Increased sales of building materials. Online sales of building materials: pros and cons

Sooner or later, any good owner is faced with the issue of construction. Someone wants to build a bathhouse, someone wants to build a garage or shed for all kinds of needs, and someone is aiming to build an entire house by hand. Naturally, the question arises about the choice of building material.

The main part of any construction, apart from pouring the foundation, is the construction of walls. The question arises of what material to build from. Of course, you want the construction to be cheaper, the walls to be strong and warm, and, of course, you shouldn’t forget about the aesthetic appearance of your building.

Unfortunately, not all building materials meet all requirements. Let's look at the most popular building materials that are most often used in construction.

First place: Solid profiled timber.

Solid profiled timber is a high-quality building material made from coniferous wood that has undergone special processing. Due to the high content of tree resin, a structure made from profiled timber is more durable and less susceptible to external aggressive environments.

About twenty years ago, such building material was not particularly popular, since construction took a lot of time due to the need to adjust the beams manually. Now the beams are machined so that they fit perfectly together with minimal gaps.

Profiled timber is environmentally friendly, perfectly retains heat in the house and is relatively inexpensive. In addition, thanks to machine processing, the walls of a house made of beams can be built in just a couple of days. It is enough to simply assemble the house like a puzzle.

Second place: Rounded log.

Like timber, this type of building material is also made from coniferous wood, but in the future this material is much more durable due to its shape.

Rounded logs are environmentally friendly and have low thermal conductivity.

Construction from logs also does not take much time.

Third place: Silicate brick.

An excellent building material, very durable and acceptable in appearance. Brick buildings are reliable, durable, and environmentally friendly. But there are also disadvantages.

During transportation, losses often occur; bricks crumble. In addition, the price of such building materials is very high, and the ability to retain heat inside the house, on the contrary, is very underestimated. Brick walls easily accumulate heat and also release it easily. As a result, in the hot summer the walls heat up and excess heat begins to flow into the room, where the temperature is lower than outside. In winter, the same process goes in the other direction.

Fourth place: Foam block.

Very cheap and at the same time high-quality building material. Foam blocks are relatively lightweight, have high strength and heat resistance. With sudden changes in temperature, foam block walls do not expand or crack. Another important quality of the foam block is low thermal conductivity, achieved thanks to the bubbles inside the block itself, which serve as air pockets. Environmentally safe in moderation.

Fifth place: Frame thermal panels.

This building material is very popular due to its low cost.

The advantages of thermal panels include, of course, low heat and noise conductivity, quick assembly and relative strength. The disadvantages include the lack of naturalness. Buildings made from thermal panels may look beautiful from a distance, but up close the building looks more like an institution than a cozy home. In addition, according to experts, thermal panels are capable of releasing harmful substances.

Above were the five most popular building materials for building walls in our time. It’s up to you to decide whether to give preference to naturalness or price, durability or aesthetic qualities.

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Trade is considered the domain of budding entrepreneurs. “This is the simplest and therefore the most widespread type of small business,” says sociologist Arkady Semenov from Moscow. - Take, for example, building materials store. According to random surveys, where would you start your business, from the list of ten proposed ideas, many gave preference to selling goods for the repair and decoration of apartments. It turned out that this is even more interesting than a car service or.”

And in fact, almost all people, with very rare exceptions, in one way or another at least once in their lives bought wallpaper for their apartment, screws for fasteners, taps for plumbing. Moreover, due to the constant bustle and queues, one gets the impression that almost all stores of this profile are successful. Is this really so and what needs to be done to open a successful retail outlet with repair goods, we decided to find out.

Optimists and pessimists

Judging by the information and discussions on the RuNet, the topic of owning a building materials store is popular. Here are some posts worth checking out:

“...I would like to hear the opinion of knowledgeable people: how profitable is it to open a building materials store?” - forum member Bulavka is interested.

“If there is an opportunity, then there is nothing to even think about, open up, develop, prosper! This type of business will always be in demand,” another forum participant, shahter78, is convinced.

“I’ve been in the subject for a long time,” a certain Dmitry Ivanovich doubts. - There are enough problems, the most important of which is the attractive price. I don’t know how to achieve it. Repairmen are cunning people. They are looking for something inexpensive. Moles dig the ground. If you raise the price a little, your customers will blow away like the wind. And trading cheaper than competitors is at a loss.”

