Own business - a children's clothing store from scratch. Children's clothing as a stable business. Stages of opening a store selling children's clothes Is it profitable to open goods for children

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Most people suffer from a banal lack of time, so they prefer to buy and sell online. Online trading has become very popular. Therefore, novice entrepreneurs are interested in the question of how to open an online children's clothing store from scratch.

Criteria for choosing a niche for business

If you can start your own business, the ideal solution would be to open an online store. Before you open your business from scratch, you need to determine the direction and find out which assortment to give preference to, how much it is in demand. The success of the undertaking will depend on the correct approach. The selected market segment must meet the following criteria:

Relevance. No need to fill the store with goods that cannot be sold profitably via the Internet;
Lack of seasonality. For a newbie, opening his own business from scratch, it is better to choose a niche without any unevenness.

What type of store to open

When drawing up a business plan, you should consider:

Number of sales. Online stores are divided into wholesale (from 5 units), retail (1 pc.);
Range. A one-stop shop sells a certain type of product. Such an Internet site has a page with a photo of a certain product, its price category, and a specific description. There are directory sites offering a huge range of product groups. Such a business is based on a certain markup of the product. Consequently, the entrepreneur's earnings are formed at the expense of large volumes;
Trading method. There are two sales options: classic and dropshipping. The first method is to purchase products and rent a warehouse for storage. After payment by the client, the selected product is sent by mail or courier service. The second is based on the fact that the purchase of products is not made, but is issued directly from the supplier's warehouse.

How to organize a business on children's goods?

Selling baby products is a business that will always grow. Regardless of the political and economic situation in the country, parents are always engaged in raising children, investing a lot of time and effort into it. In order for a child to grow up in a comfortable environment, he needs a wide variety of products.
That is why there will always be demand for baby products, which means it is profitable to sell them.

Features of the business selling children's goods

The children's goods market is one of the most dynamically developing today. This is evidenced by companies operating in completely different formats. These can be hypermarkets, departments in large shopping centers, shops in residential areas, chain stores, fairs, and even shops that operate only via the Internet. Typically, each type has its own customers.

Chain stores and hypermarkets cater to the needs of middle and high-income shoppers. Small shops and specialty fairs are more economical outlets.
You can also highlight universal outlets and stores specializing in certain groups of goods (toys, products for newborns, clothing, stores for expectant mothers).

We open a children's store

To open a children's goods store, it is necessary to analyze the market and decide on the type of point - will it be a department store or a highly specialized one. Further documents are registered. This process can take several months; in parallel, you can look after the premises for the store.

Ideally, this should be a detached building or a room with a separate entrance from the street. Consider renting space in a walkable shopping center. Since parents with children will partly come to the store, it is worth considering the possibility of lifting a baby carriage into the trading floor. This will significantly increase the number of visitors, and therefore buyers.

An equally important factor is transport accessibility. It should be convenient to get to the store by public transport (here an important factor is the presence of a nearby stop) or park your car in a convenient place.

If necessary, the premises should be repaired. It is better to choose bright colors, forcing children to stop and stay in the store longer. In addition, the store can be divided into zones using color. The more zones, the more interesting. In addition, if space permits, a small play area can be allocated where the kids can spend time while their parents shop.

Staff should be selected taking into account the specifics of the store. A very important quality for a seller is the ability and desire to communicate with children.

An equally important stage when opening a children's store is advertising policy. First of all, the store should have a bright, memorable sign. At the entrance, you can place several pillars, if possible, regularly change information there. Advertising on the Internet, on television, as well as in specialized institutions is excellent for children's stores. Do not forget that word of mouth was and remains the best advertisement.

When planning the opening hours of the store, you should consider the fact that many visitors will make purchases in the evening or on weekends. The optimal working time is up to 9 pm on weekdays. On weekends, you can close a little earlier. The longer the store is open, the more potential buyers will be able to get there.

What are the best baby products to sell?

If opportunities do not allow opening a hypermarket, you can limit yourself to a small assortment of children's goods. In order to determine the specifics of the outlet, you should study the range of stores operating in the district. So, in a residential area, it is not advisable to open a second store that sells goods of the same orientation in the same price range. And you should not open a small shop next to a hypermarket - the profit will be much less than expected.

