- Volume: N / A
- Number of players: large - 5-7
- Profitability: about 100%
- design art paper (165 g / m2, A4, 10 sheets) - 52 UAH.
- acrylic paint (20 ml) - 30 UAH.
- set for creativity - 70-300 UAH.
“We had such a story, ” says Alla Gaidash, director of the Kiev “Artist's Bench”. - Once, one customer acquired markers in which the paint had the property to disappear after some time. But it so happened that they fell into the hands of her children, and the victim fell an expensive white leather sofa. The woman was in shock. But when, after a couple of days, the paint disappeared from the sofa, she came to celebrate and bought all these markers. Say, let them draw, not today or tomorrow it will disappear anyway. ”
The arsenal of art shops is really impressive: paints, canvases, brushes, art and decorative paper, pastes for panels and stained glass, hobby kits, airbrushes, materials for creating designer dolls and self-drying ceramics. But most of all, Ukrainians liked the fact that you can not think for a long time whether you have the right to create or not. About 50% of customers of such shops are people without art education, including children. They are offered special kits for creativity and hobbies. And for those who still can not figure out how to turn an artistic semi-finished product into a masterpiece, they offer inexpensive master classes. Market prospects are really picturesque, since the sales of some players have increased over the past year by 150%.
Painting "for dummies"
The market for creative materials is quite young: the first stores of this kind appeared only five years ago. Pioneers then had to break stereotypes. “At that time, the assortment in stores selling products for artists was approximately the following: whatman, two types of pencils, brushes made of unknown material, and paint, at best, from the factory of art paints, ” recalls Julia Favoritova, marketing -director of Paper HOUSE (a network of stores "AZUR"). - This is a post-Soviet assortment. At first, Ukrainians couldn’t imagine that paper could be 60 flowers of a single species, and there could be dozens of species themselves. ”
Now many professional artists are moving away from classical norms, supplementing their work with materials for decorative art, says Elena Lazarenko, head of the sales department of the Art-screen company, but manufacturers have prepared a “surprise” for followers of such trends. “The theme of sets for creativity, with certain content, manufacturers update on average once every six months, trying not to repeat. This is such a small exclusive, ”explains Ms. Lazarenko.
But all kinds of clients are important: nowadays, people who are far from drawing are more and more often coming to klondike of the art industry. Often mixed feelings are read in their eyes, uncertainty borders on determination, which is expressed in the modest question: “I want to do something, tell me how?”
“And sellers should tell everything about the material, from“ A ”to“ Z ”- this is the same master class, except perhaps a theoretical one. The person is satisfied and, as a rule, leaves with the purchase, ”Alla Gaidash is convinced. Given that, on average, such a client leaves 50-300 UAH in a store, why not talk to a nice person ...
Another thing is that not every seller has enough tact and endurance to communicate with neophytes. Yes, and such a person must possess knowledge of art.
And this is where one of the secrets of success lies. No matter how trite it sounds, even in art, cadres decide everything. In this case, students of art schools play very good roles. “If the seller doesn’t like to create, nothing will work out, ” says Elena Sosnikova, designer and promoter of the Black River company. “Almost all of our employees, from the accountant to the seller, are creative people.”
In the shop with an area of 30 square meters. m sellers should be at least four. The given parameters are optimal for this business, believes Alla Gaidash. To acquire such a shop, you will need at least $ 10 thousand for the purchase of the first batch of goods (three or four established brands). Plus rent, salary, advertising. The minimum margin on art products in Ukraine is 30-50%.
An interesting detail: in stores that sell materials for artists, as a rule, there is not a single painting, only samples showing paints or technique. “Once I noticed that trading in a single outlet and paintings, and materials for creativity is unprofitable. These directions are too different, ”explains Maxim Pushnya, director of Ariadna. - Do not spray. These are completely different categories of goods: each direction has its own buyer, its own function and price category. Do not combine the incompatible. "
Hello, I am your roof!
Where to open an art store - everyone decides for himself. “Renting in a shopping center depends on the floor and location: everyone passes the first floor, 50% of the people go through the second floor, and rarely anyone gets to the third, ” explains Alla Gaidash. “At first, because of this, we had few customers (the store is located on the 3rd floor), but thanks to workshops and forums of artists, where people advise each other about materials, shops, and more people.” The assortment also depends on the location of the store.