Economist experts, in particular Mira Kolomiytseva, who specializes in small business, considers the last statement a kind of cry from the heart. “Numerous publications on the topic of “owning your own building materials store” have nothing to do with reality,” she says. - For example, some authors link starting amounts to retail space, saying these are key indicators. Abstract figures are given, the observance of which supposedly guarantees the success of the undertaking. In particular, 500 thousand rubles are needed as working capital for a point of 100 square meters. Meanwhile, this disorients budding entrepreneurs.”

According to Kolomiytseva, people have the false impression of a quiet business that will generate income in any case. Meanwhile, the store should be “correctly configured” in terms of assortment with taking into account the prices of the nearest wholesale distributors.

We are talking about a kind of road map that should be drawn up before the start. “Buyers don’t like the narrow specialization of a building materials store,” says Valery Andreev, a businessman from Rostov-on-Don. - As a rule, they come with a list, according to which they buy. Therefore, the assortment should be as thoughtful as possible. I know one entrepreneur who, in a large chain building materials supermarket, stood at the cash register and quietly took into account who, what and how much was buying.”

In this assortment, on the one hand, duplicate items should be excluded, since unnecessary items are expensive to service. On the other hand, transport and storage costs are optimized. “It is necessary to establish a clear system of interaction with distributors,” advises Anna Smirnova, director of a small building materials store. - Good personal relationships are important here. In this case, it may be possible to access the changing price lists of wholesalers via the Internet.”

Expense arithmetic

Anna Smirnova, based on personal experience, says that the store should have convenient transport accessibility. This could be a residential area, or even an industrial zone, or an area along the main entrance and exit from a city or village. “Renovation of premises may be the most budgetary, but you will have to fork out for equipment,” Arkady Semenov is sure. “It’s psychologically important for people to buy in a familiar work environment, and certainly not in a barn.”

Therefore, it is necessary to install specialized shelving up to 3 meters high and 1 meter wide, as well as several glass display cabinets that can be locked with a key. You will probably need a turnstile for buyers, a packing table and about ten chrome-plated carts for purchased building materials.

Of course, each store should have its own business project, but basic indicators should still be taken into account. We present them in a simplified table.

Cost items for opening a store

Position	Amount, rub.	Note
Working capital	5-7 thousand per sq. m of area	But not less than 600 thousand rubles
Trade equipment (racks, display cases)	2-3 thousand per sq. m of area	-
Rent and salary	2-3 thousand per sq. m of area	1 manager per 50 sq. m

To summarize, we can say that opening a building materials store will require a businessman to detailed planning and strict implementation of the plan. Experts believe that the “break-even point” will be passed within a year from the moment of opening, while the profitability of the business should be at least 15%.

The Divandi portal has compiled a local ranking of the popularity of building materials in private construction. The rating was based on a survey of construction projects taking place on the territory of a single cottage community. This village is located south of Yekaterinburg. On its territory there are 295 plots with an area ranging from 8 to 13 acres. Construction of the village began three years ago. Today, on 49 plots there are houses that are either fully completed or have a fairly high degree of readiness.

In the village chosen for the study, almost all technologies used in modern cottage construction were represented. To build the box houses, local residents used 15 types of building materials, including wood concrete, brisolite, heat blocks and even artificial flagstone made of foam concrete.

General information about the materials and cottages built from them is presented in the table at the end of the article.

Aerated concrete blocks – 21 houses

The gas block leads in popularity by a large margin. In the surveyed village, out of 49 finished (semi-finished) houses, 21 were built from this material (the total area of these houses is about 3,150 sq. m). The owners of the plots used mainly autoclave-cured gas blocks from the INSI company (Chelyabinsk). Blocks of the brands “Teplit”, “Betolex” (Novosibirsk) and “Porablok” (Kurgan), as well as conventional and autoclave-cured aerated blocks from unknown manufacturers were also noticed. Perhaps, including “garage” production. As a rule, houses made of aerated concrete are insulated on the outside with mineral wool slabs and lined with facade bricks. I talked about the Divandi portal earlier.

Other types of light blocks - 5 houses

There are 5 more houses in the village, the construction of which used lightweight (cellular) concrete. In addition to the aerated concrete mentioned above, this includes foam concrete, polystyrene concrete, sawdust concrete, etc. In the village under study, two cottages were built from foam blocks, another from polystyrene concrete and one from Arbolite (in this case, the concrete filler is crushed wood chips). In addition, in the village there is one cottage whose walls are built from a rather rare material - thin tiles made of aerated concrete (see photo above).

Timber and timber buildings – 13 houses

13 houses were built from wood. Including 5 - from profiled timber, 4 - from chopped (barked) logs, 3 - from rounded logs and 1 - from double timber. I already spoke in more detail about the Divandi portal.

