What to sell at the mall. How to open a store in a mall: a step by step plan. Benefits of doing business in a mall

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Many small business entrepreneurs are faced with the difficult choice of opening their own stand-alone store or renting a small location in mall. Both options have their pros and cons. St. Petersburg entrepreneur Dmitry Ogorodnik also faced such a choice - he already had a separate store, but he also decided to test drive in the “island” format in a shopping center. We think it will be useful for many small business entrepreneurs his experience.

34 years old, entrepreneur from St. Petersburg, CEO company "Karelschungit", managing stores and "Planet of Shungite". Education: Ryazan Institute of Airborne Troops. Dmitry Ogorodnik - author business blog in which he shares his own entrepreneurial experience. Until the end of 2016, the company had its own offline store; in December, a retail outlet was opened in the June shopping center.

Think design, make a good presentation

The advantage of shopping centers is that there is already traffic there. You will not need to spend years for people to find out about the location of your store and start visiting you. You immediately get access to a mass audience.

The first thing to understand is that although you sign a lease agreement, in fact, you do not need the lease itself, but access to the maximum number of people who “live” in a particular shopping center.

Therefore, you need to start by setting yourself up - your goal is not just to get into some kind of shopping center, but to find a good passable place in any shopping center.

The first thing to do is create a presentation. Almost all shopping centers will ask you to upload a presentation of your project; without it, your proposal will not be considered at all. The presentation should include the following:

Design for your store. It must be ordered in advance, even before you start looking for a place.

Competitive advantages. Write why you are a great option for a mall. Here you have to turn on the fantasy and come up with arguments.

Portrait of your target audience.

Planned average check in your store.

General information about your company.

The most important point is about design. Accordingly, you will need to find an agency that develops the design of outlets and stores. There are not many such agencies (at least in St. Petersburg), but they do exist.

You need to think about how the store will look schematically - i.e. how the showcases will be located, what kind of showcases they will be, where the checkout area will be, etc. If you don’t have your own thoughts on this, then I advise you to walk around the shopping centers and look at the points that are already working. And decide what you like for the sample.

Then the designers will have to general scheme turn into 3D visualization. This picture needs to be inserted into the presentation - 50% depends on it, what decision will be made on you. If there is no picture, decision makers will simply not be able to understand whether you will fit into the overall visual concept of their mall.

I want to warn you right away: if you want an “island”, then it’s better to immediately plan to make it out of glass and plastic. Not from wood! Then there will be more chances that you will be approved. Shopping centers are very fond of plastic "islands".

After the presentation is ready, you need to make a list of all the shopping centers in your city. You need to contact all possible. And then choose from what you will be offered.

In all shopping centers, either the contract department or the rental department is engaged in renting. You need to find on the Internet all the contacts of rental managers from the relevant structures. Then - call them, ask about free places, clarify working emails and send your presentation.

Be prepared for the fact that at first no one will answer you at all. In a few days, I advise you to call everyone again, remind them of yourself, and ask them to watch your presentation. If necessary, you need to call every 3-4 days - until you are directly told that “there are no places” or “you do not fit into our concept”, or they offer some options.

Let's say you wait feedback, you are offered some options to choose from and invited to meet with the manager.

And there is very important point: before this meeting, be sure to go to this shopping center, moreover, it is advisable to go at least twice - once on weekdays, the second time on weekends. Take a comfortable place for observation and calculate the patency. Track how many people pass by your future store in 30 minutes or an hour. This will allow you to identify potential traffic.

Also look into the quality of parking, access roads, competing malls nearby, etc.

Read the contract carefully, bargain,
ask for rental holidays

Let's say they called you back, offered an option, you monitored everything and everything suits you. And then the contract will be signed. But before that, as a rule, you sign a preliminary agreement or an agreement of intent (this is, in fact, the same thing). This document specifies the footage, the amount of payment, the terms of cooperation, etc. Negotiate before you sign. As a rule, 10% of the advertised rental price can always be discounted.

