pet store startup
- Thread starter jhpate
- Start date
thank you all for the information. We are looking at options now. Looks like things are starting forward. Hopefully this will be a good buisiness venture as well as a lot of fun.
I actually work at a Pet Store, and we are changing it in a way as close to starting it up as you are going to get. We've done a lot of customer research, market research, etc...I assume you will know what questions you have, so just PM me and I can answer them for you. The general feel though in our fish department is that you must - MUST - provide two markets - one for the experts and one for the people who just want a beta. This is essential because while the experts will bring in more business - there must be a club I dont know about where they talk about the good pet stores - they will spend a lot and make your store look good to other customers who see them in it, however the novice's will be the one's buying tanks and will be the ones who you will be able to sell things to. There are also more of them. My point is, a store which only carries expensive South African's will not succeed. You must carry those cheap 5 gallon acrylic tanks, (cheap in quality, not price...) as well as goldfish, etc.
Of course, this is life in our market. In another store located anout 50 miles away, they are the only Pet Store around and their sales are about twice as much as the second place store per week. However, their fish sales are much lower than ours; they mainly relay on bird seed and dog food...
I know this is a lot of random info, but you know what to do.
Of course, this is life in our market. In another store located anout 50 miles away, they are the only Pet Store around and their sales are about twice as much as the second place store per week. However, their fish sales are much lower than ours; they mainly relay on bird seed and dog food...
I know this is a lot of random info, but you know what to do.
I was thinking the word clientel just before I scrolled down and read tightdog's post. If there is any sort of aquarium group near you that would be a great place to start. If there isn't maybe you could start one. A society would be a great place to find not only customers, but also breeders, employees, and a knowledge base.
I think that more important then marketing and demographics is practicing good fish husbandy. Keep your tanks clean. Have a knowledgable staff. Operate under the principal that if a newcomer has a successful start, they will venture further into the hobby and in doing so remember your business.
My town is about the same size and has a Petco, a PetSmart, two local mom and pop pet stores, one exclusively saltwater, and Walmart. Here are my experiences with each.
PetSmart is the busiest. The tanks are clean and the display is wonderful. They offer returns on fish. They also have the largest selection of products. The help, beyond bagging the fish, is clueless. They will sell you anything you want, but you have to figure the rest out on your own. Most of their fish business comes from I think people who own a cat or dog and then see the fish and get enamored. What I like is that they offer complete setups, complete with a fish credit. What I dont like is the pricing. Perhaps it is just locally here, but their in store products always seem to cost comparably to better brands I can get elsewhere. For example, I bought a Top Fin heater once, and hated the thing. It cost just as much as a Ebo Jager that I bought from the local Mom and Pop. I think it is important to know where equipment can be just good and not exceptional. PetCo is essentially the same.
Of the local mom and pop stores, the pet store has the most knowledable and helpful staff. They will order things, including stock. But, their tanks look bad. Their primary business seems to be birds, reptiles, and ponds. I wouldn't buy a fish that came out of their tanks. I do though buy equipment from them.
The salt water place, as advertised, isn't actually only salt water. They have a few freshwater tanks. They will also special order, and their tanks are clean. Both of these stores seem to float, not by their retailing but by their services. Both offer business and home aquarium services. The tanks that they dservice always look good.
Walmart is a fish cemetery.
One other thing though that I will mention is this. There is a local veterinary supply store that I order though. The owner has mentioned several times wanting to expand his services. He is in the pet keeping field, but carrys no livestock. The staff is very knowledgable and includes a vetrinarian. Maybe you should look for a partner in this venture that is already established but needs someone to help expand successfully.
Anyway, I hope you were able to glean something useful from all of that.
I think that more important then marketing and demographics is practicing good fish husbandy. Keep your tanks clean. Have a knowledgable staff. Operate under the principal that if a newcomer has a successful start, they will venture further into the hobby and in doing so remember your business.
My town is about the same size and has a Petco, a PetSmart, two local mom and pop pet stores, one exclusively saltwater, and Walmart. Here are my experiences with each.
PetSmart is the busiest. The tanks are clean and the display is wonderful. They offer returns on fish. They also have the largest selection of products. The help, beyond bagging the fish, is clueless. They will sell you anything you want, but you have to figure the rest out on your own. Most of their fish business comes from I think people who own a cat or dog and then see the fish and get enamored. What I like is that they offer complete setups, complete with a fish credit. What I dont like is the pricing. Perhaps it is just locally here, but their in store products always seem to cost comparably to better brands I can get elsewhere. For example, I bought a Top Fin heater once, and hated the thing. It cost just as much as a Ebo Jager that I bought from the local Mom and Pop. I think it is important to know where equipment can be just good and not exceptional. PetCo is essentially the same.
