Bicycle business where to start. Bicycle sales business - your own bike shop. Bicycle store for wicker cane goods

Well, what’s next is another business idea with a seasonal product, which sells quite well, but many are frightened by the fact that the product is relevant only five months a year. We will talk about the business of selling bicycles. Due to the rise in fuel prices and the updating of ideas of environmentally friendly transport, the bicycle is becoming one of the leaders in this niche. Moreover, cycling is very good for health and many people buy them to keep their body in good shape. Let's look at how you can start selling bicycles and where to go to develop your business.

Business format and selection of premises

Bicycle retailing does involve... various options activities. Everything will depend on the initial capital and the willingness of the entrepreneur himself to work with seasonal goods.

Here are the two main formats of a bicycle sales business:

- trading on the market. It represents the rental of a certain retail space in the market during the season.

— opening a full-fledged store, for example, somewhere in a shopping center or a separate building.

1. Minimum investment in renting premises. Since the premises itself will need to be looked for large enough, from 50 sq.m., then the rent will not be small. This is why market trading is more profitable for a beginner.
2. There is no need to invest huge amounts of money in promoting your store. Clients will come due to the popularity of the market in which you operate.
3. Flexibility to work during seasonal periods. We completed the season and returned sales to the next season. In the case of a store, you will need to look for another way out, or invest money in winter goods- skis, sleds, etc., and at the same time spend money on advertising all this, or also cover the trade, but only with payment of rent during downtime.

It is all these factors that hold back entrepreneurs from opening a bicycle store, and encourage them to work in more different conditions. But at the same time, in big cities, in the bicycle market, there are major players who have already adapted to this seasonality and are able to conduct business more thoughtfully, and most importantly, profitably. Perhaps it’s worth learning from them and adopting some of the techniques for “survival” during the off-season.

It doesn’t matter what trading format you choose for your business selling bicycles, you will need to purchase some equipment:

— sales tables for the sale of spare parts and components.

— racks and devices for displaying bicycles in a store window or market retail space. During market trading, during the season, you will also need to rent a warehouse for storing bicycles or buy vehicles to transport them. Since the product is large, this is also a rather large expense item.

Assortment and suppliers

In fact, the business idea for selling bicycles is not limited only to this product and you need to include various additional product groups in order to minimize the risks of the money invested.

Here is a list of the main assortment:

Bicycles

• mountain
• urban
• comfortable
• highway
• women's
• children's
• balance bikes
• scooters

Components

• wheel parts
• transmission
• steering
• forks, shock absorbers
• saddles
• brake systems and more

Tools

• lubricants
• washers, cleaners
• repair kits
• mounting posts
• pullers
• keys
• tool kits

Accessories

• bicycle seats
• lighting
• cycling computers
• pumps
• luggage racks
• locks
• bags and more

Cycling clothing

This list can be much wider; in fact, each category has its own subcategories of goods.

The assortment is very impressive, but at the same time, a lot of parts, consumables and components allow everyone to make good money on this, since the level of markup on all this is quite high.

Service-center

A separate area is the bicycle repair business. If you have the opportunity to do this or hire people and organize a business in this area, then you will be able to provide your customers with the maximum level of service, offering them to buy not only bicycles, spare parts and components, but also to service the technical parts of their “iron horses” . This will increase your credibility as a seller and at the same time can be an additional source of income.

The main thing here is to find smart workers who are ready to work and motivate them with monetary rewards in the form of bonuses.

Advertising

Marketing steps in a bicycle business are a range of promotional activities. For example, to promote a retail outlet you can:

• distribute leaflets with discounts and pleasant bonuses in the form of gifts.
• hang some banners in the area where you work.
• advertise in the media, on the Internet, in social networks. This will allow you to reach the maximum level of the target audience.
• order a bright sign, business cards.

There is also an option to open an online bicycle store and connect contextual advertising or order search engine promotion, but competition in this segment is very high.

How much money do you need to start?

To create a good business plan for a bicycle store, you will need to make all the calculations of the costs of starting a retail outlet. Of course, everything will depend on the format of trade and the pricing policy of the store, but the investment will be considerable.

• Renting premises or a retail outlet on the market
• Taxes - $150
• Salesperson salary - $200
• Salary for a bicycle repairman: $250
• Initial purchase of goods – $20,000 – $30,000
• Purchase of equipment – ​​$2000 – $2500
• Advertising - $500 (+ advertising on the Internet).

How much can you earn?

Earnings in a business selling bicycles will directly depend on the level of competition, pricing policy, customer service, availability of goods in stock, and other things. It is also difficult to estimate due to the fact that the business is very seasonal and the earnings received during the season must be divided over the whole year to get an average value per month.

The average markup on bicycles is 10% – 30%.

Markup on spare parts and components – 50% – 70%.