Separately, it is worth mentioning a wooden residential building with an area of about 70 square meters. m. The basis of the house is a standard log frame 6x6 m. On both sides, two extensions are connected to it, made using frame technology and covered with wooden siding. As a result, the area of the cottage doubled.

Brick – 4 houses

Only 4 houses were built from ceramic bricks in the village, but these are mostly quite large buildings. The area of the largest is approximately 360 square meters. m. Therefore, in terms of total area, brick houses are superior to the log cottages available in the village (see table).

All brick houses in the village are built from classic hollow one-and-a-half bricks. Three houses are insulated on the outside with mineral wool slabs and faced with facade bricks. The fourth house is still at the brick box stage. Work on its exterior decoration has not begun. Previously, the Divandi portal talked about.

Thermal block, frame and permanent formwork – 6 houses

The remaining 6 cottages in the village were created using “alternative solutions”. Two houses were built using frame technology with walls covered with rigid OSB panels. External finishing is mounted on top of the panels - plaster or facade panels (in this case, imitating half-timbered timber - see photo above). Another cottage is a classic frame house. Its supporting base is a frame made of timber. The walls do not have rigid structural cladding. From the outside, they are covered with a windproof membrane, on top of which façade panels are mounted. The Divandi portal spoke in detail about the construction of Caracas.

Two more cottages included in our review were built using permanent formwork. In one case, Lego blocks were used, in the other, Brizolit. A Lego block is two plates of expanded polystyrene (foam plastic), which are connected at the construction site with special “clamps”. One plate forms the outer surface of the wall, the second - the inner one. When installing plates, hollow walls are obtained. After that, reinforcement is placed in the space between the inner and outer plates and concrete is poured. The house, built from Lego blocks, is lined with facade panels with the texture of masonry stone.

The last house in our review is built from thermal blocks. Each such block is a sandwich, which combines together: an element of the external cladding of the facade, a layer of thermal insulation (expanded polystyrene) and a load-bearing “brick” (made of expanded clay concrete). A wall erected from heat blocks immediately has an external finish.

Table 1. Materials used in the construction of the cottage community

Gas block	Number of cottages made of this material	Total area of cottages (sq. m)
Gas block	21	3 148
Profiled timber	5	510
Brick	4	980
Chopped log	4	340
Rounded log	3	530
Frame technology with rigid skin	2	300
Foam block	2	230
Arbolit	1	150
Lego block (fixed formwork)	1	140
Frame technology	1	130
Heat block	1	105
Aerated concrete tiles	1	105
Brizolit (permanent formwork)	1	90
Double beam	1	80
Polystyrene concrete	1	45

In any locality in Russia there is and will always be a need for the construction of facilities for various purposes. And over time they deteriorate and require repairs. This means that we cannot do without construction and finishing materials in our lives. Hence the conclusion - the sale of such goods is a popular and profitable business.

Reconomica Today I will share with you, dear readers, the experience of a successful entrepreneur who combined the production of building materials with the sale of not only his own, but also similar products from other companies.

The main tool for the development of this business was the organization of an office to receive orders from consumers for similar goods. You will learn about the positive and negative aspects, the benefits received and the prospects of the specified business.

Greetings. My name is Mark. I am 37 years old. I'm from Astrakhan. Now I am selling tiles, tiles, decorative mosaics and many other related products for construction, renovation and interior decoration.

I don’t have a store, but an office for receiving orders. Trade turnover ranges from one and a half to two million rubles per month, from March to November inclusive.

Sales begin with the onset of the construction season and until its end. I’ll briefly tell you how I came to this type of activity.

My first steps in the construction business

It all started with the production of paving slabs; I organized this business in 2014.

Production of paving slabs.

Things weren't going well with production. There was only enough money to rent premises, pay staff and pay taxes.

At first I worked with virtually no profit. There were orders constantly, but it was almost impossible to make money on them.

There was a need to increase production volumes and reach serious clients. This step required huge investments in production. There were no such opportunities.

Choosing the direction of further development of the business

The further path of business development was unclear. It was necessary to either urgently decide something or stop business activities.

How the idea came

An acquaintance of mine worked at that time in a managerial position in a manufacturing company that specialized in the manufacture of bricks and concrete products. He suggested ways for further development.

Finding ways to promote your business

I thought that production was built first, and then the goods produced were sold, and the business flourished. Maybe this happens on paper, in fantastic business plans, but not in reality. First, you need to trade someone else’s goods and replenish your customer base, and when stable demand arises, you can open your own production if it is profitable.