You need to read the lease agreement very carefully, delving into each clause. Each shopping center has its own lease agreement. And very often there are a lot of different nuances that can put you in a very unenviable position.

It is important that you are offered so-called rental holidays. Usually it is a month, a maximum of two. This is the time for you to prepare your sales equipment and equip your outlet. If the contract does not contain a clause about rental holidays, then be sure to ask about it!

If everything in the contract suited you and you signed it, then it's time to put into production the equipment of your outlet - according to the approved design.

Do not forget that very often the designers themselves have access to various industries - and they can advise you on a good contractor. If your designer does not know anyone, then Google with Yandex will help you - there are a lot of companies that manufacture equipment, choose according to the ratio of price and quality, and do not forget to monitor reviews.

Start hiring sellers
order acquiring, equip a point

While the equipment is being manufactured, run the process of hiring sellers in parallel. This is not a quick matter, it may well take 1-1.5 months. In our experience, this is how long it takes to find competent sellers.

Then you immediately need to apply for registration and installation of acquiring. It happens that they are also delayed with it - it may take a couple of weeks until you get a terminal.

Request your copy of the contract as soon as possible. The administration of the shopping center can delay this - for example, send it for signature to its directors and departments. And you will need it in order to put cash machine. It will need to be ordered from specialized companies and registered with the tax office.

And at the same time, you need to purchase commercial equipment. In our case, this is a jewelry store - so we ordered plates for rings, earrings and other products.

All installation works are carried out at night, so you will need to apply for the installation of equipment in advance.

If you did everything right and conducted all the processes in parallel, then your outlet should start working soon.

And now our experience

When we opened our first “island” point, there were doubts. We launched it as a test format. Someone said that the islands are not the format that suits the jewelry. Like, no one approaches them, no matter who you ask, all their wives bypass them. Allegedly, in itself, this is a zone of discomfort - you stand and choose, and people walk by.

On the other hand, in 2011-2012 I myself worked on the "island" - and sold well. People approach, are interested, buy. So I thought it was worth at least trying. Even if it doesn’t work, the rent is not so expensive, you can work in the red. The main thing is to understand whether the format is suitable or not.

So, we opened our first "island" in the St. Petersburg shopping center "June" in December 2016. The first month worked "to zero". For us, "zero" is 260,000 rubles of turnover.

January 2017 started neither shaky nor rolly. For the first eleven days, we again went “to zero” in terms of turnover. I walked around very upset. It seemed that this would continue. There were thoughts that, no, the “island” format is really not for jewelry.

But after the holidays, the situation changed dramatically. Sales went up. As a result, January was closed at the amount of 417,000 rubles. And this is already a net profit - over 150,000 rubles. For us, this is an indicator that the format makes sense.

And we closed February already at the figure of 750,000 rubles. According to intelligence, we overtook the closest competitors who have been trading silver in the same shopping center for nine months. Their maximum turnover at this place was about 600,000 rubles in December.

Our net profit in February turned out to be around 300,000 rubles. This is significantly more than our expectations. So, we can already say for sure that this is a working format, and we will promote it.

Now they have already begun to look for a new place for the second "island". When we fully work out the format, we will start working on the franchise. But this is the future.

Probably, everyone at least once (and most likely even more often) thought about opening their own business. To begin with, a small selling point is enough, and then, as they say, time will tell. As a rule, not many go beyond these reflections. But for those who want more, we decided to talk about the most affordable option - an island in a shopping or business center.

The area of ​​the island is usually 5-10 square meters, and not necessarily a larger island will be more expensive, a lot depends on the location and the lease term. The island itself as a place of sale on the territory of a shopping center (TC) or a business center (BC) is one of the best options for starting your own business, which is why it is so popular. Walking through the shopping center, you may not see some branded store, but it is impossible not to notice the island, because it stands in your way.

And yet, in order not to lose sales data, keep track of the most popular positions, protect yourself from theft and quickly conduct inventories, we recommend installing an automation system at the very beginning. For example, Poster can take 15 days to understand how such accounting systems work and what they are for. And now more about the islands themselves.

