Looking at opening a clothes shop

[scottwoodbur 10]

can anyone tell me wheres best to go for suppliers etc and is there any labels u cant sell i.e gstar, henri lloyd, stonehouse etc.... any contacts r advice plz

[go4it 10]

I believe you can't just ring up and order the clothes. The supplier picks who they want to stock their clothes - they have an image to maintain.

 

It is very difficult to make a business out of clothes. Unless you have a city centre location or are a trendy boutique in a fashionable area then you haven't got much of a chance.

[ViperK 10]

Before even considering opening a clothing business, please learn how to spell clothes.

 

There is nothing that you cant sell if you become a registered supplier though each label obviously.

But I wouldn't recommend opening an expensive label shop unless you have lots of money to back a high street store.

You would need to buy in loads and loads and loads of stock to be able to compete with big store prices.

Advice, dont waste your time or money.

[ChrisTodd 10]

Clothes shops at the moment are struggling with the slowdown in the economy, perhaps more than many other shops.

 

Getting names of suppliers is relatively easy if you obtain magazines and do some Internet searching around the topic.

 

But getting then to sell to you is another matter.

 

But as others have said, you do need to spend a lot of money stocking up a shop.

 

Depending on the size of your shop this could mean spending between £50,000 and £100,000.

 

Many suppliers sell to shops twice a year and orders have to be made several months before delivery ready for the latest season.

 

This means that you will have to pay for the stock before you get a chance to sell it.

 

With some businesses you can obtain stock and hope to sell it before you have to pay for it.

 

If you go for a market stall instead of shop you will still need to spend a minimum of £10,000 on stock.

 

The location for a shop is also crucial.

 

Having a website where people can order online can help, but that is expensive as well.

 

All in all opening up a shop is very expensive, and clothing at the moment is a very difficult market.

 

Good luck if you do decide to go ahead.

[ViperK 10]

Having a website where people can order online can help, but that is expensive as well.

 

How is having a website expensive?

Its the cheapest form of commercial retail.

[mgblade 10]

you may find that the big names eg g-star will only supply to one shop in an area.

so if there is a shop in the area you may be limited to what you can sell.

[magic_rat 10]

How is having a website expensive?

Its the cheapest form of commercial retail.

 

I think what the poster was trying to say was that a website would be just as expensive as a shop... A decent e-commerce website branded properly would be between 5,000 and 10,000. The cheapest way to try something out is probably e-bay........

[johnhutch 10]

certain brands are given designated areas for distribution. be careful selling these makes as it could result in legal action