Opening without market knowledge and experience is a path to failure.

Proof of this is the many small businesses that opened and closed, accumulating large debts.

First mistakes

I was like that too. I read an amateurish business plan on some social network. Everything seemed easy and simple. But in fact, he had almost said goodbye to the invested money and was ready to sell his car to pay off the accumulated debts.

Business is a science and a way of life. This craft can be mastered. The main thing is to set the goal correctly and find a short path to it.

Initially I wanted to try something I was unfamiliar with. Business does not tolerate amateurism. Especially in the manufacturing sector. It took a long and difficult time to get out of the current situation. It’s very good that there was an experienced person who told me what to do next.

Stages of opening and developing a sales office

Choosing a retail location and its purpose

Even if there is no one to sit there, the sales office should be in order to:

receive clients;
present products;
conclude contracts.

Conditions for renting premises

There was free space on the territory where I rented the production workshop. Its area was 150 m², the rental cost was 15 thousand rubles. per month, without utilities. The total amount of payments was approximately 18 thousand rubles. per month. I reluctantly took this step.

Equipping the office with everything you need

For full trading you will need:

furniture;
racks;
computer;
Printer;
various stationery items.

I spent 70 thousand rubles on furnishings and equipment for the office.

The furniture was the cheapest. The printer was also included in this price; the computer had to be brought from home. The retail space was large, but there were no other options.

Setting up a full-fledged office is expensive.

Later, the space of this office became insufficient.

Methods for displaying products on the sales floor

The first thing I did was exhibit my products. Since there was a lot of space, I laid out the paving slabs in all sorts of ways. He combined two and even four different colors of tiles of the same model, which could be laid in different color schemes.

Showing samples of paving slabs is a necessary sales attribute.

Thus, I could not show my products in a workshop environment.

Expansion of the range of building materials

So I became a representative of a mini-factory for the production of building materials.

In the sales area, he displayed the bricks they had made, and placed catalogs of the rest of the products, which, due to their large dimensions, could not be placed in the office.

Display of samples of bricks and other products in the sales office.

I placed samples of floor slabs and foundation blocks near the gates of my workshop.

Product promotion activities

The next question concerned information support for trade - marketing.

The office was located on the roadway. The administration allowed advertising banners to be placed on the building. I made two banners measuring 1 by 4 meters to hang on different sides of the building. Their cost was 8 thousand rubles.

And they also made a remote stand, which was located in front of the entrance to the building. Its price was 2 thousand rubles.

From 4 thousand to 7 thousand rubles were spent on promoting products in Avito, newspapers, making leaflets and business cards. per month.

How to make money selling construction products from third-party companies

As a result of the increased demand for their products and the inability to satisfy the needs of consumers with the available production capacities, it was necessary to urgently make some decision.

Reasons for turning to other manufacturers

There was no money to expand production, and I didn’t really want to increase it.

In the warm season, it was still possible to pay rent, but in winter, when there are almost no orders and the production premises need to be heated, the cost of rent was significantly more affordable.

The solution was to negotiate the sale of tiles from other manufacturers .

My advantages when choosing a partner

In the modern market, the problem of any manufacturer is the sale of products. In such an environment, with fierce competition, manufacturers who do not have their own sales channels become hostage to sellers.

If I have a good client, then the company provides a minimum wholesale price for the products.

A commodity producer always has a need for funds - these are debts on wages, rent, debts for supplied raw materials, or a person simply has a loan from a bank.

The manufacturer is always happy to sell, even with minimal markup on the product. I took advantage of this situation.

Very often he earned more from sales than the manufacturer.

Positive changes in business provide impetus for further growth

When organizing any business, constant movement forward is necessary. Otherwise - stagnation.

Significant progress in trade after the conclusion of the partnership agreement

Finding a manufacturer to collaborate with turned out to be easy. An agreement was signed with him. The list of products presented far exceeded my product output. A quarter of the room was occupied by an exhibition of their products.

I started searching for suppliers who could provide exhibition samples, stands, catalogs and other promotional products for free.

Finding new ways to increase sales

And a certain style of work in such auctions also emerged. It was necessary for the manufacturer or wholesaler whose products I represent to release the goods from the warehouse at the sales price in their office.

Not everyone agreed to such cooperation, but still there were entrepreneurs who wanted to expand. They also had conditions - if I represent their assortment, then I no longer work with anyone.

Samples of reinforced concrete products in an open area.