What do they sell on the islands?

Islets can be divided into two types: located in the business center and the shopping center. The types of services and products that you will offer depend in one way or another on the type of center. Below we will describe in more detail what business centers and shopping centers are, their classes and types.

Which business is better suited if you are considering a BC option:

Coffee shop, bakery and patisserie

Printing services, fast printing photo and press sales

Sale of batteries, small household goods

Tobacco kiosk, accessories for hookahs and liquids for electronic cigarettes

For shopping center the list is much longer. Try to focus on the sale of goods that are not in the hypermarket inside the shopping center or the range of which is very narrow there:

Fresh (freshly squeezed juices)

Decorative or craft sweets: chocolate, cakes, sweets, etc.

Coffee to go

Wallets, belts, bags and hats

Accessories for smartphones and tablets

Perfumery

Fan merchandise (football, hockey, etc.)

Watches, knives, flashlights

Jewelry and bijouterie

Postcards, gifts, gift wrapping

Print on t-shirts, mugs and instant photo prints

Souvenirs (if the shopping center is near the station or in the tourist area)

Pet supplies (not every shopping center has a full-fledged pet store, but even if there is one, then remember that you need to buy bulk food or a treat for your pet, a person may already be at the exit when he sees your island)

Tobacco, cigarettes and everything for hookah

Electronic cigarettes and accessories

A separate point is cosmetology services:

Express manicure

Massage chairs

Express haircut

Eyebrow and eyelash extensions

But for such islands there will be few basic showcases, you will need separate mirrors, lighting, armchairs, which means you need more initial investment. But a big plus will be the accompanying sale of cosmetics, which will significantly increase revenue.

Buying a finished island

It can be either a full business or a lease assignment. A good option to start, but in any case, you will either overpay for a working point (compared to opening from scratch), or buy cheaper, but this point may go bankrupt already with you.

Also, unpleasant situations can arise when you are assigned to rent a point. For example, you want to open a takeaway coffee point in the lobby of a business center, where there is already a coffee shop that gives you its accumulated audience. It looks tempting, but in reality it may turn out that they give you their place, and literally a week later they open a new island next to you, and this audience returns to them. To avoid this, write everything in the purchase agreement and in the terms of the lease, if possible.

franchise island

A good option for retail or catering outlets. Requires a little more initial investment, but you get:

well-known brand, recognition;

reliable supplier;

ready business-plan;

help in starting a business.

You can read more about opening a franchise business using the example of a cafe in our separate one.

What are business centers?

This information will come in handy when you look at rental ads or when working with real estate agencies. All business centers are divided into three classes: A, B and C. Not so long ago, types B + and C + began to appear in the descriptions, when landlords want to emphasize the improved characteristics of their center.

There is also a category D, common only in small towns(population around 100,000 people). Such business centers offer potential tenants only "walls": no infrastructure, major repairs are needed, the famous corridor-office layout, which is extremely inconvenient for many tenants.

Most often, there is simply nowhere to place an island as a point of sale, although the audience of such centers is quite suitable for a certain type of business. For example, you can sell newspapers, small household goods, batteries and similar goods there.

What is the difference between classes of business centers?

1. Class A business centers:

usually located in the central part of the city;

have convenient access, secure parking (one parking space per 100 square meters of office area) and separate underground parking;

there must be a public transport stop nearby;

repair according to international standards;

centralized air conditioning and ventilation system;

reliable round-the-clock security;

designed for the top companies of the city or country.

2. Class B business centers:

most often located around the city center near metro stations;

availability of open guarded parking;

high-quality interior decoration;

good repair;

communications in full;

individual air conditioning;

designed for medium and small businesses.

3. Class C business centers:

located in residential areas or far from the main highways of the city;

finishing is a cosmetic repair performed by the owner of the building or the tenants themselves;

disparate communications;

unguarded parking;

low cost of rent, as a rule, are of interest only to small firms.

