Sale of carpets at present can be quite a profitable direction of their own business due to the fact that the demand for such products among the population is constant and relatively high. It should be noted that the carpet store can be targeted at consumers of completely different levels, and therefore an entrepreneur can choose the optimal format for him to work and even occupy a niche that is empty in his region. The carpet is a dense woven product made of various materials, previously only natural fabrics and yarn were used, today synthetic carpets that are made from substitutes for natural materials are increasingly appearing on the market. The fashion for carpets was especially common in Soviet times, but today a carpet with oriental ornaments is almost always a sign of bad taste of its owner. In this regard, the population is interested in buying products that correspond to modern fashion.
The carpet trade market cannot be called oversaturated, today even in relatively large cities there are not many stores that specialize in selling such products. In this regard, the entrepreneur may even be the first player in the market, especially when it comes to a small village. Carpets can belong to different categories, but at the same time, absolutely cheap goods will not be of interest to anyone, they can be sold in the markets, and those people who still love Soviet exoticism will become buyers. The consumer needs a product that becomes an interior decoration that harmoniously fits into an environment that carries not only practical, but also aesthetic function.
To get started, you need to register as a business entity. It is easiest to register as an individual entrepreneur, because it does not require a large investment of money, it takes a little time and effort from a businessman. If there is a need for registration of a legal entity, then the preferred form is a limited liability company, because in this case, as in the case of individual entrepreneurship, a simplified taxation system will be available. This involves transferring to the state’s benefit no more than 6 percent of revenue or 15 percent of operating profit as taxes. The activity itself falls under the definition (OKPD 2) 47.53 Retail sale of carpets, rugs, floor and wall coverings in specialized stores. In order to be able to work in your store, you must obtain permission from some government agencies, which primarily include the Fire Inspectorate and Rospotrebnadzor.
An important point in organizing your business is finding a room for the store. It is optimal to find a room in the central areas of the city where there is good traffic, because in this case you can count on a fairly large flow of visitors, which are random passers-by. However, it should be noted that carpet products belong to those types of goods that the consumer does not acquire by chance, but after a long planning. It is worth considering the option of opening your store on the territory of the shopping complex, just then you can talk about the maximum possible flow of visitors. A carpet store may also be advisable to open in the sleeping area of the city; Good location can also be called proximity to furniture stores.
An entrepreneur should also decide whether he has the opportunity to buy a property or have to rent it, the rental price can be quite significant, which will lead to a critical increase in monthly expenses. However, in most cases, the entrepreneur has the opportunity to rent the premises, and its cost depends on many factors, which also include the location in the city and the city of work itself.
A carpet store may occupy a different area, but it should be oriented toward premises with a sales area of at least 50 square meters. The height of the ceilings should also be significant, because huge spaces, all walls, will be occupied by carpet products, which will be shown to customers. By the way, to accommodate a fairly wide range of goods, which at the same time belongs to different categories, 50 square meters will be small, this is actually actually a minimum for a very small store, many such outlets occupy 200-300 square meters. It is also very important that the room is sufficiently lit, proper lighting contributes to the choice, and buyers should see the product in all its splendor.
An important point is the arrangement of the premises, because, as noted above, the store should be well-lit. No matter how well the store is located, you will have to take care of the purchase of special lighting equipment and equipment for demonstrating products. The carpet will almost certainly not be sold if it is not fully laid out in the store, carpets are hung on walls and special stands, and only carpets can be laid horizontally. The cost of one searchlight is at least 2 thousand rubles, but they will require a sufficiently large amount for the correct demonstration of the goods. Therefore, you need to lay down the amount not only for the purchase of such equipment, but also for its installation and commissioning, as well as the entire network. Corresponding furniture and appliances are also bought, if necessary, repair of the premises is carried out.
Carpet store can be successfully maintained, if you follow the fashion. Nowadays, more and more people are buying carpets not spontaneously simply because they wanted to introduce themselves as a Mongolian nomad and hang something miserable to collect dust and bugs on the wall, but because of the existing design plan for their premises. In this case, the carpet exactly fits the interior and really serves as its decoration, and not a bright spot with the wildest drawings. There are a huge number of styles, and it would be nice for an entrepreneur (or his employees) to understand them and know what is in fashion right now - this will allow forming an assortment range that will be interesting to most buyers. If you have just beautiful, but not “fashionable” carpets at present, you can lose a significant part of visitors, and more efficient competitors can win. However, in this area, fashion does not change so often, so you can trade for the same products for months.
And now the most important thing is that in order to satisfy the demand of absolutely all consumers, you need to be able to trade in cheap synthetics carpets (including tasteless ones in terms of appearance), middle-class goods, and supply luxury products, and even make carpets to order. The manufacture of carpets on an industrial scale is certainly not worth considering, but manual labor is always appreciated. An entrepreneur does not have to do carpet weaving himself or hire people who own this art. It is enough to find a craftsman who can make carpets or a small custom-made carpet production. This is a very time-consuming process, and a handmade carpet is sometimes indecently expensive, however, especially in large cities, the demand for such products can be very large. If you work with the masters, you can attract a very significant percentage of potential consumers.