Optimization of retail space

The trading floor began to fill with samples of various goods. Then he divided the trading zones. On the production site he placed the largest specimens - reinforced concrete products.

Roofing samples.

They were joined by samples of timber, roofing, mesh, metal products - everything related to construction.

Samples of rolled metal.

I divided the office space into three parts - an office and two halls. The first hall served to display products for construction and landscaping, the second hall presented materials for finishing rooms and bathrooms.

Sales area with samples of finishing materials.

I filled empty spaces in the trading floors with goods that fit the theme. For example, the sales floor was replenished with two stands - one with LED lighting, the second representing manufacturers of swimming pools for personal plots, saunas, and baths.

Temporary setbacks are inevitable

Not all positions were profitable. Some goods or services were never sold. For example, I have never accepted an order to make a pool or fountain. Mosaics for bathrooms sold very poorly and took up a lot of space, but bright and beautiful stands with such samples had a positive influence on buyers.

Not everything is on sale, but some products create a good atmosphere on the sales floor.

How much does trade in construction materials bring?

I’ll tell you briefly about the profit received from the sale of construction and finishing materials.

Amounts of allowances for goods

I marked up the goods sold by 10 to 30%. The highest markup is for paving slabs and building materials.

Tiles, porcelain tiles, tiles and countertops made of natural stone also work well. The average markup was 20%.

What does income depend on?

If the turnover passing through my office amounted to 1 million rubles, then I have approximately 200 thousand rubles left in profit.

From there, taxes, deductions, rent, advertising expenses and the salary of the seller and accountant are deducted.

Half of this amount remains. If at the height of the season you manage to sell 2–3 million rubles, then the costs are the same, and the profit increases. I wrote my turnover above. It’s not difficult to calculate how much the business brings me in net.

But don’t forget that January and February are months with almost no revenue. However, money must be paid for rent, and employees of the enterprise must be paid wages. And for this you need to work hard during the busy season.

My trading method

Some, after reading the article, may think that I am an ordinary speculator, and buyers do not receive anything when purchasing goods through my sales office. If that were the case, then customers wouldn't come here.

Consulting customers on products

I made a point of advising consumers regarding the characteristics of the building materials they purchased. In addition, he did not accept low-quality goods for sale.

Consumers did not need to run after sellers and beg for illiterate advice about the product I was selling, since I knew everything and could answer clients’ questions.

Application of the software

He also mastered computer 3D modeling, and made room renovation projects for free, calculating the materials used.

For example, the program calculated the quantity of tiles for a bathroom accurately, and customers did not have to purchase extra material, such as tiles and glue.

Design service

My salesperson also provided design services and helped buyers decide on colors, sizes, and finishing options.

It's very hard work.

An impeccable reputation of a businessman is an important component of a successful business.

Another advantage is reputation. In three years of work I have not let anyone down, so wholesale consumers have established business relationships with me.

It would seem that construction companies can go to manufacturing plants themselves and purchase goods in large quantities.

But, apparently, there are problems that prevent such actions.

When words do not differ from deeds, this is a reputation that also pays off.

Increasing living standards and the development of society always lead to an increase in construction volumes, making trade in construction materials one of the most profitable types of business. However, opening your own hardware store is impossible without solving certain and often difficult tasks, including forming an assortment, finding reliable suppliers and organizing the correct display of goods. This article is intended to help entrepreneurs overcome all difficulties at these stages and open a profitable and stable business in the construction industry.

How to create an assortment for a building materials store

To create the optimal assortment of a hardware store, an entrepreneur needs to choose the format of the outlet, determine his target customer and create an assortment matrix. Each of these stages is extremely important - only after completing all the preparatory work and studying all aspects of this issue, you can open a truly stable and profitable business.

Types of building materials stores

First of all, such stores are classified according to their size and the number of items in the assortment (the latter most likely follows from the size of the point):

Small pavilions or shops. The area of such points ranges from 70 to 100 square meters. m. The assortment ranges from 10 to 20 items.
Standard stores. Area from 150 to 200 sq. m. The assortment ranges from 40 to 70 items.
Large stores. Area from 500 to 1000 sq. m, warehouse area from 500 to 2000 sq. m. The assortment includes about 100 items, about 15 thousand articles.
Warehouse stores. Area - 2500 sq. m. Assortment - from 15 to 30 items, from 300 to 1000 articles.