On accessories – up to 120%.

Also, if you decide to do repairs, you need to take into account the income from the work of the service center. To operate it, you don’t have to rent a huge room, but even work in your own garage.

Conclusions. The bicycle sales business is a very difficult niche that requires large investments and is very seasonal. It will be difficult for beginners to start in this direction, but great desire and interest in this topic, you can try.

Would you like to add anything to the information presented? We are waiting for your comments.

We advise you to open a profitable business selling bicycles. Many future bicycle buyers are unaware that there are a great variety of types of bicycles (for adults, municipal, sports, road, two-seater, and so on), which, as everyone knows, serve for different purposes.

Undoubtedly, it is worth mentioning that the advantage of bicycles of certain modifications is their high price. It is comparable to the price of Russian-made cars.

I must say that even for such expensive bicycles clientele are being sought. It should be emphasized that they tend to pay higher prices due to what customers think are high-quality materials from which the bike is made. Clients are provided with a receipt for this account.

You need to find a skilled salesperson who could present the product to customers in a favorable light, and you also need to take care of guarantees for servicing the bicycles in case of their breakdown.

We immediately advise you to solve the problem of equipping your store with various models of bicycles. It must be said that the warehouse of spare parts and the maintenance of the bicycles themselves will require additional costs. It would be bad if we did not note that the low cost of spare parts and a set of keys for bicycles increases the profit margin of this business.

In any case, compared to the budget for opening a bicycle store, these costs are not that high. The main thing is the moment of payback. In fact, the main trump card is the warranty service. It will attract new customers to the store. At first, you can offer free warranty service for the bike as a bonus.

Organizing the placement of bicycles in the store

Bicycles, as everyone knows, are large products, which is why the sales area should be about 50 square meters. To this should be added a warehouse for spare parts, equipment, devices and other products.

Employee selection

We advise you to entrust the topic of purchasing a product to a competent professional. It should be noted that this must be a person who is fully versed in all the varieties of bicycles, their new products, the operating features of various modifications, and the availability of spare parts for them.

I would really like to emphasize that an expert organizing sales must understand the devices of all models of bicycles being sold. As strange as it may seem, mistakes in this matter can be detrimental to your bicycle sales business.

We advise you to buy bicycles in the autumn, because by the end of summer and the beginning of winter, bicycles are bought up, as everyone knows, by large trading organizations. Few people know that in winter, cycling continues from month to month in different areas.

Non-professional bike riders and competitive cyclists often organize competitions, one or the other organize friendly competitions and general rides. If a cycling society exists within the city, participate in its activities, be close to sporting events, give cups to champions.

It goes without saying that if there is no cycling society in your city, then quickly create one. The impressive fact is that you created the sports society yourself!

Calculation of commercial profit

The average retail price of a bicycle is 25-30,000 rubles. For the initial purchase of all goods (bicycles and spare parts) you will need about 500,000 rubles. Also, renting premises and additional equipment will require approximately another 200,000 rubles. To pay wages to employees you will need approximately 60,000 rubles per month.

The markup on bicycles when selling is approximately 25-50%. Also, the markup on spare parts usually starts at 50%.

To generate additional profit, you can rent bicycles, as well as introduce additional services such as airbrushing and others.

The payback period for the funds spent on organizing a business selling bicycles is usually about 1 year, maximum 1.5 years.

It can be difficult for a novice entrepreneur to find a niche in which competition is minimal.

However, with due diligence, you can find ones that are guaranteed to bring high profits.

An example of a promising business is the sale of electric bicycles.

Business selling electric bicycles

In our country, retail sales of electric bicycles are poorly developed.

Some residents of small settlements do not even know about the existence of such electric transport.

Opening an outlet selling electric bicycles can be a profitable endeavor.

The popularity of bicycles is due to the fashion for healthy image life.

Many residents of our country have begun to use cars less often, preferring to travel by means of transport that do not harm the environment and also help maintain health.

Electric bicycles are a great alternative to the usual conventional bicycles..

They are practical, maneuverable and ergonomic. They can quickly move around the city and transport small loads.

In Western countries, electric bicycles are used to deliver groceries. They are purchased by travel companies conducting excursion tours.

How to start a business selling electric bicycles

To open your own business selling such electric vehicles, you will also need investments in the amount of 500 thousand rubles.

The bulk of the funds will be used to create inventory.

On initial stage an entrepreneur should purchase 20-30 simple models of electric bicycles.

It is advisable to cooperate with Chinese suppliers. The minimum purchase price for one unit of goods in this case will be only $200.

Of course, Chinese-assembled bicycles are less reliable than their European counterparts.

However, with minimal financial resources, it is worth choosing this option.

An electric bicycle made in Germany will cost a businessman several times more. Cooperation with European suppliers will significantly raise the bar for entering the business.