Now you need to take into account mass goods. Cheap products, as market research often enough shows, do not even sell as well as products belonging to the middle class. Be that as it may, today the carpet is still considered a pleasant excess, and not a necessity, it used to be a cheap option of soundproofing from neighbors (although, in fairness it should be said that the ugly carpets that can be seen in many apartments, where else the spirit of the Soviet Union remained, at that time they were very, very expensive and were just a symbol of prosperity and luxury), today it’s precisely the object, part of the interior, which provides comfort and atmosphere. Cheap carpets, but which look aesthetically attractive, can find their consumer, moreover, such goods can be bought up in large quantities - most importantly, good advertising and a good location. However, it is best to focus on the goods of the middle class, that is, they will be carpets not from synthetic substitutes, but from natural relatively inexpensive materials. Wool, silk and acrylic are considered expensive, it is wealthy people who buy carpets from these materials, and it is they who are most often interested in the manufacture of a unique product. Other materials, mainly synthetics, are accessible to ordinary people, and therefore their assortment should be in the store, unless, of course, it works in the format of an exclusively elite carpet store.
In order to always have the necessary products in abundance, it is necessary to conclude contracts for the supply of goods with several manufacturers. If an entrepreneur finds a company that can supply him with a large assortment of various goods, then you can limit yourself to cooperation only with her, but these are usually intermediaries and resellers, which means you should not expect a minimum price. As a rule, only cheap goods are produced in Russia, real carpets are made in Asia, and although Turkish and Chinese productions are considered to produce low-quality products in the popular mind, it is in these countries that you can buy really good and high-quality products. This is due to the fact that the traditions of carpet weaving in these countries (as well as some other Asian) have a long history, and real handmade carpets are bought there. However, in most cases this is still exotic. It is better to contact companies that produce in mass quantities a modern product that just matches the fashion, which is made in a modern style. Several manufacturers will be able to provide the store with a very wide range, and the store should have not only carpets, but also rugs (they are also carpet paths) and some other carpets. By the way, in order to sell the coating, you have to buy the appropriate cutting and hemming equipment. The purchase of the first batch of goods will almost certainly be the most serious expense item.
If the store focuses on people with a low income, then for 100-200 thousand rubles you can buy enough goods for good representation, if you take into account middle-class people, the cost of the initial purchase increases to a minimum of one million rubles. If we talk about high-end products, then you need to allocate several million (and sometimes even tens of millions) to buy products. Not surprisingly, the cost of some carpets is comparable to the cost of a good car. Considering that an elite store opens in the elite quarter of the city and is equipped accordingly, the amount of starting investments sometimes in this case amounts to millions of dollars. Anyone who is very limited in funds can open a very small store or even sell carpets in the market, but in this case it is better to try yourself in another matter or contact credit organizations or investors for help. It should also be noted that the margin for carpet products is usually quite high and an average of 30-40%, for cheap carpets, which, especially in the case of mass purchase, go to indecently low prices, the margin can be an order of magnitude higher, elite products have added the cost is low in percentage terms, but decent in absolute terms. Sometimes the sale of only one elite carpet forms the entire profit of the store for a month.
Among the population, such a service as individual selection of a carpet may also be in demand. In this case, the entrepreneur should be able to not only offer the goods available at the time, but also the one that he can quickly bring on an individual order. This applies to shops of middle and higher classes. In some cases, the client wants full compliance of the carpet with the developed design project, and sometimes it is even advisable to be able to draw up a design project right on the spot with the consumer. Therefore, it is worth considering the option of cooperation with design studios, when the store sends the client to the designers, and the designers go to the store behind the carpet, which is an obligatory attribute of the interior. So you can sell your product, and in the end everyone will be happy - the client, the owner of the store and the partner design studio.
Of the additional services, it is worth noting the possibility of carpet cleaning, on the basis of the store you can organize a small carpet cleaning salon. Of course, there are specialized enterprises that deal with this, but sometimes it’s easier for the client to contact where he bought the carpet and where they know better how to handle it. Employees of the store, in turn, must follow the rules for caring for carpets, and some of them are in the store for a long time. Some materials do not tolerate sunlight well, some others - high humidity, and all this must be taken into account when planning and arranging the store.
You also need to consider selling your products online. In this case, it will be especially convenient to sell goods that are rarely bought. The customer, if he is interested in such a product, can place an order for him, and after a few days pick it up directly from the store. At the same time, he does not have to go to the store itself, he can even pay for the purchase without leaving his home. An online store can well stimulate sales growth, investing in it is almost always very profitable. This is especially true in cases where competitors already have their own online stores and offer consumers this opportunity. In addition, it is worth thinking about conducting your advertising campaign, giving information about yourself in the local media, posting information about the store on the relevant portals on the Internet. In general, it should be noted that the best advertisement is “word of mouth”, if there are no competitors in the city, then you should make sure that the store has a good reputation among the population, otherwise the first newcomer will pick up a significant part of customers. Sales and discounts also have a good effect on sales, especially during the period of a seasonal drop in the level of sales that is observed in this business with the onset of heat. It is logical that carpets are bought mainly in the fall, in the winter, in the summer such products are in much lower demand.
Thus, your carpet store can work in completely different formats, focus on different contingents of consumers, and also offer a certain list of additional services. Many consumers of these products appreciate the high level of service, which is why you only need to recruit competent consultants to work at your outlet. In general, this business can be very profitable, but the entrepreneur will have to make a lot of effort for this, because working with carpets is distinguished by its specificity.
Matthias Laudanum
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08/18/2019