There are also building materials stores:

Specialized. Such stores focus on one or more product groups that complement each other. So, for example, a store can sell wallpaper of different types and manufacturers, as well as everything necessary for gluing it.
Universal. At such points, the assortment is as diverse as possible and consists of many product groups, including: dry building mixtures, tiles, finishing materials, plumbing, electrical goods, flooring, etc. Of course, such a variety of products requires large retail spaces and cooperation with several suppliers. However, this does not mean that only a hypermarket can be universal - often small outlets also operate in this format, with the difference that the depth of the assortment in them is much lower (the depth of the assortment is the number of types and brands of one product, for example, wallpaper) .

Your main clients could be:

Private individuals;
Designers;
Construction organizations;
Construction crews.

Of course, your choice of target clientele will have a huge impact on your product range. If you are opening a relatively small hardware store and targeting private buyers, you definitely shouldn’t order 20 types of building primers or engineering plumbing supplies. At outlets of this format, it is better to focus on products that ordinary people need for apartment renovation and goods for home and garden.

Assortment matrix

The assortment of such stores may include the following groups of goods:

Construction Materials:
general construction materials (brick, aerated concrete and wall blocks, plaster mesh, fences and railings, polycarbonate); consumables (garbage bags, gloves and mittens, covering materials, adhesive tapes and tapes, construction containers, bags, bags, boxes); GKL, sheet materials; profiles and accessories for gypsum boards (profiles, hangers, connectors, fiberglass mesh, serpyanka, tapes); lumber (beams, laths, boards, linings, platbands, plinths, corners, furniture panels); roofing materials (metal tiles, corrugated sheets, flexible tiles, galvanized iron, slate, roll roofing, roofing felt); reinforced concrete products; rolled metal (steel, aluminum, composite); components for formwork (siding panels, facade panels);
Construction mixtures:
dry mixtures (cement, CFRP, masonry and installation mortars, tile adhesive, adhesive for facade insulation, grouts, putties, plasters, floor levelers, oven mortars, additives to mortars); bulk materials (gypsum, alabaster, sand, lime, chalk, clay, expanded clay, crushed stone);
Thermal and sound insulation(mineral wool, glass wool, expanded polystyrene, extruded polystyrene foam, substrates, foam rubber, sealants, pipe thermal insulation); waterproofing (bitumen, polymer, cement); hydro-vapor barrier, geotextiles, covering material;
Decoration Materials:
doors (interior, entrance, canopies, special, trim, extensions, thresholds, door fittings); windows (wooden, metal-plastic); window sills; PVC; seals; ceilings (cellular, cassette, slatted, suspended); decorative elements made of polystyrene foam (tiles, sockets, baseboards); wall panels and accessories (PVC, MDF, sandwich panels); wallpaper (non-woven wallpaper, painting non-woven wallpaper, glass wallpaper); wallpaper glue; finishing corners; decorative film;
Paints, foams, sealants:
primers (anti-corrosion, betokontakt, ready-to-use, concentrates, liquid glass); water-based paints (for ceilings, interior, washable, facade, decorative plasters); enamels (universal, anti-corrosion, aerosol, nitro enamels, for floors); oil paints; pigments and tinting paints; solvents and cleaners (solvents, cleaners, drying oil); antiseptics (primer, bioprotective, fire-bioprotective, special, decorative, bath and sauna products); varnishes (interior, special); ready-made putties; adhesive materials (universal glue, construction glue, PVA, wood glue, liquid nails, adhesive mastic); mounting foams (household, professional, cleaners); sealants (silicone, acrylic, heat-resistant, roofing);
Tiles and ceramic magnet:
tiles (for walls, floors, anti-slip, high wear resistance, relief surface, ceramic magnet, steps); decorative elements; tiles for cladding facades and plinths; tile adhesives; grout; primers; waterproofing products; corner layout, profiles; inspection hatches; care products; crosses and wedges for tiles; tools for laying tiles;
Floor coverings:
laminate; linoleum; PVC tiles; baseboard; substrate; threshold; overlay; carpets and rugs; flooring adhesive; related products;
Plumbing:
