Dine Shreveport

How to Open a Financially Successful Specialty Retail & Gourmet Foods Shop: With Companion CD-ROM

Description

The $20 billion gourmet market is nearly recession-proof. In fact, experts indicate that gourmet products actually do better in uncertain times like these as consumers seek out affordable luxuries. If you plan to open a specialty retail store, or perhaps a small store inside an existing retail space then this book is a must Although gourmet foods command a price double and up to ten times higher than that of grocery store brands, there are those consumers that are content and look to pay a premium price for premium items. This book shows how, with minimal effort and a small investment compared to other food businesses, how you can start your own specialty retail store and be highly profitable!

This is the A-to-Z guide to making it in your own store. Learn the expert tips, tricks, and a vast gold mine of crucial how-to information you just can't find anywhere else. This is a perfect book for entrepreneurs, schools, colleges and technical training centers. This detailed text contains all the information you will ever need to needed to start, operate, and manage a highly profitable specialty store.

While providing detailed instruction and examples, the author leads you through finding a location that will bring success, learn how to draw up a winning business plan (The Companion CD-ROM has the actual business plan you can use in MS Word TM), how to buy and sell a store, basic cost control systems, profitable product planning, sample floor plans & diagrams, successful kitchen management, equipment layout and planning, food safety & HACCP, successful food & beverage management, legal concerns, sales and marketing techniques, pricing formulas, learn how to set up computer systems to save time and money, learn how to hire & keep a qualified professional staff, brand new IRS tip reporting requirements, managing and training employees, generate high profile public relations and publicity, learn low cost internal marketing ideas, low and no cost ways to satisfy customers and build sales, learn how to keep bringing customers back, accounting & bookkeeping procedures, auditing, successful budgeting and profit planning development, as well as thousands of great tips and useful guidelines. Never before has so much practical information about the specialty store business been offered in one book.

This is an ideal guide new for comers to the business as well as experienced operators. In addition to basic operational practices this book will demonstrate show how to: increase impulse sales and improve presentation, utilize merchandising fixtures and techniques, cross merchandising, point of purchase materials, how to develop a product sampling program.

Reviews

Rating: 3 / 5
Date: 2009-03-17
Summary: "I couldn't start with the information in this book"

While this book tackles a wide range of topics, I don't belive this book would enable the reader to create a business plan. For example the pricing section was more of a conversation on supply and demand rather then standard pricing practices for this niche.

I'ld say keep looking.

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Rating: 2 / 5
Date: 2008-06-03
Summary: "skims the surface"

this book feels like an outline of what the real book would/should be. I suppose it's a good primer on how to gather your thoughts, but shouldn't be confused with a guidance book on opening a gourmet shop.

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Rating: 1 / 5
Date: 2007-07-05
Summary: "General Book on Opening a Store, not specific to Gourmet Food"

This book is nothing more than a general guide to opening a Shop.

I bought it because the title leads you to expect that it contains information specific to setting up a Specialty Gourmet Food Shop.

I already own general guides on setting up a Shop, which are incidentally much better than this book.

Apart from a few token references to Specialty Gourmet Food, this book was no use to me. Don't let the title fool you.

The Publishers should be ashamed of themselves. They have produced one single General guide on how to set up a Shop or a Business, and are selling the same book (with minimal adjustments) as if it is a detailed guide for specific industries like Specialty Food. A total rip-off !!!

Instead buy "Gourmet To Go" by Robert Wemishner and Karen Karp, which really does contain a lot of useful information specific to setting up a Gourmet Food Shop.

Also for a good guide on Specialty Shops(but not specific to Food Shops), consider "The Specialty Shop" by Dorothy Finell.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2006-05-08
Summary: "The authors are great at introducing the reader to all aspects of starting their own shop"

"HOW TO OPEN A FINANCIALLY SUCCESSFUL RETAIL & GOURMET FOODS SHOP" by Sharon L. Fullen and Douglas R. Brown.

Starting your own business can be extremely scary, it doesn't matter what type of business it is. If you are interested in starting a specialty foods shop it can be even scarier because of the lack of competent information available. "How to Open a Financially Successful Specialty retail & gourmet foods shop" is one of the most comprehensive books of its kind in the market place.

The authors are great at introducing the reader to all aspects of starting their own shop. The book is written in an easy to understand conversational tone. With sections specifically on goal setting this book is geared toward the new entrepreneur that does not have past business start up experience.

Read this book before going even considering opening a specialty retail or gourmet foods shop. Many aspects of operating a specialty business can be overlooking in the heat of your ambitions. This book will guide you in identifying all the major areas of concern before you put up all your money and invest months of your time.

The book also comes with a CD that contains pre-written documents that will be very useful in starting and operating your business. This book is highly recommended to anyone who wants to know more about the gourmet foods industry and of course to people interested in starting their own specialty foods shop.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2006-04-19
Summary: "Great Book!"

The book begins with an overview of what a gourmet shop consists of and how much energy is needed in order to successfully run one. This book gives a complete picture of everything that is needed to run a successful gourmet store. It is comprehensive enough for someone who has never opened a business before to easily start a shop.

It goes into great details of the initial costs and strategies that will be needed at start up. There is even a special section on franchising and writing a business plan. Other areas include taxes, laws, licenses, and insurances that will be needed. There are also skillfully crafted chapters which focus two main areas employee relations and customers including marketing and public relations.

There are chapters that center on the equipment that may be needed and the types of product that can be used in the store. A CD-ROM completes the book, with many forms that can help anyone who goes into business. There are even sections that deal with cash flow and financial management as well as purchasing.

This book offers a comprehensive overview on many of how to start a Specialty Retail business and with the step by step process, anyone can be successful.