location question

[littlesarah53]

Hi everyone, just looking for some advice on a new shop let if possible.

I have found what I believe is a good location for my business , a sweet shop, in a small parade of shops with several schools in the immediate area. There are 2 shops for rent, footfall is roughly the same for both of them, and the rent and lease terms are the same.

One is located right in front of a busy bus stop, and the other is just around the corner.
The one near the bus stop will cost more to fit out , and is a long narrow shop, whereas the other one would be much easier and cheaper to fit out to my business needs.
Question is , with so many people standing outside the bus stop all day, and people on the bus looking down out onto the shop, will this also have a positive effect on the business?
Don't want to miss out on an opportunity to capitalize on a more positive position, which in the long run may make up for the extra costs of the fit out.

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[warnie]

Location every time, it's no good having the perfect shop in the wrong location. Makes me wonder though why the shop would be up for lease in such a prominent location:|.

Good luck which ever way you go. I can feel times are ever so slowly changing for the better, which is great as ever since we started up in 2009 the country has been in deep recession

 

[littlesarah53]

Thanks Warnie.
The location is pretty much the same for both of them, literally 100 meters between them, but do you think the bus stop will make that much difference ?

In answer to why they are up for rent, I think its due to them selling the wrong products 5 convenience stores, all selling the same products, and a tesco metro nearby that has recently opened and obviously sells the same products much cheaper.
How can they possibly be making any money ?

 

[SweetJo]

I think the one by the bus stop would be best. It might cost more in the long run but I think more people will see your shop and be tempted to come in

 

[warnie]

Thanks Warnie.
The location is pretty much the same for both of them, literally 100 meters between them, but do you think the bus stop will make that much difference ?

In answer to why they are up for rent, I think its due to them selling the wrong products 5 convenience stores, all selling the same products, and a tesco metro nearby that has recently opened and obviously sells the same products much cheaper.
How can they possibly be making any money ?

Makes sense, just distance yourself as much as possible from those everyday convenience stores. The bus stop is key. When I used to sell to convenience stores, the ones near bus stops of train stations and such like were always very busy. Because of that you didn't see many 2 or 3 for a pound deals in them either. They charged top dollar no discounts required!

 

[Pap_sak]

My vote - for a sweet shop - would also be the one close to the bus stop.

 

[herewegoagain.]

Hello Sarah, firstly good luck, where are you located?

Having run several small sweet shops over the years - I would say the bus stop can be a blessing and a curse.... if the pavement is not wide, people in the queue could block your doorway ! but of course, could attract more people.

If the shop 'round the corner' is on a busier trading road, that could be a better alternative...

As a thought, do not rely on the school kids for trade, I used to run one right next to a school, and the governors banned the kids from taking sweets in - it cut my trade by around 20% - overnight..... (but they still wanted fundraising raffle prizes at Christmas!)... you need to appeal to as big a group of people as possible... also, you have to work bl00dy hard selling to kids at 20p or 30p a time to make any decent money - then there is the thieving...

I don't want to put you off - just giving a 'real world' viewpoint - having being there !!

good luck though !

cheers Dave

 

[Hunnie]

'I would say the bus stop can be a blessing and a curse'

I would agree with this. I am quite glad that a bus stop near us is along the road a little. At certain times the hordes of school children shouting (swearing) and quite often fighting would put off some potential customers from visiting at those times.
Most shops here have to limit the number of school children who enter at any one time to prevent theft.

I (and others) close my door 3-4pm to avoid them pushing each other in and causing disruption!

It's good that you have a choice of premises!
Wishing you good luck.
Hunnie

 

[MOIC]

The bus stop shop!

Even allowing for the problems raised (justifiably) in previous posts.

A sweet shop is an impulse purchase, pefect while waiting for a bus to never turn up!

Let us know which you choose.

It's a good problem to have.

Best of luck.

 

[deniser]

As a thought, do not rely on the school kids for trade, I used to run one right next to a school, and the governors banned the kids from taking sweets in - it cut my trade by around 20% - overnight.....

I was just going to say the same thing. School kids were eating lots of sweets before school and then being too hyper during lessons so the shop I know was made out of bounds in the morning which wrecked their business plan.

 

[Philip Hoyle]

Think carefully about the bus stop.

I've known perfectly good shops that were put out of business when the council came along to build bus shelters right in front of the shop which completely blocked traffic from seeing the shop and narrowing the pavement so that it became a bottleneck that passers by avoided when there were people waiting for buses.

Another few have been crippled by the council doing traffic calming near the bus stops and taking away on street parking, meaning fewer people stopped to shop there.

Bus stops really can be a blessing and a curse! I'd say you need a very wide pavement, or even better, a forecourt, and also plenty of on street and car parking spaces nearby so that whatever the council do, it wouldn't destroy your business. Pedestrians are important, but so are car users - you need a location that gives you both.