Of the local mom and pop stores, the pet store has the most knowledable and helpful staff. They will order things, including stock. But, their tanks look bad. Their primary business seems to be birds, reptiles, and ponds. I wouldn't buy a fish that came out of their tanks. I do though buy equipment from them.
The salt water place, as advertised, isn't actually only salt water. They have a few freshwater tanks. They will also special order, and their tanks are clean. Both of these stores seem to float, not by their retailing but by their services. Both offer business and home aquarium services. The tanks that they dservice always look good.
Walmart is a fish cemetery.
One other thing though that I will mention is this. There is a local veterinary supply store that I order though. The owner has mentioned several times wanting to expand his services. He is in the pet keeping field, but carrys no livestock. The staff is very knowledgable and includes a vetrinarian. Maybe you should look for a partner in this venture that is already established but needs someone to help expand successfully.
Anyway, I hope you were able to glean something useful from all of that.
Unfortunately for me, I dont live near a Big Al's store. If I did, I would most certainly check it out. However, now-a-days with the Internet so popular, the website is first impression in many cases. When I go there (to the website), I get this image of clutter and stuff that targets newbs who would fall for buying it. Just my impression...whether its correct is like you said, a whole other story.
I've been to BigAl's many times recently for setting up my tank. My impression is actually a *lack* of products! I'm talking about the one in Scarborough Ontario mostly... The store is big, 2 levels, ground level is the equipment and basement is the fish stock. The basement level is fine, dark lighting with the lighted-tanks show off the fish color more.
But I don't like the ground level. It's abit too dark and gloomy for displaying equipment. And there are way too many like ~100 gallon empty tanks in everywhere, that have nothing, no fish no plants, but fake decorations. I mean who's gona buy a big new tank everytime walking into the store anyway. Most of the other non-tank products are just cramp up along the walls. Too crowded, and thus having some products wayyyy up on the shelf or way down below ur knees that you can't see. And the choose of products is abit lacking IMO, eg most of the fish food and water treatment stuffs are the "BigAl's" brand only.
And the only real freshwater display tank is a ~60gallon which is ok but nothing spectacular. The saltwater display tank is unforturnately not attractive at all. Well, there's also a 2gallon "tank" besides the cashier.
And there's somewhat messy corner where supposedly the most fancy toys are, like the CO2 injection, protein skimmer, etc. It even has a counter there but (usually) no staff sitting. It looks more like a corner store selling 2nd-handed stuffs to me.
From where I came from, there's no franchise fish store, no Petsmart, no Walmart. All fish stores are technically LFS. There's place there with a street packed with ~20 fish stores, and it's easy to see which of them had more traffic and was doing better. The most visited stores were those that had bright and nicely displayed products, asides form the fish stock. The fancy expensive toys like CO2, R/O, ion-exchange systems were nicely shown, "this blah blah system from Germany", "that and that from Japan", whatever. And there's always the display tank at the front door, which just sucks you into the store and goes "WOH.... must.... get... this". All these, were what I saw ~10 years ago. Imagine they can only be better now with all those competitions around.
But I don't like the ground level. It's abit too dark and gloomy for displaying equipment. And there are way too many like ~100 gallon empty tanks in everywhere, that have nothing, no fish no plants, but fake decorations. I mean who's gona buy a big new tank everytime walking into the store anyway. Most of the other non-tank products are just cramp up along the walls. Too crowded, and thus having some products wayyyy up on the shelf or way down below ur knees that you can't see. And the choose of products is abit lacking IMO, eg most of the fish food and water treatment stuffs are the "BigAl's" brand only.
And the only real freshwater display tank is a ~60gallon which is ok but nothing spectacular. The saltwater display tank is unforturnately not attractive at all. Well, there's also a 2gallon "tank" besides the cashier.
And there's somewhat messy corner where supposedly the most fancy toys are, like the CO2 injection, protein skimmer, etc. It even has a counter there but (usually) no staff sitting. It looks more like a corner store selling 2nd-handed stuffs to me.
From where I came from, there's no franchise fish store, no Petsmart, no Walmart. All fish stores are technically LFS. There's place there with a street packed with ~20 fish stores, and it's easy to see which of them had more traffic and was doing better. The most visited stores were those that had bright and nicely displayed products, asides form the fish stock. The fancy expensive toys like CO2, R/O, ion-exchange systems were nicely shown, "this blah blah system from Germany", "that and that from Japan", whatever. And there's always the display tank at the front door, which just sucks you into the store and goes "WOH.... must.... get... this". All these, were what I saw ~10 years ago. Imagine they can only be better now with all those competitions around.
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If it does get off the ground let me know where it is at. I'll be moving to Waco this summer. I'm not sure how far you are from there.
Best of luck,
Dave