What are shopping malls?

Shopping centers differ in concept and specialization.

Universal malls. They offer the widest range of goods and services. Ideal for different types islands, the main thing is to study competitors and traffic in order to correctly calculate the payback and expediency of opening a new point.

Specialized malls. Attract an audience through a wide range of products in a certain category. Such a narrow focus may present some risk. You need to choose the type of business, what to sell or what services to provide, only with a focus on the specialization of the shopping center. Most often, such centers are formed on the basis of chain stores of electronics or building materials - this is a popular phenomenon for cities in regions with a population of 300,000 to 1,000,000 people.

Such shopping centers can be designed for both ordinary buyers (retailers) and professionals, which means that in any case there will be traffic here, which gives additional stability to the business.

fashion centers where clothes, shoes and accessories are sold. Their advantage lies in the fact that they are located in the central part of the city and provide targeted traffic even with small areas. AT major centers assortment is important for fashion: the more different boutiques, the more diverse the audience.

TRK(shopping and entertainment complexes) - practically the same as universal shopping centers, only a large lease area falls on places for leisure, entertainment, sports and recreation, including active ones.

How to search for a place?

Here is our short plan steps to rent an island in the mall:

Make a list of the most popular shopping malls (as an option - as traffic decreases in order to start searching in less popular centers at the end). The priority is to find a good location in a popular center.

Go around the selected shopping centers, looking for not only free, but also occupied places suitable for your type of business, with good visibility of signs, storefronts and stable traffic. The best seats are near the entrances, but they are usually more expensive.

As you go around, you need to find out the contacts of the administration.

You need to know the cost of rent. Perhaps some owners or managers will want to arrange a personal meeting and call for a conversation in the office. Often such issues are resolved individually, depending on the area of ​​the future island and the lease term.

Decide which point you need: "wet" or "dry" (with or without running water). For example, if you plan to open a coffee shop, this is a very important point. Imported water is expensive and is constantly in short supply. It is needed not only for drinks, but also for washing dishes, appliances and equipment.

Any occupied places can really be "killed" by offering a higher rent, the main thing is to understand how profitable it is. Perhaps the lease term under the contract for busy place is already coming to an end, and with the help of a minimal fee increase, you can pick it up.

Market average minimum term lease - 6 months. Few of the landlords will agree to a shorter period, so it will not work to “try” the business and understand whether it works in this place. Be sure to take this into account when drawing up a business plan.

Is the equipment new or used?

To be honest, it is very difficult to find a fully working and modern version of used equipment for islands on the market. In addition, you will have to reassemble it, and there is no guarantee that it will look as good as you imagined by looking at the photo in the ad.

In addition, you need to select showcases for your product group, purchase volume and assortment. For shopping islands, one of the most popular designs is rectangular showcases with high corner elements(cupboards, shelves). If you are still considering buying used items, then choose counters with a large number of shelves adjustable in height. So it will be much easier for you to adapt the showcases to the desired product.

Not every ready-made island pavilion will fit the rental conditions in the chosen location. Be sure to select designs for the requirements and general norms of the business center or fuel dispenser.

How much does it cost to open an island in a shopping center

What do you need and what costs await you when opening an island in a shopping center:

Rent an island in the shopping center. The average area of ​​​​the point is 10 square meters, then the calculation is based on the price per 1 square meter: if for Moscow it is from 6,000 to 10,000 rubles. (Kyiv - from 2000 to 4000 UAH), then in large regional cities these figures will be at least 2-3 times lower.

Staff. The point should work while the shopping center is open, and this is 30 working shifts of 12 hours per month (working hours are from 10:00 to 22:00). You need at least 2 people who will receive from 500 to 1000 rubles. (200-400 UAH) per shift. Then everything is calculated individually.

taxes. For Ukraine, this will be 5% of turnover with a single tax plus monthly ERUs, for Russia - taxes with a payroll, UTII or a percentage of turnover with a simplified system.

