# Thinking of opening an aquatics shop in bedford



## stiggy89 (Mar 22, 2012)

I am thinking of opening an aquatics shop in bedford and was wondering if i could get some help, i have no idea where to start when it comes to opening a shop, i need suppliers of equipment and livestock???


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## Leomad1 (Jul 17, 2009)

I was an assistant manager for a large aquatic shop for 3 years. It's not easy or cheap. How much do you have to set up? What do you want to stock? Pond fish, tropical or/and marine? Have you looked into display tanks and how much they cost? Pet shop licence? There's so much to consider


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## stiggy89 (Mar 22, 2012)

i am still in the very early stages ie. getting some advice and information and finding suppliers, i will be stocking cold water and tropical fish to start with and possibly progress to stocking marine fish when the shop is established, i may have a small pond fish section but nothing massive just basic pond fish and a small selection of koi, i have looked into the price or renting a retail outlet in bedford and looked into rates, i have not yet looked into petshop license as it is still in very early stages.

thanx for the reply


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## Leomad1 (Jul 17, 2009)

The thing is suppliers will not give you a price list until you are vat registered. You may be better off looking into a franchise.


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## stiggy89 (Mar 22, 2012)

i have a catalogue from norwood-aquarium being delivered on thursday, as u where an assistant manager could u please advice on the best way to go about opening up an aquatics shop, i could really use your experience.

thanx for the reply


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## Leomad1 (Jul 17, 2009)

You need to cost everything up first, stock, cost of shelving, cost of display tanks, tills etc etc. then a really detailed business plan, this is where the bank will say yes or no to the money. You will need to do market research and I don't mean asking family if you think it's a good idea. Look at who your competitors are, what's there turnover, what's there profit, what stock do they keep. There's so much more to think about than just filling a shop of stock.


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## stiggy89 (Mar 22, 2012)

well the main reason for wanting to open the shop is a really love aquatics, i have had many tanks with a whole range of different fish ranging from the standard guppies, mollies, platys, tetras and plecos to gouramis, malawi cichlids, tanganyikan cichlids and oscars, there is no aquatic shop in bedford so no competition to talk to, the closest shop that sells fish is pets at home and i cant see them reducing my business and clientell , i am looking at doing a little survey in the town centre over a couple of days and see if there will be any interest in an aquatics shop.

thanx for the reply


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## Leomad1 (Jul 17, 2009)

Forget the town centre, you need to hit your target market. Try using aquatic forums and asking people in your area where they shop. Is there a reason there is no shop in your area? Is it because there is no call for it. Just because there isn't one, it doesn't mean it's a viable business idea. I would also go to sparsholt college and do a course there. I did two and this equipped me for the day o day running and any fish disease questions I had. I can do fish autopsies now and have a better understanding of how illnesses are caused. May I ask how old you are? It may be worth working for a shop to get more experience.


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## stiggy89 (Mar 22, 2012)

thats why i am looking at doing a survey in town to ask people if there is a call for an aquatics shop in the area, i am currently 23 and this isnt something im looking at doing overnite, i am looking to possibly open the doors in late 2013 - early 2014, i have looked at working in an aquatics shop but there isnt any locally, i intend to get all the information i can over the next few months and then start on my business plan ready for submission in summer next year.

also do u kno where i can go to get the display tanks and stuff, i have had a look online but they all seem to be overseas.

thanx for the reply


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## Leomad1 (Jul 17, 2009)

No offence but if you go to he bank and say "can I have £250,000 please to open a shop. I've asked 50 people in the town and they said it was a good idea" they will laugh at you.i know that may sound harsh but it's true. The bank manager will want facts and figures. How many people in the area have fish tanks, what's the growth rate of new owners, what will be your market share. With out this your business will fail very quickly. 

No offence, I don't mind helping you to a degree but i think you will need do a bit more research for display tanks. I can tell you where to go and what to do but what am I getting out of it?


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## stiggy89 (Mar 22, 2012)

i am obviously not going to go to the bank and say 50 people think its a good idea, the survey is for me to see if i can see it taking off, if everybody says no then there wont be any point in doing it but if enough people say yes then i will carry on with the project, i kno i still have alot to do and am willing and prepared to do it. i didnt realise u had to get something out of it to offer somebody a help in the right direction, i am not asking u to go and do everything for me and get it up and running, i am only asking for advice and some information.

thanx for the reply


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## Leomad1 (Jul 17, 2009)

Your missing the point on two things. I don't want anything out of it but I won't do the vast majority of the work for you. If for example you ask 100 people in the town centre "is there a need for an aquatics shop and 90 say no/don't care, it doesn't make it a bad idea. What you need to do is ask 100 people who actually own aquariums if its a good idea. I'm not having a go at you. You've asked for help and I'm helping you but your not taking my advice, which is all from experience.


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## stiggy89 (Mar 22, 2012)

i am not asking to do any of the work at all i simply asked if u knew where to go to get the display tanks for the shop. I am listening to your advice and taking it all on board, as i said earlier i could really use your knowledge and experience to advice and help me, the survey will obviously be conducted on people who have an interest and hopefully own an aquarium at home, im not gonna ask 100 people who dont like fish if they thin it is a good idea or if they would shop there.

i posted on here to get some advice on what is needed to start a aquarium shop.

thanx for the reply


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## Leomad1 (Jul 17, 2009)

Are you going to ask everyone who walks past if they own an aquarium? There is an easier way. There is a large uk aquatics forum that has sections for each county. I'd post on there and ask about who shops where etc, that way all the people you ask own aquariums.


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## stiggy89 (Mar 22, 2012)

thank u, i was gonna ask people in town if they own or are interested in an aquarium but posting online seems easier.

thanx for the reply


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## stiggy89 (Mar 22, 2012)

is the forum you are on about fishforums.net??


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## SkinheadOi85 (Sep 28, 2008)

Stiggy...Im not sure it is the line you wish to go down, the survey does seem a good idea but how about perhaps renting a unit on an industrial estate and kitting it out with bare tanks on a racked system and breed easy to keep tropicals, then go into harder to keep and perhaps open an online and local service that provides fish to hobbiests and shops (although you wont get much at all from shops)and advice at a decent price or X amount of fish for X amount of cash.

If it works you could also look at small set ups and installations....do communitity set ups, sinngle species tanks etc...but hace your shop online.....and work from a industrial estate on your own or with a mate....keeping costs of running a shop down and overheads down...post pictures of set ups and unit on the site and hammer advertising in mags and online if possible....

Thats just my 2p`s worth...also it allows you to still go and do courses in the feild without having a shut shop sign up....as you can process orders 24-7 on a wifi laptop with out physically needing to be onsite othe rthen to do daily checks and feeding....which i guess you could do on an automated system.


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## SkinheadOi85 (Sep 28, 2008)

PM sent Stiggy


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## Leomad1 (Jul 17, 2009)

There's no money in just selling fish. Breeding your own is not cost effective. You can buy a neon tetra for 9p from a supplier abroad. The shop is a great idea, as long as you do the relevant research.


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## Ony (Oct 19, 2012)

Forums will give you a really different picture to people in the town center, it would be interesting to do both and compare the feedback.


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## benh (Sep 12, 2011)

My understanding has generally been that the real money is in dry goods and equipment, not livestock, and I think thats generally the way with most pet shops.


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