What format of work to choose - whether on a franchise or independently develop - is a moot point. From the point of view of a quick start, the search for a “roof” is clearly advantageous, but this is not the cheapest option. When you start the project on your own, you can start literally with $ 10 thousand and “donate” the footage, limiting yourself to just a few tens of square meters, while in the case of a franchise scheme, you will have to follow the standards established by the name seller. So, for example, “AZUR” (the only company in this market that offers work to outside entrepreneurs under its own guise) complies with the mandatory conditions put forward by a potential franchisee of premises with an area of at least 70 square meters. m, located in a busy place. Yes, and money to start, according to Yulia Favoritova, will need more - at least $ 30 thousand, the lion's share of which will be spent on the purchase of goods. Plus 2% of this amount to be paid in the form of royalties.
“A lot depends on how much a person imagines this group of goods and whether he is familiar with business basics, ” Ms. Favoritova explains. “It happens that an artist, sculptor or designer is eager to start a business, but they don’t know how to do it.” But people who sold sausages yesterday and decided to sell brushes and paints today are also not very successful. If initially there is no inclination for materials for creativity, it is difficult to enter the business effectively.
“The advantage of working“ under a false name ”is that the network provides the new player with the opportunity to earn money from the first day of opening, rather than fight with competitors and build a reputation, ” says Ms. Favoritova. Therefore, 2%, in her opinion, is a perfectly feasible burden, because entrepreneurs working under the guise of someone else will not have to spend money on staff training, as well as promoting a new point.
"The payback of stores" under a false name "is about two years, " says Julia. “Networks are easier to survive - they are developing, improving. Moreover, each network has its own soul, even despite the same assortment, - Alla Gaidash echoes it. “It is more difficult for single shops in this regard.” But your own project can pay off even faster: less start-up costs. Moreover, with an independent start, you can choose a narrow product niche or focus on a narrow target audience. “You can choose your audience and form an assortment for it. For example, students of art universities or professionals. A separate category is lovers without education and skills. And you can also collaborate with design studios, ”explains Elena Sosnikova.
Master-trainers
Non-artist training is one of the engines in this market. “6-year-old children and 80-year-old grandmothers come to the master classes, ” says Elena Sosnikova. “One 68-year-old woman visited more
15 workshops. It turned out for the sake of the granddaughter. Like, you have to have time to learn a lot in order to transfer experience later. ” The feature of such classes is the ability to produce something of your own, almost professional, and at the same time leave this very “something" to yourself.
Well, for entrepreneurs, such master classes are almost a 100% guarantee of the sale of consumables and tools. “In this case, there is a twofold goal: enlightening (to acquaint people with new products) and economic (to sell these materials), ” Ms Sosnikova explains. - Indeed, a person sometimes does not hear by ear information about new materials. Indeed, it’s better to see and do something with your own hands once than to hear a hundred times. ” Moreover, in most cases, visitors to such classes become regular customers. And, as a rule, the first lesson is followed by one more, and one more thing - those who want to join the art attend an average of at least five master classes. Depending on the materials for a three-hour lesson, they ask from 50 to 180 UAH.
Advertising is the engine of commerce, no doubt. But who said that this pleasure must be certainly expensive? Alla Gaidash says that they didn’t spend much on advertising for ten months after the opening - curious journalists and articles wrote, and television programs were shot. And participation in exhibitions (about six times a year) allows you to safely develop your business.
“When you see that in almost every outback in Europe there is such a store, you are inevitably filled with optimism: they say that we still have that potential for growth, ” Julia Favoritova rejoices. “Another thing is that we are trying to achieve in a few years the results that Europe has been going for many decades.” In the next three to five years, the company is going to open
7-10 franchising stores in Ukraine, three of which are planned to open in 2008. Who knows when Ukrainians will be fed up with art goods, but while sales are growing - at least 30% annually, maximum - 150%.
Maybe it’s impossible to sell non-professional art materials. But you can, after all - art semi-finished products and blanks. And also to enlighten the masses who are illiterate in painting. The main thing is not to philosophize on why and why non-artists draw, but to earn money on them.
Source: Power of Money
* The article is more than 8 years old. May contain outdated data