many novice showroom owners select items themselves, purchasing them abroad. For this, there are outlets - entire villages of boutiques from various manufacturers that sell items from past collections. This is an excellent option for those who do not strive to strictly adhere to fashion trends, but want to dress in beautiful and high-quality clothes from world-famous manufacturers.
For a larger business project, the supply of clothing can be negotiated with large wholesale companies for the purchase of clothing that work with many manufacturers, but... As practice shows, these suppliers often include washbasins from old collections in their list of products.
The best option is when the owner himself selects items for the showroom, attending fashion designer shows. True, difficulties may arise in this case - for example, fashion designers often offer the entire collection, but do not sell items individually. Since in addition to things you also need to purchase accessories and shoes, this option is very expensive.
Briefly, the list of places to purchase things could be like this:
- Outlets. Items are sold from past collections with 30-70% discounts. You can buy any number of clothes and different sizes. There are no minimum quantities, but it is often difficult to find the sizes and colors you need.
- Ready-made clothing factories. The minimum purchase is from 500 euros, and the cost of such things is very favorable. It is also attractive that many factories work with clients remotely, using catalogues.
- Factories for pre-orders. Many clothing factories prepare products based on pre-orders, which means that in order to purchase a winter collection, arrangements must be made in the spring.
- Wholesale warehouses. In such places they sell things from last season - clothes, shoes, accessories - at a 60-70% discount. The minimum batch costs from 1000 euros.
Advertising
The best way of advertising is personal recommendations, that is, word of mouth. A client who has received high-quality service will definitely tell his friends and acquaintances. Typically, one regular customer can bring up to ten new customers.
Visitors to showrooms can spend up to $1,500 monthly on upgrades. Having developed a base of regular customers, you can count on solid, and most importantly, constant profits.
How to open your own show room - detailed planning: selection of suppliers, 3 competitive advantages, how to advertise correctly, basic financial calculations.
Capital investments in a show room: from 500,000 rubles.
Business payback: from 3-4 months.
The answer to the question is how to open a clothing showroom, it’s worth starting by explaining what this name even means?
And how do show rooms differ from regular stores?
It is worth noting that this term has different meanings in world practice and in Russia.
In Western countries, showrooms are rooms that are organized during fashion shows.
In them, designers arrange a mini-presentation of the collection, and future purchasing partners can see the assortment and even touch it.
Direct sales do not take place in such rooms, but cooperation agreements are concluded.
In Russia and Ukraine, show rooms are radically different from their European “colleagues”.
Only the atmosphere of a certain closeness, elitism, belonging to special circles of society, connoisseurs, is preserved.
The rest is still the same.
However, they differ from the ones we are used to in their products (usually unique goods, in small quantities), design, and presentation of the trading process itself.
Let's take a closer look at whether the show room will bring profit and how to open it.
We conduct marketing analysis before opening your clothing showroom
Trade is an area of entrepreneurship in which competition always reigns.
Therefore, the success of the enterprise will greatly depend on how profitable a niche you can choose.
You cannot sell “for everyone” even the most varied goods.
It is necessary to identify your target audience, draw up a portrait of it, and determine its wishes.
Show rooms are a specific type of store that is visited by a special audience.
If you are interested in how to open your own showroom of clothing from exclusive brands in a metropolis, the target audience may look like this: 
Competitive advantages of the show room
To prevent competition from becoming fatal for a show room, first of all, there should not be more than 3-4 organizations competitors (for a small town or area in a metropolis).
If there are more firms, it will be too difficult for a newcomer to take his place.
Calculations may even indicate that it would be inappropriate to invest effort in moving towards such a situation.
But even if there are quite a few competitors, you cannot discount them.
You must highlight your competitive advantages.
These factors will force people to go to your showroom.
| Advantage | Description |
|---|---|
| Exclusive range | The showroom format itself presupposes the presence of exclusive goods. But those who move in the fashion world know that some brands are more elite and less affordable than others. Analyze what your customers need and do not lose that very atmosphere of secrecy and exclusivity. |
| Delivery service | Often in show rooms you can dress from head to toe, because the assortment includes shoes, clothes, and accessories. But not every buyer wants to carry shopping bags in their hands. So the delivery service will definitely be in demand. This is also useful when customers buy an item as a gift or choose it in your online store without visiting the show room itself. Typically, the volume of such sales is not large enough to conclude an agreement with a separate courier service. Delivery can be carried out by the store owner himself or by sellers for an additional fee. |
| Individual approach | It is worth emphasizing once again that show rooms (if we consider the term in the classical sense) are the backstage of fashion, a gathering place for people “on trend.” Although the format has been modified in Russian-speaking countries, customers still expect a special approach. Select qualified salespeople who will work individually with each visitor. Regardless of how he is dressed, what he plans to buy, and even if it is obvious that the person is not your target audience. Often these are the visitors who leave the largest sums in the store. |
What documents are needed to open a show room?
In order to engage in entrepreneurial activity, it is necessary to go through the procedure of registering an individual entrepreneur or LLC.Many showroom owners don’t see the point in this and work underground.
It is worth noting that this may be justified for small online stores and private closed show rooms.
If you want to open a showroom alone, it’s enough.
But remember that in this case you are responsible to the extent of your personal property.
And if you register an LLC, the risk remains within the authorized capital.
However, you will face much more hassle with registration and accounting.
The choice between these two options is yours.