Office or warehouse. The goods need to be stored somewhere, because all products will not be sold immediately and together. At first, you will realize that it sells faster and more, the rest of the product will “freeze”, and general sales will fall.

This does not mean that you need to leave only the most popular items, you just need to buy more of them and deliver them as needed, and stocks should be stored in a warehouse. The requirements for such premises depend on the type of goods: the same room is not suitable for chocolate and jewelry. In addition, when suppliers bring goods, they need to be credited, priced, price tags attached, delivery arranged, etc.

A small warehouse or just an office (which is much more common) within walking distance from the point of sale is ideal. You can, of course, do everything at home, but this is rather a temporary solution.

Accounting system. It is needed to arrange deliveries, add new items, prepare reports for the tax office, keep cash register shifts, take inventory, print fiscal receipts etc. It is best to consider inexpensive ones so that you can at any time see how sales are going at your point and control the entire workflow.

bookkeeping. Perhaps the best option is to outsource it: find the right person through colleagues, acquaintances or trust the agency. For small turnovers of small businesses, this will be enough, and you do not have to delve into and waste your time. When starting a project, expect about 5,000 rubles. or 2500 UAH per month.

Don't be afraid to start your own business. Alternatively, think about and take a closer look at what you miss in the mall where you spend the most time. Perhaps your first business is just around the corner.

In the minds of inexperienced office workers (they are also the main visitors to shopping centers), the asterisk "I want my own business" occasionally flashes. Outwardly, everything is simple - the task is formulated as "I will open one small point for a start", and then yachts, the azure coast with palm trees, and fresh crabs are rapidly rushing before my eyes. In this kaleidoscope of dreams, various kinds of idle questions like "what to wear money in?" sometimes linger:

Some (about one in a hundred - passionate about the idea) decide to jump into this pool. Most often by buying an already operating store. I will consider the issue of buying an already operating business later, but for now let's focus on opening an "Island" format store (in simple terms - a tray). The area of ​​such a Klondike, as you might guess, is limited by the size of the rent. The bowl is only 5-10 square meters. So, we want to open the "Island" (this term is more harmonious than the tray - looking at the girl with a languid gaze, casually stating - "I have a store in a shopping center, a small one - an island" - better than "I hold the tray."

1. For starters, what to trade. The city has a lot of shopping centers, wholesale markets, online stores. An "idea" is like a diamond, you have to find it. And if you find a real USP (unique trade offer), then the key to success is already there. Not 100%, but let's say about thirty. The peculiarity of retail is such that even if you trade mink coats twice cheaper than the market - there will be no sales right away. And they won't be for a long time. 1) they will not know about you; 2) those who know will be afraid to buy "why is it so cheap"; 3) those who want to buy - will keep the money (this winter in the old I reach, and then I will buy) and so on ad infinitum. Hysterical "SALE" and "80% discount" in the shop windows will not help much - now it only works for brands. A good USP can be based on Maslow's pyramid of needs (increasing: food, housing, clothes and shoes, medicines, educational services etc. up to souvenirs, easels, violins and Stradivarius drums).

As an option - go to the USA or China (preferably Guangzhou) and walk, look, choose. But this is a serious investment - with the amount of 2-3 million rubles, which you are also ready to freeze for a long time (delivery 2-4 months, sometimes more).

Bad luck? We want to try it right away - palm trees from a dream are pricked in the back with sharp leaves. So - let's list the options "what to trade":
1.1. We are looking for something new in China, we bring it, we open it. Requires investments, plus time and expenses for the organization.
1.2. We wander on the Internet in search of cool wholesale Moscow companies, look at the assortment, wander around the shopping center (shopping center), compare, again look at the assortment of wholesalers. Choose. Uniqueness, of course, no.
1.3. We buy a ready-made business. It is quite possible, but there are two options: a) you can buy a working theme for an expensive price b) you can buy cheaper something that will finally go bankrupt already with you. Consider the value of the business as a turnover for 4-6 months (of course, adjusted for profitability) for a point operating in a small plus. So, a store that makes 200,000 in turnover per month will cost 800,000 rubles - 1,200,000 rubles, including equipment, inventory balance (consider it at purchase prices), lease agreements, etc. If it’s cheaper, it’s a reason for checking, if it’s more expensive, it’s also not good. In general, as I said above, the topic is complex - it will be considered separately.
1.4. Franchise. It requires investments, but we immediately get a) a brand, often known b) a single supplier c) assistance in organizing. Previously, the franchise was a utopia, now there are many interesting ones. I myself sometimes look for them on www.beboss.ru There, for example, there is Sunlight - a worthy topic.

