How to Open your own Stationery Store Business?

How to register a stationery store correctly
To open a stationery store, you need to register as an individual entrepreneur, which will be easier and cheaper than registering a limited liability company. However, if you plan to do business with a partner or several partners, and also intend to engage in wholesale trade, then it is recommended to register an LLC.

The type of activity of your company according to OKVED refers to "Retail trade of stationery and stationery" (52.47.3). No special documents are required to open a stationery store. The standard list of necessary documentation that you will need to obtain includes a Sanitary and Epidemiological Conclusion (issued by the State Sanitary and Epidemiological Supervision) and a Fire Safety Certificate (issued by the Fire Inspectorate). Also, if you have a cash register, you will need to register it with the district office of the Tax Inspectorate. In addition, from January 1, 2012, it is necessary that each of your employees have a certificate of medical examination.

Determining the location of the stationery store
Your office supply store should be located in a high traffic area. Many entrepreneurs believe that the best location for such a store is in the city center. In fact, this option is just the least preferable, because, most likely, the competition here will be much higher, as well as the cost of rent. A busy residential area, however, is more suitable, especially if you open your store near a shopping center, grocery stores, household goods stores, children's toys, etc.

You can also rent an area in the shopping and entertainment center itself, but there are a number of nuances here. Stationery is a small commodity, but it takes a lot of space to lay out (you need to lay out everything that is in your assortment, and so that buyers can see it). On the other hand, the smaller the product, the higher the likelihood of theft. If a regular store can be equipped with anti-theft systems, then it will be more difficult and more expensive to do this in a small area. The best place to open a stationery store is on the ground floor of a multi-storey building on one of the busiest streets. A conspicuous sign in itself will serve as a great advertisement.

The minimum area for opening a stationery store is about 6 sq. meters. Keep in mind that the smaller the area, the more difficult it is for the visitors of your store to navigate the assortment due to the too dense display of goods on the windows. In addition, there should be a warehouse space on the territory of your store, where stocks of goods will be stored. It can be quite small, since office supplies are mostly compact in storage. In an extreme case, you can separate part of the retail space for a utility room, but this option is the least preferable. Your office and sales area must have low humidity levels, or paper products will quickly deteriorate.

What's in the assortment of a profitable stationery store
The assortment of a standard stationery store includes writing utensils, PP and PVC products (folders), cardboard filing folders, paper and cardboard products, glue and proofreading, plastic filing folders, corners, horizontal trays, book holders, ring binders , sticky notes, stationery (paper clips, buttons, etc.), staplers, notepads, notebooks, desk sets and other accessories, staplers, binders, adhesive tapes, scissors, etc. Value-added products are in the greatest demand. This can be quality, attractive design and functionality.

Consumers prefer multi-purpose products (such as, for example, pencils with rubber bands, staplers with anti-staplers, marker pens, corrector pens, etc.). They are willing to buy them even if the price of a functional item does not differ much from the price of the same items sold separately. The color and design of the stationery are of great importance.

Preschool and school children and students prefer stationery in bright colors with eye-catching pictures. The adult audience is more restrained in their preferences, but modern design is also of great importance to them. You should not buy exclusively cheap goods, hoping to attract as many buyers as possible. Today's consumers are becoming more and more discerning and demanding about the quality of goods. However, expensive products also run the risk of lying on your shelves.

It is best to bet on goods of the middle price category - high-quality and beautiful. For example, when purchasing between cheap 12-sheet notebooks with green covers and more expensive notebooks with colored thin cardboard covers, choose the latter.

Cheap notebooks will still be more profitable to buy in various super- and hypermarkets, which can afford, due to the diverse assortment, to put a lower mark-up on some goods and / or buy them from manufacturers at more favorable wholesale prices. You do not have such an opportunity yet, so it is better to offer a wider selection of goods in the middle price category (3-4 varieties of the same type). You may not be able to compete with large chain stores, but it is imperative that your prices do not differ significantly from those of direct competitors.


Even with a difference of 5-10 pence per item, potential buyers may prefer another store. In addition, keep in mind that on the eve of school, parents buy the necessary stationery in large quantities, and saving five rubles per position can ultimately turn into a significant amount.