How to Start a Supermarket in Nigeria: Top 10 Things to Note

Do you have a dream of starting your supermarket in Nigeria? It’s no small feat, but it’s possible with the right planning and preparation.

We are excited to share these top 10 things you need to know before starting your supermarket in Nigeria. We’ll cover it all. So, put on your entrepreneurial hat and get ready to learn!

How to Start a Supermarket in Nigeria

The following steps will make the procedures easier to evaluate; check out the top ten things to do to start a supermarket in Nigeria:

• Draw A Business Plan: Every good business will always require a concise business plan showing plans for the future, aims, and objectives. 

The reason you need this is that many have ventured into a business they could not continue to the end. A business plan will help you control expenses and reduce impulse buying.

• Source Of Capital: Though you can start gradually you need to have a source of continuous capital to support your new plan. 

Sources of income could be loans, a little savings, or money lent from family members and friends. With that, you could start up something like a mini supermarket which would bloom into a big one.

• Location: You must ensure that whatever location you will be choosing will be easily accessible by customers. 

Don’t choose sites far from cities, you can opt for busy areas where customers can easily access to sell especially perishable products so they don’t spoil before they get the chance of being purchased. 

You’ll notice that most buyers will be urban dwellers, so situating your supermarket in an urban environment won’t be such a bad idea.

• Register Your Business: First thing first, registration is of the essence, this is so you don’t get humiliated in the future. 

This also gives you boldness because, in the future, fraudsters claiming to be Corporate Affair workers may come demanding payment from you, this will create boldness that you own and thus protect your right as a registered businessman/woman.

• Know The Goods You’ll Like to Buy: Go for highly demanded products and not products that will mark their 20th birthday on your shelf. 

Go for varieties of goods, and avoid many perishable goods so you don’t end up at a loss if you can’t sell off before the stipulated length of time. 

With varieties, customers won’t lack what to buy, some will even get confused about which to buy and may end up buying everything.

• Meet Manufacturers and Wholesalers: Buying from manufacturers may be much better because it reduces extra cost on goods you would have purchased with a ridiculous amount of money, that money can be channeled into something else. 

Meet people who make homemade products, especially cookies, because they may sell to you at a discount rate better than the prices you would have gotten at the market.

• Get Reliable Sales Attendants: One thing about supermarkets is that you sell every day, if you don’t have reliable and trustworthy sales attendants to manage the business for you, you may end up in a loss of money and products which lead to a next point where you need to…..

• Provide Them With Computers and Debit Card Machines: These machines are very essential if you have a safe keep of money from robbers and unreliable sellers. These days, customers do not like going about with money for fear of attack. 

Yesterday as I walked into a supermarket I noticed potential buyers paying for products with their ATM cards, this is a very easy and simple way of securing oneself plus you can get a device that detects how much a particular products cost in case they forget the price.

• Meet Potential Buyers: Advertise your business yourself if you can’t visit the radio or TV station. 

You could advertise them on Social Media, invite friends to buy, and once in a while offer promo and bonanza, it’s not a waste of money, and it’s a way of gaining customer’s patronage. You must also know the prices of various products so you don’t scare people away.

• Restock  Your Ware: Don’t wait for products to finish up completely before you get new stocks because the money may also finish off before you know what’s next. 

When restocking, take notes of products that have more demand and settle more for them and less for products that were greatly patronized.

Some Equipment Required In The Supermarket Business

• Generators, Air conditioners, counting machines, freezers, and light bulbs must be always operational. Thus, a standby generator is required in the event of a power loss.

• Computer and automated cash registers, allow for proper bookkeeping and the prompt issuance of receipts.

• Refrigerators, have as many as you can afford. It is used to store perishable things such as drinks, yogurt, chocolate, ice cream, and so on.

• Cart/Trolley/Shopping Basket, to transport purchased products to the counter for payment.

• Surveillance Camera, depending on the size of your market, you may need to install surveillance cameras in each location. This would lower the amount of pilfering that is prevalent in supermarkets and businesses today.

Awesome right? Now you have the tools you need to start planning your supermarket in Nigeria. Remember, it takes hard work and dedication to make your dream a reality.

But, with the right planning and execution, you can create a successful business that serves your community.

And, who knows? Maybe you’ll become the next big supermarket chain in Nigeria, with these, you are ready to start your Supermarket business, hesitate no more; go for it. Good luck!