baths; shower corners, trays, sinks; sanitaryware (washbasins and pedestals, toilets, urinals and bidets, installations, fittings, toilet seats); faucets; accessories for faucets; bathroom furniture; heated towel rails and accessories; tools for plumbing work; plumbing fasteners; Consumables;
Engineering plumbing:
water supply (pipes and fittings, taps and valves, flexible connections and hoses, manifolds, manifold groups, cabinets, valves, regulators, instrumentation, water heaters, plastic containers and components); water purification systems (filters; cartridges; chemicals for pools); drainage systems; shut-off valves and components; sewerage (fittings for sanitary ware, siphons, bends, drains, pipes and fittings for internal and external sewerage, storm sewerage, septic tanks, toilets, hatches); pipe thermal insulation; gas supply (taps, flexible hoses, hoses, gas equipment); inspection hatches (metal, plastic, under tiles); pumping and boiler equipment (pumping equipment, expansion tanks); tools for plumbing work; plumbing fasteners; Consumables;
Electrical products:
cable laying and electrical installation (power connectors, cable support systems, cable fittings, products for insulation, fastening and marking, terminal clamps, auxiliary equipment); cable and wire products (coaxial cables, flexible cables, VVG, NYM, low-current, AVVG, PVS, ShVVP, PUNP, PV3, SIP); low-voltage equipment (automatic machines, differential automatic machines, RCDs, measuring instruments, power supply devices); electrical installation products (sockets, switches, frames, extension cords, surge protectors, sockets, splitters, tees, plugs, bells and bell buttons, electrical installation boxes); electrical switchboard equipment (electrical switchboard housings, elements for equipment installation); lighting products (incandescent lamps, halogen, fluorescent, gas-discharge lamps), LED lighting systems, flashlights, lamps, light control, components for lamps and fixtures);
Ventilation, heating:
ventilation systems (round, rectangular); fans (floor, exhaust, supply and exhaust); ventilation grilles; anemostats, diffusers; heating systems (heating radiators, heated towel rails and components, coolants); radiator grilles; heated floors (electric, water); electric heaters (thermal curtains, convector, infrared, oil heaters, heat guns, fan heaters);
Tools, equipment:
power tools (grinders, cordless drills and screwdrivers, electric drills and screwdrivers, hammer drills, grinders, saws, planes, jigsaws, electric sharpeners, garden tools, special tools); concrete mixers, gas-powered tools (chainsaws, vibrating saws, generators, consumables); accessories for power tools (drills, drills, bits and adapters, crowns, milling cutters, files, cutting discs, abrasive wheels, flap wheels, grinding wheels, saw blades, diamond discs, baskets, sanding belts, accessories); welding equipment; pneumatic tools; ladders and stepladders; storage systems; hand tools (measuring and marking tools, installation tools, painting tools, abrasive tools and materials, for plastering work, for plumbing work, for laying tiles, garden tools); carpentry tools (pliers, screwdrivers, wrenches, hacksaws for wood, metal, hammers, sledgehammers, mallets, axes, cleavers, files, chisels, planes);
Fasteners, hardware:
self-tapping screws (universal, universal with semicircular heads, plasterboard-metal, plasterboard-wood, metal-metal, roofing, window, for sandwich panels, gypsum fiber board); screws (hook screws, plumbing screws, concrete screws); dowels; dowel-nails (universal, frame, for insulation); anchors (drive-in, wedge, ceiling, spacer, for sheet materials, anchor bolt, nail anchor, wedge anchor); fasteners for wooden structures (staples, tapes, angles, plates, clamps, special fasteners); nails; rivets; metric fasteners (bolts, screws, nuts, washers, rods); cargo fasteners; plumbing fixtures; fittings and hardware (latches, lugs, latches, handles, latches, screws, hinges, closers, springs, limiters);
Products for home and garden:
household goods (detergents and cleaning products, rags, sponges, napkins, mops, brooms, dustpans, racks and shelving systems, waste containers, cylinders, gas equipment); cords, ropes, twines (cords, ropes, twines, halyards); goods for the garden (hoses, barrels, canisters, plastic containers, buckets, watering cans, covering materials, picnic goods, plant care products); septic tanks, toilets; equipment (wheelbarrows, stretchers, pitchforks, rakes, shovels, special tools); fences and fences.