2. Decided on the product, found what you like. Now let's calculate that this will have to be done regardless of the decisions in paragraph 1.

2.1. Rent. You are standing in a shopping mall, 10 square meters. Those. of your expenses - at least 4,500 rubles. x 10 = 45.000 rubles. rent per month. But the rate of 4,500 has long been gone, "this is fantastic", so focus on 65,000 rubles. In such places as Mega, and in general the top shopping centers - rent for the "Islands" is 10,000 rubles. per meter, i.e. your amount is 100.000 rubles.

2.2. Sellers. Robots have not yet been invented (and they will certainly cost a lot), and slavery is prohibited (unfortunately). Those. search and hiring of sellers is an objective reality and necessity. Your point requires 30 working shifts per month for 12 hours (from 10-00 to 22-00). So there are at least two sellers. How much will you pay? Well, I don’t know how everywhere, focus on 1,000 rubles per shift. It's minimum. I would even say 1,200 rubles. Total for the circle goes 36.000 rubles. in addition to rent - it's tax-free. Previously, sellers used to be taken as individual entrepreneurs - but since 2013, taxes on them have seriously increased. Of the taxes you will have - taxes from the payroll, UTII or% simplified from turnover. 20.000-25.000 per month lay boldly.

2.3. Office and warehouse. The product tends to sell. Furthermore - good product sold quickly, bad is not sold at all.

Ancient as life itself, the Pareto rule in action. Your 100 or 1000 items of goods will not be sold at once - the most popular and interesting will quickly leave, the rest will freeze and sales will fall. So it is necessary to plan in advance the renewal / maintenance of commodity balances. Where will you store wealth? It is clear that the requirements for the premises are determined by the product - industrial vacuum cleaners are one thing, jewelry is another. Suppliers will bring the goods, it must be credited, priced, and price tags printed. So either a warehouse (which is less common), or just an office (which is more common). You can, of course, at home - but this is so-so an option.

2.4. Accounting system. Ordering goods from a supplier is an intimate and exciting process. Saying "drop in to the store and take what's on sale" is a nice option, but unrealistic. Especially if the supplier is in Moscow. Those. you need a) a computer, b) a program (Excel will not work here, you need to receive goods, write off sales, control balances). The best option, of course, 1C 7.7. It is possible and 8.0, if there is money - but they already took a lot of them. So we add a laptop (10,000 rubles) and 1C (15,000 rubles). In general, 1C TIS 7.7 is better. + URIB (distributed database management) - but this is already deep in the development perspective. We will immediately mention a printer for printing price tags and invoices, and Internet access - for work (if you rented an office).

2.5. A legal entity with a current account (most likely an LLC), this is 15,000 rubles. Immediately discuss with the bank the installation of a payment terminal - now 50% of buyers have cards. Moreover, the cards allow you to spend loot without interest, but to withdraw interest from ATMs, interest is charged, i.e. the strategy to save on the terminal in the form of "go away and buy" will not work. SKB Bank requires 25,000 rubles. for installing the terminal - having a laugh, we go to Bank24ru and get the terminal as a gift to the current account. I also installed terminals for free at MDM Bank and Sberbank.

2.6. Outsourced bookkeeping. Find a friend - everyone knows an accountant, and while your turnover is small, 5,000 rubles. a month is enough.