For example, it is best to open shops with goods for newborns near the maternity hospital. They can sell cots, strollers, walkers, diapers, clothes for the little ones, as well as toys, cosmetic and hygiene items and various related products - dishes, bottles, nipples. If space permits, you can allocate space for water, juices and baby food. Such an area is advisable in a forehead store regardless of location.

Stores in dormitory areas can make a wide range of clothing or toys. They also sell well stationery or art kits.

Shops selling everything for expectant mothers are very popular. There may be not only clothes for pregnant women, but also goods that will be required in the first year of a baby's life.

Specialized shops for creativity will attract parents of curious children, and shops with active games will appeal to parents whose children lead an active lifestyle.

How to organize the sale of children's products?

It is no secret that lately the Internet has taken up the entire large part of our life. And if earlier the purchase of goods through the global network was perceived as something risky, today this is not unusual. On the Internet, you can order food, furniture, household appliances, clothing, sporting goods. Baby products are no exception.

The bulk of buyers - young parents aged 25 to 40 with average income. Surely, many of them are fluent in a computer and can arrange the delivery of the necessary goods.

Selling baby products through an online store significantly reduces the seller's costs. There is no need to rent space or hire a large staff. In addition, storage costs are significantly reduced.

At the same time, to promote a web page, you will need to invest a certain amount of money to make the site stand out from the competition. It will be necessary to resolve the issue of payment and delivery. If self-pickup is possible, it will be necessary to rent a small office space. If the client will arrange the delivery of the order, the courier's assistance will be required.

Ideally, you can combine the sale at a stationary point and through an online store. Thus, you can significantly increase the number of potential customers.

Children's goods rental

A relatively new, but already in demand service is the rental of goods.

For this type of activity, both products that are in seasonal demand and products that are suitable only for a certain age are suitable.

Quite a profitable business is the rental of New Year's and holiday suits. As a rule, the baby can wear it only once, so the item remains in good condition. To organize rental services, you will need to purchase costumes for different ages. A great place to find potential clients is schools, as well as institutions of additional education, where New Year trees and festive events are held. As a rule, the clients of such companies become permanent and recommend the company to their friends.

Another product that will be in demand for rental is car seats. Such an accessory is useful for a trip for several days. In addition, some models of car seats are suitable for short-term use (a month or two). Therefore, it is more expedient to rent them than to buy new ones.

In addition, you can rent sports goods, toys, clothing and even books.

In order to draw up the correct assortment of the future rental point, you should study the range of nearby stores. Ideally, you should go there as a buyer and find out what is in high demand, what the target audience lacks.

A very important service that should be provided to your customers is the option of a redemption. If the child really likes the toy, the parents should be able to buy it. This will bring in most of the business income.

Another interesting service - opportunity for clients to donate their belongings. Perhaps this service will not bring much profit, but in this way it is possible to significantly increase customer loyalty.

Another idea for a baby products business

If you have a teacher training or hire such employees, you can organize a center for leisure with children. This can be a small space with a play area where customers can leave the child under the supervision of a caregiver for several hours. The service can be used regularly or as needed. The main thing is that adults feel confident in this center and can safely leave the kids there.

Trade in baby clothes- a profitable business with a constant turnover. Children grow up quickly and need to replenish their wardrobe regularly. Most parents try to dress up their baby in new clothes, so it is extremely profitable to provide the buyer with this type of product. The main feature of the children's manufactured goods industry is the price level.

The correct choice of a cost guideline allows you to gain a foothold in a certain niche in the market, have a constant flow of buyers and successfully fight competitors. So, the first thing to do when deciding to sell children's clothing is to determine what target audience you will provide with the product. There are 3 options:

Cheap clothes.
Clothing for the middle class.
Luxury goods.

Each of these categories has its customers and can be profitable, since the incomes and interests of the population are different. Someone is trying to save money by choosing cheap clothes, others are financially secure and prefer to buy expensive things for the baby, not thinking that in six months or a year the child will grow out of them. Experts suggest that beginners take a closer look at the middle class. With this category of products, there is least of all the risk of "burnout". People with an average income are quite stable in purchasing new good quality things for their children at an average price. In addition, according to statistics, they make such purchases more often than others.