To sell the purchased batch of bicycles, you need to rent a small room with an area of ​​15-20 square meters in one of the shopping centers in your city.

A businessman will need to hire an experienced consultant who will help clients choose one or another electric vehicle model.

Profitability of business selling electric bicycles

How profitable is a business selling such a product:

The final consumer cost of an electric bicycle is at least $350.

Upgraded models with expanded functionality can cost $600-700.

The net profit from the sale of one unit of production will be from 100 to 300 dollars.

The advantage of such a business is that it allows you to find additional sources income.

For example, you can open an electric bicycle rental office, renting out vehicles for short-term rental to tourists.

If an entrepreneur has some knowledge in the field of electrical engineering, he can manufacture such vehicles on his own.

In this case, you will need to purchase special batteries and electric motors.

The cost of a home-made electric bicycle, as a rule, does not exceed $150. Accordingly, the profit from its sale will be at least $200.

You can get free business consultations in my VK group "

The bicycle business in Russia is not developed. There are bicycles, but there is no infrastructure for their repair.

Nevertheless, more and more bicycles are being sold every day, but any problem like a figure eight on a wheel or replacing a chain requires a trip to the service center for some major problem. sports store, and the prices there are not humane.

So it turns out that by purchasing an Auchan-bike for 3 thousand rubles, a cyclist can get the price Maintenance 60% of the price of the bike. Although there’s nothing to do there - stretch the spokes, oil the chain and pump up the wheels.

You can make good money on this summer time, you can’t ride a bike in Russia in winter.

To open a bicycle workshop, you will need a small rag tent and rent of an area of ​​2x2 meters, a set of bicycle keys and a small device - a stand for the wheel. This device can be easily welded from metal corners or assembled with your own hands from aluminum tubes.

It is best to start such a business in early spring, when the snow has just melted, but the ground has not yet dried out; this is when cyclists begin to take their steel horses from balconies or roll out of the garage.
It is better to rent a piece of asphalt in a crowded place. Your work itself will be your advertisement.

Place advertisements in local forums and newspapers for free advertisements, print and put up posters advertising your services - bicycle maintenance, price (on average 500 rubles, but this may vary from city to city) and a diagram of how to find you.

On average, it takes about 20 minutes to service a bicycle. The main thing here is to choose a price that would be easier to give away than to tinker with a two-wheeled horse yourself.

At first, you can negotiate with cycling clubs or cycling forums about a discount for participants. This will work like word of mouth advertising.

Profit - count it yourself. It all depends on how much you agree to rent.

To the maintenance, you can add the sale of such things as brake pads, cables, bicycle first aid kits, spokes and inner tubes for wheels, and so on. The main approach is demand for repairs and small dimensions (to make it easier to store). You can sell this at prices slightly higher than in stores. It’s easier for a cyclist to overpay you than to go specifically for brake pads.

After the wave of people wanting to do maintenance has subsided, you can move on to repairs; 90% of repairs are simply replacing a broken unit. So nothing complicated.

You can also buy old bicycles for a small amount, bring them to life and rent them out.

Bicycles for rent, as a private business, it’s a goldmine. You buy 21 high-speed Auchan bikes for half or a third of the cost - 1000-1500 rubles, do maintenance work on it and rent it out for 50-100 rubles per hour.
In less than a week, the bike pays for itself and begins to make a profit.

There are, of course, some nuances here. The bicycle rental place should be in a crowded place, and in a place where people come to relax.
For example, a city park or next to it.

If there are lakes near the city, then you can locate your rental point next to the bus stop. Vacationers arrived, left, and walked to the lake for 15-20 minutes. And here you can rent bicycles on which you can get there in 5.

In my city, they also made a bicycle taxi on this route.

As you can see in the photo, a couple of bicycles were taken as a basis and a bicycle taxi was welded. No special frills, but three pedicabs can't go without work on a day off. Getting to the lake is 100 rubles, back 150 (the road to the lake is slightly downhill, 1500 meters according to the ordometer).

Summing up.
Despite the fact that the cycling business is a seasonal business, it remains very profitable. And it doesn’t require large expenses to start.

In addition, this niche in Russia is not occupied by anyone. By starting such a business, you will not have to experience problems with competitors.

Pros of this business:
- Very low initial investment.
- Minimum monthly expenses.
- The demand for bicycle repairs is increasing every year.
- Opportunity to earn money by reselling spare parts.
- Easy opportunity to open a bike rental or sale of used and repaired bicycles.
- Possibility to choose a flexible work schedule.
- The repair skills necessary for conducting commercial activities are acquired after several assemblies and disassemblies of your bicycle.
- Lack of competitors.
- The opportunity to open several such repair points in different parts of the city with the hiring of cheap student employees.

Happy business!

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