Phew...tired. We are left with the choice of a place (I don’t deliberately designate it as a priority - there are many nuances. The place is important, but not primary in the sense that all the best places are not for you, unless, of course, dad is the owner of this shopping center, but there is always a choice from what, so it's not scary). Further inventory and assortment; lease agreement, selection and purchase of equipment (with a design project, of course).

But that's all in the next issue of "Shop for Dummies" :)))

UPD. If the topic of work retail outlets interesting - I will write - a look, as they say, from the inside. So add friends and leave comments to identify interest in the topic.

While there is no interest, well, figs with him - there will be interest - we will return the topic.

Total in the category: 34 types, investment sizes: from 165,000 to 9,000,000 rubles. Everything is quite simple - open your own business in a shopping and entertainment center! After all, the accumulation in one place of many shops, cafes, cinemas, leisure areas attracts a wide audience to shopping and entertainment centers, where you can fully spend the whole weekend with your family.

In almost any activity, sales density is an important indicator. The greater the turnover and customer turnover, the faster payback and higher profitability. How to ensure a guaranteed flow of consumers? Everything is quite simple - open your own business in a shopping and entertainment center! After all, the accumulation in one place of many shops, cafes, cinemas, leisure areas attracts a wide audience to shopping and entertainment centers, where you can fully spend the whole weekend with your family.

What exactly can be organized where everything, it would seem, is already there? Not to mention the ordinary, you can consider such options as in the foyer or passages of the building, accommodation, express manicure salon and many other options.

Benefits of doing business in a mall

In addition to the already mentioned crowding, which is undoubtedly the most important feature of placing your project in the mall, we can talk about such advantages as:

• centralization of the provision of public utilities and security services, which are taken care of by the landlord (i.e. the center itself);
• the ability to rent areas that are not limited in size from 1-2 m 2;
• mitigation of the risks of lower profits depending on weather conditions and seasonality;
• positive impact on the business of impulse purchases by visitors to the shopping and entertainment area.

The presence of leisure areas in the mall, such as ice skating rinks, cinemas, art cafes, small stages, children's attractions, relaxation salons, keep visitors inside the centers and ensure their long-term contact with the shopping area. This interaction is beneficial for everyone: the buyer is interested in spending time where everything is available; stores are satisfied with a constant stream of customers and just curious people who become customers later; well, the entertainment infrastructure benefits from family visits.

In conditions modern competition sellers of goods are looking for new opportunities that would allow them to sell goods with greatest success. The smallest investment will require an island in a shopping center. This is a small point accessible to potential buyers from four sides.

This link will be useful for those who decide to open their island. In the manufacture commercial equipment the requirements of the shopping center and the features of the goods sold will be taken into account.

Pros and cons

Trading islands have a small area, it rarely exceeds 10 m². This has its advantages:

1. Compactness allows you to save on rent.
2. On such an island, you can sell a wide variety of products, ranging from food products ending with electronics. Islets can also be used to provide different kind services.
3. A small trading island can be placed in places with high traffic.
4. Commercial equipment is easy to mount, and if necessary, disassemble and transport to a new location.

But the small size of the outlet has its drawbacks. These include the impossibility of arranging a fitting room and the lack of storage facilities.

Product selection

When deciding which product is best to trade on an island, it is necessary to evaluate its location.

If your outlet is located near a department with a large household appliances, then buyers may be interested in an inexpensive product, which can be purchased without much thought about the purchase.

Also popular in this place will be a tray with tea and coffee. In the pedestrian zone, cocktail minibars, tents with unusual sweets and outlets offering delicious snacks on the go.

The island can be a good place to sell decorative cosmetics, as well as other cosmetics. In such places, batteries, headphones and various accessories for phones are well sold.

Islands are successful in shopping centers, where they provide gift wrapping services, as well as sell balls and other holiday paraphernalia.

The success of a business depends on several factors. If you have opened an island, then you need to constantly monitor sales. Slow positions need to be changed, as a small display space does not allow demonstrating a large number of goods.

Focus on target audience will allow you to get the first profit very quickly with a minimum investment.