You should familiarize yourself with children's fashion, compile a list of the most popular products, study the size table. In clothes, not only growth is important, but also fullness, since children are different. The store needs to provide variety not only in models but also in sizes. This will allow you to have things for kids with different physical characteristics, that is, to reach a larger number of interested buyers. Information about current products can be found in magazines, on Internet sites, in outlets with similar products.

The assortment should be varied, including not only clothes, but also underwear.

Subsequently, it will be possible to add shoes, accessories, children's gadgets, toys. When parents come to the store for a dress or shirt for a child, looking at the rest of the goods, they will definitely remember about tights, panties or socks that should be bribed. Seasonality also needs to be taken into account and part of the proceeds should be left for the purchase of new consignments of goods, in accordance with seasonal demand.

Investment size

Step-by-step instruction

Your store should be located near a public transport stop and convenient parking for cars. The location near children's institutions will give an additional advantage in the struggle for attendance, but these should not be entertainment facilities (circus, children's theater, entertainment center). People go to these places to have fun, and in most cases they are paid. The money already spent there will stop parents thinking about buying clothes. They will think that they have already spent enough on their child today.

With detached buildings rented for a store, it is advisable to break flower beds, install benches, put a large cartoon figure at the entrance, that is, create comfortable conditions and aesthetic appeal. Do not forget about the ramp or the concrete entrance at the entrance, because many parents will come with strollers.

If you decide to rent a boutique in a shopping center, try to choose a shopping center that is already familiar to the buyer, otherwise there is a risk that this trade object will not be promoted and the buyer will not come. A shopping center that sells mainly clothes for adults and children is ideal. People will go there to buy clothes. For a children's clothing store, the right place is of great importance, since these products, although they are very popular, do not belong to the category of essential goods.

It is very important to correctly design the store front. The sign and color scheme of the decoration should be bright enough and correspond to the theme of childhood. They are designed to form in adults associations associated with children, causing affection, responsibility, care, love - the feelings they have for their babies. At the same time, the interior design should be in soothing colors so as not to distract the attention of buyers from the goods.

Documents

Opening a children's clothing store, you can act as an LLC or an individual entrepreneur. We are talking about a retail store, that is, interacting with individuals. In this case, the registration of individual entrepreneurship is more profitable, since you can switch to a simplified tax payment option. This will help to reduce tax collection and reduce the amount of documents required. Having issued an individual entrepreneur, you need to think about the type of tax regime under which your company will operate. For retail trade in children's clothing, 3 types are suitable:

UTII - a single tax is perfect for a small area up to 30 sq. meters, where no more than 2 sellers work. The cash register is optional, you can limit yourself to issuing sales receipts.
PSN - buying a patent will be appropriate for a store up to 50 sq. meters. A cash register is not required now, an MIP is enough, however, by 2018, an online cash register may be required.
USN (6% of profit) - used for large retail space with a large staff of employees.

Acquiring will give an additional plus in the eyes of buyers, that is, accepting bank cards for payment. However, in this case, you will need a cash register that prints out the nomenclature of goods with the price, discount and cost of each item separately. Product certification is required. However, if you are not a manufacturer of goods, certificates must be required from suppliers. The availability of medical records from sellers is also required.

Opening checklist

Is it profitable to open

The cheat for a children's assortment is much higher than for an adult: 100-200%. The demand for clothes for children is determined by the fact that babies grow up quickly, and the wardrobe has to be updated. This contributes to a profitability of 15% of the store's turnover. Such a profit corresponds to the average level of profitability, therefore, a business based on the sale of children's clothing can be called profitable and stable.

* Calculations use average data for Russia

A children's clothing store is the best idea for a business, especially if you have no or very little experience in entrepreneurship yet. The main advantages of this business include high profitability and an almost “win-win” product. Children's clothing, which can be quite comparable in price to clothing for adults, is in constant demand. Children's wardrobe is updated several times faster than an adult, and loving parents will be the last to save on their children. Fashion trends, although present in this segment, do not play as important a role as in clothing for adults. This means that clothes that were not sold out last season do not lose their relevance.