As you can see, the number of product groups, names and subtypes of construction products is simply enormous. Each owner of stores in this area must do a lot of work, choosing from the above items those that will satisfy the needs of his target customers and correspond to the chosen store format.

Selecting suppliers for a hardware store

Upon completion of the assortment formation, the owner of a building materials store needs to find reliable suppliers for his outlet. Of course, the more conscientious the partner is and the lower the purchase prices, the better it is for business. The conditions for purchasing the goods are also important, as well as compliance with all established deadlines. Experienced entrepreneurs working in this area note that it is better to make purchases from dealers and representatives than directly from manufacturers - it simply does not make sense to purchase a huge batch of goods at once (unless, of course, you are planning to immediately open a construction hypermarket). Their contacts can be found on manufacturers’ websites, online, in catalogs, and in printed publications.

In general, the process of searching for a supplier can be divided into several main stages:

Identify a couple of dozen representatives of the required product range working in your area;
Determine the criteria that you consider most important for your business (a list of possible criteria is described below);
Rank the criteria by importance;
Draw an approximate picture for each supplier graphically and select the best options.

Selection criteria may be as follows:

Mechanism of the approval process for prices and terms;
Experience and reputation;
Matching the supplier's profile to your needs;
Willingness to cooperate;
Ability to work under special conditions and willingness to make concessions;
Willingness to maintain trade secrets;
Conscientiousness and adherence to deadlines;
Additional services and bonuses.

Entrepreneurs working in this area recommend that beginners have about three suppliers - this way you will protect yourself from possible supply disruptions. You also need to think about delivery logistics - if you are purchasing goods in another city, study the prices for the services of transport companies and find a partner with whom you can work on an ongoing basis and on favorable terms.

Rules for displaying goods in a building materials store

After you form an assortment, find suppliers and rent retail space, you will need to properly organize the display of all products. It would seem that nothing is easier than organizing a retail space, but in reality this task turns out to be very difficult. First of all, you will need to purchase commercial equipment, after which you can begin to sort the goods into groups.

Perhaps the most difficult aspect in laying out building materials is their diversity and heterogeneity. That is why each product group has its own rules:

Dry mixes. They need to be divided by type by type and brand, and the groups should be laid out vertically. In other words, the products of one company should be located under the products of another, creating vertical blocks. If the assortment includes large packages of mixtures, they must be placed on pallets separately from other goods. It should also be remembered that cement, for example, is a high-demand product, which means it needs to be placed closer to the end of the hall so that the buyer has to pass by all the shelves with the product - perhaps this will motivate him to buy something else. If the area and layout of the store allows you to separate the bulk materials area from the general area, this is definitely worth doing - dry mixes inevitably lead to the accumulation of a large amount of dust.
Ceramic materials, in particular tiles and porcelain stoneware, should be divided into groups according to purpose, for example, tiles for the bathroom, kitchen, floor, outdoor, etc. The product can also be divided into subcategories: mosaic, designer, etc. In general, tile collections can be arranged by colors, brands, and prices. Remember, it is better to place related products near such products - borders, inserts, etc. When you bring new materials, do not forget to notify customers about this using bright posters and price tags.
Fasteners require careful sorting - such products are very small, which makes the selection process difficult for the buyer. If you open a store in which the visitor independently selects the desired product and pays at the checkout, the grouping of fasteners should be obvious. You can sort such products by type, for example, self-tapping screws separately, dowels separately, rivets separately, etc., subtypes: galvanized nails, screws, etc., purpose: window screws, roofing screws, etc. It is equally important to consider size - small items should be laid out at eye level, while large items can be placed lower. If your store’s assortment is wide enough, fasteners can also be laid out vertically.
Tools should be divided into groups. Painting and plumbing tools should be placed separately. Within groups, products can be divided by brand. Hand and power tools should be placed on middle to top shelves. Remember, buyers prefer to look at expensive products, which means that the most expensive tools should be placed so that every visitor has the opportunity to carefully examine the product, and even better, test it.
Small consumables, such as cutters and drills, can be placed directly next to the cash register or in glass cabinets.
Pumps and compressors are also targeted goods, which means they should also be placed at the end of the hall.
Samples of large products are usually presented on separate stands.
Wallpapers are usually displayed on special stands. The packaging is removed from the rolls, after which they are placed on rollers. Every visitor to a building materials store should have the opportunity to approach the product, carefully inspect it, touch it, and unwind the roll. Also, entrepreneurs often purchase special cabinets for wallpapering - they allow you to place samples on top, while the inventory itself is located below. Often, some of the wallpaper is placed in free space (in groups), and the remaining samples are placed on special racks. If the same wallpaper is made in different colors, they must be laid out one after another. It is believed that color display is the best option for almost all products. You can also take into account the size of the pattern on the wallpaper.
Lamps should be grouped by style or similarity of models. You can place lamps, chandeliers and sconces separately or create a mixed display, thereby giving buyers the opportunity to imagine how all these products will look in one room. Remember, under no circumstances should you place expensive appliances next to cheap ones. In the lighting department you can also display related products - lamps, cords, sockets, etc.
Doors must be separated according to their purpose: interior, entrance, etc. Within a group, they can be placed by color, material, or price. In this case, placing expensive products next to cheap ones is also unacceptable.
Floor coverings (linoleum, carpet, etc.) must be divided according to the following parameters; material, size, color, price. At the same time, each type of coating requires separate, special commercial equipment.