It remains to remind you what disadvantages await you if you open a show room without documents:
- not all suppliers agree to enter into transactions with those entrepreneurs who do not have registration;
- even if the supplier agrees to conclude an agreement, he has no right to sell the goods at wholesale prices;
- you will not be able to officially register staff for work, which is not welcomed by professionals;
- In addition, dissatisfied partners, clients or employees may “convey” information about your illegal activities to the tax office, and this is fraught with big problems.
The money that you will save on registering an individual entrepreneur is absolutely not commensurate with the consequences that await unregistered entrepreneurs.
What advertising should you use before and after opening?
“You can have everything you can think about all the time.”
Brian Tracy
Although show rooms have a certain “patina” of secrecy, they can be advertised like regular stores.
Is it worth making a greater bias towards the fashionable representatives of the city.
There are several options for how to promote a show room from the moment it opens:
If you do everything correctly, hire qualified people, create a comfortable atmosphere in the store, the main advertising will be word of mouth.
It will bring at least 70% of new clients to you.
Necessary equipment
Unlike a regular clothing store, a show room can be located almost anywhere.
It does not necessarily have to have high traffic, because there are practically no casual visitors in such establishments.
People will come to you purposefully.
This means that even getting to the other end of the city will not be a problem for them.
However, the presence of public transport stops nearby and a place to park a car will be a definite plus.
Much more attention should be paid to the interior design of the outlet.
| Name | Price (RUB/unit) |
|---|---|
| Total: | 120,000 rubles |
| Clothes hangers (racks) – 2 pcs. | 2 000 |
| Mirrors: floor – 1 pc. and wall - 2 pcs. An additional mirror should be installed near the counter with hats, if they are in stock. | 1 000 |
| Fitting booth – 1 pc. | 1 000 |
| Mannequin – 1-2 pcs. (depending on the capacity of the sales area) | 1 200 |
| Showcases or open shelves – 5 pcs. | 15 000 |
Cash register and card payment terminal  | 45 000 |
| Seller's table or stand – 1 pc. | 10 000 |
| Safe – 1 pc. | 45 000 |
How to find suppliers to open a clothing showroom?
One of the features of showrooms is that in such a store the buyer can dress from head to toe.Therefore, entrepreneurs need to think through their assortment especially carefully.
There are several options for product suppliers:
In simple words – the remnants of fashion collections that were presented some time ago.
You can purchase unsold items with discounts of up to 70%!
The downside of this option is that often unsold models and sizes remain unsold.
Factory production (finished products and pre-order).
To cooperate with factories, you must have some documents permitting such activities.
You should also be prepared for the fact that cooperation with manufacturers involves small and large wholesale.
Wholesale warehouses.
As the name suggests, these places sell things exclusively in bulk.
At the same time, they offer an impressive 60-70% discount on products.
Chinese suppliers.
If you are interested in how to open a showroom, consider the well-known pitfall of this option.
Yes, the prices for products from “famous brands” from Chinese manufacturers are really tempting.
However, you will have to answer to your customers for its quality.
Which personnel to choose?
Usually the amount of work in a showroom is small enough that you can get by with a very modest staff.
Often, at the start, only the organizer himself is involved in all matters.
But in the future it will be difficult to do without helpers.
A salesperson in a showroom must have an understanding of fashion, be able to select suitable items for the client, and carry on a conversation about brands and trends.
In addition, like an employee of any other store, a salesperson in a show room must speak politely and competently, treat all visitors with respect, and have excellent knowledge of the assortment of the outlet.
The main task of the staff is to create a comfortable environment that everyone will want to return to.
Hire employees yourself, set a probationary period.
Every mistake by the seller will be a serious minus to the store’s reputation.
And this must not be allowed!
For a showroom, include in financial calculations not only the salary amount, but also future bonuses, bonuses, and work schedule.
How much does it cost to open your own clothing showroom?
How much it will cost you to open a show room depends on many factors: will you rent an office, where will it be located, what product will you sell and where will it be delivered from?
These are only some of the factors that can affect the final amount.
Let's consider what capital and regular investments will be required to open a clothing showroom in a city with a large population.
Capital investments
| Expense item | Amount (rub.) |
|---|---|
| Total: | 500,000 rub. |
| Registration of individual entrepreneur or LLC | 1 000 |
| Purchase of equipment, furniture | 120 000 |
| Website creation | from 3,000 to 60,000 |
| Domain and hosting | 15 000 – 20 000 |
| Website promotion on the Internet | 15 000 – 20 000 |
| Creation of a corporate logo | 1 500 |
| Formation of inventory | 300 000 |
Regular investments
In addition to investing in opening a show room, you also need to invest a certain amount monthly.
It’s worth keeping this in mind and putting the necessary reserves into your “financial airbag.”
Otherwise, you may encounter a common problem: a company opens, operates successfully for six months or a year, and closes because it runs out of money for financing, and full payback has not yet occurred.
In the video, a successful designer shares his experience of opening a clothing showroom:
Payback and profitability of a clothing showroom
The average markup in trade is 20-200%.
For such unique products as goods in a show room, the markup can be 100-150%.
This will create a competitive advantage over other retail outlets and recoup the show room in a short time.
With the investments calculated above, the store can be repaid in less than six months.
In the future, it is worth investing in expanding the range and opening new outlets.
How to open a clothing showroom and accessories?
As you already understand, everything is not as difficult as you might imagine.
The basis of such a specific outlet is an original assortment, qualified employees and the creation of a customer base.
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