Market research

However, before opening a children's clothing store, like any other business, preliminary work is required to plan, study the market and find a free niche. In general, the situation on the Russian children's clothing market is assessed as favorable. In 2005 alone, its share was 12% of the total capacity of the clothing market, and in 2014 the share of the category reached 20%. In addition, children's retail is considered the most stable: even during the crisis, its turnover increased by more than 10%, while the segments of women's and men's clothing lost more than a third of their value. As the birth rate increases, so does the proportion of buyers of children's clothing. Now they make up almost 10% of the total population of our country.

According to analysts, the market is growing not only intensively, but also qualitatively, which implies an increase in the share of spending on the purchase of children's clothing and the cost of the average check. But there are also certain features that hold back the growth of this segment. These include lower margins (setting on average lower prices for children's clothing compared to adults with comparable production and logistics costs), high requirements for the materials and production technologies used, as well as competition between retail stores and clothing markets. The lives of small entrepreneurs are greatly darkened by the numerous popular joint purchase sites (JV), where participants jointly purchase goods in bulk from suppliers. At the same time, they enter "real" stores only to try on things, and then order them through the joint venture.

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In the children's clothing market, the most popular are clothing in the low and medium price category. The share of premium and luxury clothing is 12% in total. In the women's clothing market, this price category is 15%, but the purchasing power of the latter is much higher. Until recently, the market of luxury and premium class clothes for children was considered promising, since in large cities there was a tendency to choose children's clothing brands similar to adults. However, now, due to the unfavorable economic situation, it is not worth choosing this direction. In addition, revenues from the sale of expensive clothing are not as high as they seem: the costs of promotion and production (as a result, the purchase) of clothing are higher, and the return on investment is lower than in other price categories.

However, there are certain risks in the budget segment of children's clothing. They are connected, first of all, with the fact that the cost of production of children's clothing, in general, is comparable to that of an adult, but parents, on the one hand, do not want to pay a lot for clothes, from which the child will quickly grow up, and on the other hand, they expect high quality. ... As a result, the retail margin for children's clothing in the budget price segment is low. It is difficult for individual stores to compete with chain stores, hyper and supermarkets that also sell children's clothing, and clothing markets. Experts advise to rely on turnovers, since only the economies of scale can compensate for the low mark-up, but for a small clothing store, even if it is well located, it will be almost impossible to achieve high turnovers.

However, this does not mean at all that it is worth completely abandoning the idea of \u200b\u200bopening a children's clothing store. The main thing is to correctly assess the demand and study the assortment and pricing policy of competitors. If you can meet the existing demand and find a supplier of products with the best combination of price and quality, as well as find a good place to open a point, then your business will be successful. When evaluating, take into account the number of children's clothing stores in your city and the number of people that live in it. On average, a family spends about 10-15 thousand rubles a year on clothes per child (of course, in the regions and in the capital, this figure will differ greatly from the average).

Children's clothing store: business registration and premises search

To get started, you need to register as an individual entrepreneur. Opening an LLC does not make sense if you plan to work exclusively with individuals. The tax burden for individual entrepreneurs is much lower, and the workflow is less (although you still have to tinker with paperwork). Registration as an individual entrepreneur is cheaper than an LLC and takes less time. If your plans include wholesales to other children's clothing stores, then the form of a limited liability company in this case will be preferable. When registering, indicate the following OKVED codes:

52.42 Retail sale of clothing,

52.42.1 Retail sale of men's, women's and children's clothing

52.42.2 Retail sale of underwear

52.42.5 Retail sale of sportswear

52.42.6 Retail sale of hosiery

52.42.7 Retail sale of hats

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52.42.8 Retail sale of clothing accessories (gloves, ties, scarves, belts, suspenders, etc.).

