More than other retail outlets, a grocery store depends on its environment, that is, the residents living in its vicinity and the grocery stores that compete with it. Therefore, the first step before opening a grocery store is always a comprehensive study of the area in which you intend to start retailing groceries.
The first thing worth paying attention to when studying a place that is promising for opening a grocery store is the presence of large network outlets nearby. You will definitely not be able to compete with these giants - the purchase prices at which they buy goods will be an order of magnitude different from those that you can negotiate with suppliers. As a result, they have a much cheaper product, and this factor is always decisive when buying products.
It is quite possible to compete with stores that are equal in scale to your project, but have been operating for a long time, so the presence of such stores in the area should not serve as a reason to abandon your intentions. Check out the assortment of these stores, try to find their weak points, that is, those positions for which they do not meet the demand of people living nearby. Based on these observations, form your own assortment range, attracting customers with goods that are missing from competitors.
When the choice of location is finally made, you can start looking for a suitable premises and registering a company (or individual entrepreneurship). It is best to choose a room with a small margin of free space in order to equip a storage room and an office for the administration at the store. It is advisable to choose a building that is already connected to a standard set of utilities, so that then you do not waste a lot of time on re-equipment and redevelopment.
The trade department and the architectural department in the local administration should not object to your desire to open a store, the Rospotrebnadzor will be especially vigilant about your undertaking, and the fire inspection will also pay attention to it. Try to comply with all existing standards, keep documents in order and monitor the correct operation of cash registers. The neglect of the formal side of the matter creates too many risks and often negates all your many days of work.
Before purchasing the first batch of goods, you still have to acquire retail equipment and recruit sales personnel who will serve your store. There shouldn't be any problems with the first one, since a standard set of equipment is suitable for grocery stores, up to the one that has already been in use, if your start-up capital is not particularly large. As for the staff, its most important qualities will be honesty to you and courtesy to customers, and at first, while the work of your point of sale has not yet been debugged, it is recommended to conduct introductory interviews with each candidate personally.
