# opening a store (mid life crisis)



## AverageWhiteBloke (29 Jul 2010)

Just thought I'd throw this up and see where it lands, I have a shop fitting firm in the North West and have long thought about opening a fish store. Waaayyy back at one point I dabbled with renting out fish tanks to restaurants, doctors surgeries waiting rooms etc.
Anyway I already have premises that I use for storage of materials which is wasted and being a shop fitter could convert the premises at a minimum expense. The location is good probably within 40 miles of another big store with parking and as I have been running my own business for the last 15 years the inland revenue and all things tax are not a stranger to me. Neither are fish I've kept and bred them for 25 years.
I know you need certificates to keep life stock and courses are available but not sure where I would start apart from that regarding suppliers and setting up stocking tanks.
Anybody any suggestions where to start? BTW the mid life crisis bit is because I'm 40 today   and starting to wonder where my life's heading   It is something I have though about for a long time though just need a kick in the right direction.


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## Garuf (29 Jul 2010)

I think you should start by relocating to leeds and giving me a job. 
Jokes aside, the very best of luck. I think you could probably do worse than contacting clearseal, I'm sure they'd know quiet a bit.


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## milla (29 Jul 2010)

how abot a TGM franchise

viewtopic.php?f=47&t=10002


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## AverageWhiteBloke (29 Jul 2010)

Thanks both I will be contacting clearseal. I did look at the TGM franchise post which got my juices flowing, I will also be contacting them but not sure how they operate. The market round here is initially bread and butter stuff and TGM seem to specialise in aquascaping although I might have that wrong I'll find out when they get back to me.
Where I live there is one shop that's an emergency stop if your desperate, the lady in there tries her best to be fair but she covers everything pet related more gerbils, hamsters but you can get food and the odd meds and every now and again the odd fish you fancy that got mixed up with the bag of all sorts she gets now and again.
 There is a reasonable one in the next town which I generally use, very helpful and knowledgeable but its not personal and it is in the other town. I often thought of asking them if they fancied a venture using his long experience and suppliers and my premises and finance but not sure of how he would take it.  Other than that its a 40mile journey for anything out of the ordinary, no disrespect to the other town shop he caters for what people want and anything out of the ordinary he gets stuck with.
Being a shop fitter I bump into a lot of local people on site and guaranteed one person on each job will have a tank and if they're into their fish in a big way they do the 40mile journey as I do when I get the time.
Also has it happens one of the shops I fitted out that you need to travel to was a well know big player where most people go, the last time I was through there and I asked how they were getting on the manager said he was thinking of opening another out this way because that's where the majority of their customers come from(sorry if your reading this for using insider information  you probably know who I am   ) I was querying their tank fitters when I was working there about installations but they worked for them direct so never took it any further.
So rather than pie in the sky idea there is a market opening for a decent LFS here.

Thank you all for advice my mid life crisis is calming down I now have some lines to follow so keep them coming.


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## George Farmer (29 Jul 2010)

Sounds exciting.

I always say to my friends if I won the lottery I'd run my own shop, but more like an art gallery full of nicely aquascaped and well-maintained tanks.  Not just planted either.

If you stock quality products and livestock, and advertise them well in immaculately maintained holding and display tanks then you'll be doing better than 95% of your rivals, in terms of reputation, at least...

I think the market can be tough, with the tight profit margins on dry goods when compared with the many online shops these days, and the big chain stores that benefit from huge discounts from suppliers due to their high turnover.  Online stores don't have many of the the overheads of physical shops and big chains are often located in very busy garden centres, so can rely on large qtys. of visitors.

So I think a smaller shop needs to specialise in a more niche market and gain a reputation that will potentially bring in loyal customers from all over once word spreads.

Some of the best shops in the UK are the smallest.

Just my Â£0.02.


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## George Farmer (29 Jul 2010)

Casco are highly regarded in the industry, by the way -

http://www.cascoeurope.com/1100aquatics.html


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## stevec (29 Jul 2010)

you could try finding a aquatic shop for sale (daltons weekly) if you show genuine interest it will give you all the inside info suppliers etc and expected turnover profit etc...you never know you might even find it easier to takeover an already established shop...they start quite cheap


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