Even at the stage of registration of all the necessary papers, start looking for premises for your children's clothing store. Finding a suitable option will not be easy. It should be located in a busy place where there will be a minimum of competitors. Ideally, this is a shopping center in a large residential area with high traffic. It is not cheap to rent, but experienced entrepreneurs argue that this option is generally preferable to a separate store. In order to place all the goods in a children's clothing store, large areas are not required. Clothes are oversized goods. It can be placed compactly on racks, displaying some of the most beautiful models on mannequins in the display case. When renting an area in a shopping center, you get several advantages at once, including the ability to place your advertisements on the facade and on the territory of the shopping center and the target audience (mothers with children of different ages). However, this option will not work if in the same shopping and entertainment center there is one or even several chain stores of children's clothing of the same price category that will be presented to you. If, for example, in the same shopping center there is a store of the Detsky Mir chain, then you can take a risk and bet on expensive branded clothing. But it is still better to consider other options for opening a point.

Ready ideas for your business

The rental price in the mall is quite high. And the lease terms are also not suitable for all start-up entrepreneurs. If you decide to look for a space in a separate building, give preference not to the city center (where rent is also not cheap), but to a large bedroom area. Proximity to the market or shopping center is an additional plus. It is advisable that your store is not located in the depths between houses, where only residents of nearby houses can find it, but along a busy road. A bright, eye-catching sign will be an additional way to attract the attention of potential buyers. Experts advise beginners to focus on the so-called "points of attraction" - the most visited places in the area when choosing premises for a free-standing store. These in our case include kindergartens, schools, children's development centers, grocery stores, etc. In practice, this advice may not work at all. Buying baby clothes is usually not momentary. As a rule, parents go to the children's store purposefully, knowing what exactly they want to buy. It is unlikely that someone on the way to the grocery store will accidentally pick you up and buy a winter overalls. Therefore, you should not get attached to such points.

The issue of store renovation and design deserves special attention. If we are talking about a non-branded store with inexpensive children's clothing, then designer delights will be completely useless. It is enough if your store is clean and comfortable inside. Renting a small room will cost from 30 thousand rubles per month (the exact cost depends on the region, area and location of the point). For minimal repairs, if necessary, another 50 thousand rubles will be required.

Do not forget that your store must comply with the requirements of Rospotrebnadzor, State Fire Inspection and the Trade Department, which are prescribed in regulations, rules or laws. In particular, the Trade Department monitors the implementation of the "Trade Rules for Certain Types of Goods", especially with regard to store equipment. Rospotrebnadzor requires the implementation of the Sanitary Rules reflected in the PLC - a laboratory control program that is created on the basis of SanPiN and GOSTs. Any retailer is required to have this Program. The fire inspectorate is guided by the Federal Law of December 21, 1994 No. 69-FZ "On Fire Safety", issuing permission to open a store.

You will also need special trade equipment and furniture. The minimum set of equipment includes racks, racks, shoe cabinets, mirrors, hangers, showcases, and a cash register. Furniture should be designed for children of different ages (depending on the assortment that will be presented in your store). If the variation in ages is small (for example, you sell clothes only for babies or preschoolers), then you can get by with five or six mannequins. If the assortment is wide enough, then at least nine mannequins will be required (three for each age group: preschoolers, younger students, adolescents). Don't forget to place mirrors in the fitting rooms. If space and budget allow, then you can also equip a children's corner with a board or table for drawing. Some stores have a TV showing cartoons. This will distract the child while the mother picks out things for him.

Assortment of children's clothing store

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The main revenue for such stores comes from the sale of outerwear (over 80% of the total revenue). In second place in terms of profitability is underwear, knitwear and various accessories. However, this does not mean at all that it is necessary to limit the assortment only to these positions. It should be diverse and include models for any occasion - from sports and walking options to festive and solemn ones. If you have no experience with children's clothing, then take a stroll through the shops of competitors and see what their range includes.

It is better to start with small volumes, since the assortment for all major age groups will require a large area and experience in purchasing such a product. You can limit the volume by choosing one or several age groups with the prospect of further expanding the range, taking into account customer demand. The simplest product includes clothes for newborns and a nursery group. Experts advise giving preference to products made from natural materials of attractive design and, equally important, at affordable prices. But this advice is not universal. The fact is that you will not earn much on clothing alone in this age category. If you choose this particular option, then there are two ways.

