How to start a mini-supermarket in Nigeria

 

Supermarkets seemingly deliver the best of consumables of all kind and category, ranging from foods to drinks, to fruits then to snacks etc. A vast majority of supermarkets in Nigeria also trade on other domestic wares like body creams, cosmetics and a few other of the likes. Basically, the elites frequent these places more often than not but then the lower class like myself also run into these establishments once in a while either when i've got a visitor to impress or when i have enough money for luxury Lol. Besides it being a beautiful facility, its also a very profitable establishment when you have both active customers and a professional management.

Supermarkets are by far one of the successful set ups in cities when managed rightfully and wisely. So then, i understand you have an interest on starting up a mini-supermarket in Nigeria, let's build on that. Now quite a lot of persons really do not understand practically the difference between a supermarket and a mini-mart. A supermarket as the name implies is a retail shop running on self-service with the sales availability of Household items and consumables. On the other hand, a mini-mart is a lesser form of a supermarket that isn't as much equiped as a supermarket but has almost the same service format as a supermarket.

Let's discuss five necessary steps to take while embarking on the exercise of establishing a Supermarket in Nigeria.

1... FIND OUT HOW MUCH CAPITAL YOU WOULD REQUIRE

My research reveals that between the years 2000 and 2002, a minimum of 1 million Naira is enough to lunch you a good supermarket if you're planning to  start up small. With the present economical crisis and the soaring costs of items and services on the National chart, you should be looking at twice that amount or 1.5 million Naira to be able to lunch it as a system that would begin to yield returns almost immediately. You'll need to inquire from people who are in the system already, my estimate may be slightly exaggerated  but to be on the safer side you should go with that. Ask around from dealers and take the mean or average starting capital you learnt of from your survey.

2... CREATE A PRACTICAL BUDGET

With the idea of the supposed starting capital you might need, you should proceed to creating a personal budget which may necessarily not be a photocopy of someone's past budget, this is why it should be a practical budget. It should be a budget that is directly applicable to you.

Perhaps you could have something like this for someone who is planning a starting capital of 1 million naira.

Shop Rentage------- N250, 000 (2 years rentage depending on your location though)

Freezer--------------- N70,000

Furniture------------- N80,000

Stocking-------------- N400, 000

Auxiliary Generator  N50,000

Miscellaneous------- N150,000

This is a very practical one.

3... FIND A GOOD LOCATION

The location of your intending supermarket  has much bearing on the survival and growth of your business. A bad or not suitable location is most likely to nullify your efforts. Search for a place that is crowed with activities or people but definitely not one that has too many of such establishments in it already as competition would be very high and almost intolerable. Ethically, no one loves an uncomfortable environment or to shop in a place that is quite distant from the nearest busy avenue. So ensure to locate a comfy and very easily accesible place, this is even more important than finance!

4... DECIDE ON SPECIFIC GOODS OR GENERAL MERCHANDISE

Here comes the decision to make on what to trade on. It is more prominent and beneficial to trade on general merchandise, that is having almost all the necessary and wanted stock because most people prefer to shop in a place where they can easily get all their wanted items in bulk and not running in and out of multiple shopping malls. However if your capital is low, you might choose to build on a particular category of goods. perhaps packaged food and consumables, meat, icecream, yoghurt etc. There are certain commodity types that are always wanted which are obvious to you and i but you may also need to carry out a little market research for hidden items that are also on high and consistent demand since you are new in the area and do not know too much already.

Also, do not forget to get the best stock from the best suppliers if you would not be visisting the market yourself.

These aforementioned steps are a brief summary of what you need to do while planning on starting a supermarket in Nigeria.

Best Regards

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How to start a restaurant business

Would you like to commence a restaurant or bar business in Nigeria? This is a nice idea and this article is specifically designed for you.
A restaurant business is a lucrative endeavour because people can't help but to require the services of such owners to satisfy their hungry  tommies.
One of the perfect Nigerian cities to launch a restaurant in is Lagos State why? Lagos is a very busy place, a city bustling with steady human activities. Lagos has been listed by wikipedia as one of the world's busiest cities, and home to Afvrica's richest Man and one of the world's richest Men in the person
of Alhaji Aliko Dangote. In Lagos everything goes, every business thrives, every idea sells. For one thing, due to the busy schedule of its inhabitants and the incessant and unavoidable Lagos traffic, people are rarely able to cook and eat at home especially bachelors and single ladies because they have to wake as early as 4;30 am to prepare for work just so they can swerve traffic and avoid being late to work, also most of the white-collar jobbers return home as late as 10:30 pm, so it is understandable that they are not able to eat neither breakfast, lunch nor dinner at home, logically such ones would depend on fast food and restaurants to service their bellies.


Nonetheless, besides Lagos there are so many other active cities in Nigeria where restaurants are good business. This article discusses principles for starting up a restaurant business applicable to any part of Nigeria and in extension Globally!
So then, let's highlight practical steps in starting up a restaurant or bar business in Nigeria.
1... GET SOME SKILLS
Everyone is a cook, at least we all make what we eat so we can agreeably be called cooks! However in terms of commencing or running a restaurant
business with the hope and intention of succeeding
with it, basic cooking knowledge isn't just enough and this is because people have different tastes, your prospective customers all do not have a single taste that is common to them. This means that you need to having some cooking skills other than what you already know in other to be able to serve them satisfactorily while doing so from a common standpoint which accomodates all their individual savoring. So you'd need to learn from the experts or people who are already doing well in the catering industry even if you'll have to pay for this knowledge,
its worth the dime spent on it.
2... GET AN ESTIMATE
When setting up a plan for erecting a building, financial costs is one of the most sensitive aspects to consider because the fund required to erect a two-bedroom flat and that for standing a four-bedroom flat has an obvious marginal difference. So it is imperative that you take a monetary research and find out just how much might be enough for launching your start-up and running it gainless for a few weeks at least. Ask around, ask for the cost of specific items on your budget list and get an overall
estimate for your exercise. With this, you have a
better knowledge of what you're getting into to avoid being overwhelmed by practical facts.
3... FIND A SUITABLE LOCATION
Location is an important factor that is also as sensitive as finance to consider. What would happen to a school situated in the middle of the market in terms of its learning environment? Very noisy and practically inconducive for learning.  Similarly, situating your restaurant or bar at the wrong posture would not only delay your success but might as well burn up your capital if you sleep at it.
4... FIND A SUPPLIER OF FRESH AND GOOD
MATERIALS
Restaurants need a steady supply of fresh green vegetables, packaged meals like fufu (if you can't make it), good red meat, drinks and the likes. Taking it upon yourself to always go to the market and scout for all of these items might be very hectic and strenous in terms of purchasing and conveyance to your shop, so it is best to have a steady and standby supplier of good cooking materials and if you must be in the market yourself to buy some of these items, then it should be the minority of your stuffs.


5... ADVERTISE
Yes, advertising your bar or restaurant even before commencing operation is one way of gauranteeing and establishing success with it. Talk to friends about your plans, project your idea to your family, tell your present colleagues about what you intend doing, not
for them to discourage you but for them to be aware and visit to patronize you as well as lend any physical support or financial help they can afford. Also in the vicinity of where you plan to establish, create a
physical awareness of your business to people
around, perhaps by telling a few people around and asking them for suggestions on how to get good supplies.
Getting done with these processes means you're now ready to launch your catering empire of food services.

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