You can bet on expensive gift items (basically, these are checkout sets, photo shoot clothes, luxury envelopes, and newborn bedding). As a rule, such clothes are purchased not by the parents themselves, but by their relatives and friends as a gift to the newly-made mom and dad. In this case, considerations of practicality and cheapness do not work. This option is suitable if in the shopping center where you open your store there are other points of sale of children's clothing at budget prices. By opting for the luxury and premium categories, you will work in your own niche, without entering into competition with other stores. If, according to your assessment, such a boutique turns out to be unprofitable (for example, for a small town this is not the best option), you can open a clothing store for newborns and children under three to four years old at affordable prices. But in this case, you will have to expand the assortment by adding, in addition to clothes, various accessories (for example, feeding bottles, nipples, etc.), toys, baby bedding and diapers, music books, etc. in a separate building. In the mall, most likely, you will not find enough target audience.

The next age group that you can bet on is children who attend kindergarten. Clothing for them should be comfortable, practical and attractive in design. Models of the middle price category, made of natural and at the same time wear-resistant materials, are in the greatest demand. Particular attention should be paid to the lingerie group and knitwear. For manufacturers, consider Russian brands that develop designs in our country, and the models themselves are sewn in China. Their products are notable for reasonable prices and good quality.

Clothing for junior and middle school students is a rather difficult category. It is not recommended to contact her if you do not have a lot of experience with such a product. The fact is that the child himself begins to take part in the choice of such clothes. Moreover, he is guided, as a rule, by considerations of “fashion”, but this fashion develops absolutely spontaneously (for example, what one of his classmates has is becoming fashionable). However, the assortment for this target group is dominated by school uniforms and various variations on this theme (pants, vests, shirts, sundresses, dresses, skirts, blouses and jackets). The price category in this case is practically unlimited: both affordable and expensive things will be in demand. However, the specialization of your store will determine its location and promotion methods, so you will need to decide on it in advance, even before looking for space for rent.

If you rely on the versatility of the assortment and are going to sell clothes for different ages, then it is advisable to break down by contiguous groups (for example, clothes for newborns and nursery assortment, clothes for older preschool and primary school age children).

As for the suppliers, the products of Russian, Chinese, Polish and Turkish manufacturers have proven themselves well. More and more often, entrepreneurs prefer domestic brands, primarily due to lower prices, which are quite understandable, because Russian manufacturers do not spend additional funds on customs clearance and delivery. Traditionally, it is believed that the quality of products of Russian factories is better than that of Chinese or Turkish ones, since they develop their technical conditions, being guided by Soviet standards. Unfortunately, this does not always correspond to reality, therefore, before purchasing products from a new manufacturer, take a small batch "for trial". But avoiding unfamiliar brands is also not worth it. Recently, a large number of small sewing enterprises have appeared, which sew products in small quantities, but with an original design, high quality and low prices. Some of them have their own narrow specialization (for example, some produce exclusively envelopes for babies from designer fabrics, while others - smart dresses and costumes for preschoolers). Perhaps working with several manufacturers at once will not be very convenient than with one supplier. But this way you will get an additional competitive advantage - a unique assortment. Just be prepared for the constant search for new models, since competitors are also on the alert.

Domestic manufacturers have two more advantages: the availability of all the necessary documents (their goods are certified directly at the factories, so you don't have to certify anything yourself, as when working with foreign companies), as well as more convenient ordering conditions. When working directly with the factory, you will be able to agree on the release of not a whole range of sizes, but selectively, and also get the opportunity to agree on the release of individual dimensional nets. In the process, you will notice that some sizes are more in demand, and some lie on the shelves. It is unlikely that it will be possible to agree with foreign companies on ordering goods with incomplete size ranges.

You can find domestic manufacturers of children's clothing via the Internet. After you confirm that you are an entrepreneur (for this, a copy of the constituent documents is usually provided), you will get access to catalogs with wholesale prices and will be able to conclude a contract for the supply of goods. The goods are shipped on a prepaid basis and are usually delivered by a transport company if the supplier is located in another city.

Working with foreign manufacturers requires experience in organizing the delivery and customs clearance of goods from abroad. You can shift all the worries to intermediaries, but the cost of production in this case will increase significantly. Keep in mind that you will need to agree with the seller on the minimum order amount, on the documents that he can provide with the goods, on the terms and conditions of delivery. All this requires time and knowledge of a foreign language (at least English). If you plan to work with an expensive product, then you will have to go to the seller to check the quality of the product. It will not be possible to exchange a marriage with a Russian labor manufacturer, but foreign suppliers will not go to the meeting, or the cost of delivery of a defective item will be too high (and you will have to send it at your own expense). Therefore, you will have to solve the issue of defective clothing yourself (as a rule, an impressive discount is set on it, and it is sold at a price even lower than its cost price).

The average mark-up for baby clothes is 125%. The trade margin for cheap products can reach 200%, and for expensive ones rarely exceeds 80-100%.

Let's say a few words about the selection of sellers to work in your store. With a small area, one store located in a shopping center and working according to its schedule (seven days a week from 10 am to 10 pm) will require at least two sellers. The main requirement for the staff is an excellent knowledge of the assortment and dimensional grid. It is important that they know what size (in children's clothes it is usually determined by height) what age it corresponds to. In addition to salespeople, you also need an accountant. Although accounting for an individual entrepreneur is much easier than for an LLC (if you work on a simplified taxation system), without experience and relevant knowledge at first, it will take too much time to maintain accounting and tax accounting. Do not forget that you must make mandatory pension insurance contributions based on the wages of your employees and pay personal income tax.

Children's clothing store expenses and income

To open a small children's clothing store with a narrow specialization (for example, by age), it will take from 500 thousand rubles. For a store with a universal assortment, you need from 2 million rubles. One-time costs include the purchase of equipment and furniture (up to 100 thousand rubles). Monthly - rent of premises (30-50 thousand rubles), staff salaries (from 30 thousand rubles), deductions for pension insurance, taxes, and other costs. The profit of a small store is from 80 thousand rubles per month. The payback of such a business is estimated by experts at 12-18 months.

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The children's goods market has always been a very attractive sector in trade for many entrepreneurs, but what can I say, it is still the most profitable and remains very profitable even in times of crisis. All this is based on the principle of the mentality of our people, namely, they don’t save on children. So it is, and if, for example, adults can refuse to buy some thing, then they try to buy the best for the child. It is this factor that makes the children's clothing trade a competitive business, and at the same time, a large number of manufacturers allows many entrepreneurs to work and take their "place in the sun" in this area of \u200b\u200bactivity.

In this article, we will talk about how to open a small store selling children's clothing and what you need to do for this. We will go through all the main steps of starting this business and you will decide for yourself whether you should work in this niche or not.

Business format

Before you start looking for premises and buying equipment, you need to clearly define the format in which you will work. In fact, the business idea of \u200b\u200ba children's clothing store was worth putting into several subcategories, but we decided to do a more general overview in one article. So, the most popular options are:

- purchase of a ready-made business for the sale of children's clothing. This is a very good solution, especially if the point is promoted and there is already a list of regular customers. This is a good start for newbies, but in fact it is very difficult to find a good option for a ready-made business in this area. Really profitable outlets are rarely sold.

- opening a retail outlet for the sale of children's clothing from scratch. In this format, you will need to go through all the steps, starting from the selection of premises and ending with the development of a client base. A difficult and very costly path, but often it is with this option that beginners start, launching a small store of children's clothing and accessories in their city, after which it often grows over time into fairly large boutiques.

- a thrift store for children's clothing. Opening such a business option is especially beneficial during an economic crisis. There are a number of points in this area, namely, this is working with used things, but on the other hand, the price tag in such a store is much lower and you can find your customers.

- franchise sale of children's clothing. The least attractive option for starting a business, especially in small cities. There are many different options for franchises with children's clothing, but with this format, you will have a number of restrictions, this is the range of goods and work only with certain manufacturers, which may not help to increase sales.

As you can see, there are many formats and they all have their own nuances. The choice is solely yours.

Selection of premises and equipment

First, you need to note for yourself a list of the most profitable places where you can open a children's clothing store. Firstly, these are shopping centers. Young mothers love to go shopping with their children and they often visit shopping centers. Renting a good place in a shopping center is already half of the success of this business, especially this will affect the savings in the advertising budget.

Secondly, these are free-standing stores. In such stores, they usually sell some specific product and attract customers with their uniqueness. For example, good quality children's clothing at low prices, or the availability of programs for discounts and other things.

Thirdly, these are clothing markets. At this time, it is profitable to work in this format in small towns. Prices are usually low in such outlets, and there will always be customers.

Fourthly, you can open an online children's clothing store and only rent a warehouse for a low price and sell all products using the Internet and online advertising. With the advent of social networks, this option has taken a significant share of sales in this segment.

The size of the premises for a small store can be found from 30 sq.m. and higher. You need to keep in mind that most of the product is a set of all sizes, so this entire assortment will need to be stored somewhere.

Now let's look at what kind of equipment you need for selling children's clothing:

racks with shelves;
showcases on wheels, for the demonstration of sweaters, outerwear, suits and other things.
shopping baskets in which socks, panties and other rubbish are usually laid out.
racks with hooks, on which a large amount of outerwear is placed with the help of hangers.
cabinets for storing other assortment.

Also, do not forget about the workplace for the seller and provide a small play area for children, with a few toys. This will help distract them while mommy chooses clothes for her baby.

Children's clothing trade rules

One of the frequently asked questions on the Internet is, what documents does the trade in children's clothing need? It is quite logical, and we will try to answer it.

choose the organizational and legal form, types of activities and taxation system
conclude a lease agreement
if the landlord has not provided you with all the permitting documents for the premises, you will need to go through all the checks for SES and fire safety yourself
placement of a trade patent, license in accordance with the requirements established by law
you, as a seller, have quality certificates for the goods
organization of the buyer's corner in your department

After meeting all these requirements, you will be able to obtain a permit to trade in children's clothing. When starting a business, it is best to consult with a lawyer, since the rules of work in Russia and Ukraine are slightly different and an experienced lawyer will tell you all these points.

Assortment and suppliers

The next step on the way to opening a department for the sale of children's clothing, as in any business, is the selection of an assortment. We will indicate only the main categories of goods that should be presented in such a store.

Separation by gender:

for boys
for girls

According to the age:

for newborns
from 1 year
from 3 years old, etc.

By product groups:

outerwear: jackets, coats, vests
hats, scarves, mittens
overalls, envelopes
jeans, trousers, pants
sweaters, shirts, blouses
tracksuits
bodysuits, sliders, bibs, tights, socks, underwear and much more.

Your assortment will depend on the start-up capital and perhaps at first, when starting a small business selling children's clothing, you will choose a narrower segment of goods with the subsequent expansion of the assortment.

To find suppliers of products, you can either cooperate with sellers in wholesale clothing markets, or look for factories in your country and order goods directly.

Also, now there are a huge number of representatives of various manufacturers of children's clothing who are ready to cooperate even with small stores. There is a huge choice and you need to choose the most profitable and cost-effective product. Of course, you shouldn't include in the assortment not high-quality children's clothing from China, unless the seller will provide you with all the certificates for this product.

Advertising

In our time, with a huge competition in the market for children's clothes, it is not enough to say that I want to open a children's clothing store in my city. To promote it, you need investments in advertising.

Here is a list of the main sources of clients:

media announcements
distribution of leaflets with promotions and discounts on goods
discount program in your store
advertising on the Internet, namely contextual advertising on your online store and its search engine promotion in various product categories
advertising on social networks. In fact, promoted groups on social networks can bring the lion's share of customers, while often queues line up there for hot goods.

Don't forget about an interesting name for your store and a bright sign.

How much does it cost to open a children's clothing store?

Investments in this business will be different in each case. It all depends on the price range of goods, assortment, store location and other factors. We will provide a basic list of expenses.

Premises rental - $ 250 - $ 300
Taxes - $ 150
Seller Salary - $ 220
Initial purchase of goods - $ 15,000 - $ 20,000
Equipment purchase - $ 1500 - $ 2500
Advertising - $ 550 (+ online advertising).

How much can you earn?

You can earn a lot, especially if you connect social networks, but promotion of a business selling children's clothes will take time and money you need to be prepared for.

The average mark-up for children's clothing ranges from 50% to 110%. But at the same time, there are a number of product groups where the mark-up can reach up to 130%.

Based on these figures, you can roughly estimate the volume of sales required to pay off the business.

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