Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: business opportunity?!?  (Read 8936 times)

Raine

  • Joined May 2011
  • Lincoln
Re: business opportunity?!?
« Reply #15 on: September 30, 2013, 07:01:37 am »
 :wave:


Another option would be to see if you could set up a buying group.  Find out if there are other people in your area who want feed and what they want, then try to buy it in bulk and get it delivered to one place.  May be cheaper if you can order enough at a time.

happygolucky

  • Joined Jan 2012
Re: business opportunity?!?
« Reply #16 on: September 30, 2013, 08:58:19 am »
 I went to most farm supply shops when I had me Tax return Aess35, I wanted at least a pair of posh boots so I ended up in Boquhan Estates and felt a bit of a scruff in my TESCO parka and leggings but turned out to sort of know the lady who served me.......got my boots but kept the price a few £ cheaper from my husband....that was my biggest purchase but the shop is  lovely....( not much to fit me though)... :innocent:   

john and helen

  • Joined Mar 2013
  • Devon
  • WARNING,,,MAY SAY WHAT HE BELIEVES
    • Facebook
Re: business opportunity?!?
« Reply #17 on: October 01, 2013, 03:08:09 pm »
I nearly got caught out the other day.... so ended up going to Pet city :o £13 for a bag of layers ...
so i went home...just enough for the evening sprinkle..then went to our little pet shop down the road..£9,95 for a bag of smallholders layers ..and better service

happygolucky

  • Joined Jan 2012
Re: business opportunity?!?
« Reply #18 on: October 01, 2013, 04:19:56 pm »
I noticed little tiny pink bags of chicken food in Pets at home...not sure how much but certainly playing to a certain market..

hughesy

  • Joined Feb 2010
  • Anglesey
Re: business opportunity?!?
« Reply #19 on: October 01, 2013, 04:54:57 pm »
Another thing regarding feed prices, speaking as someone who used to work in a feed supplier's. When the bosses of these places think "smallholder", they think plenty of money, hobbyist, costs not important, so they whack the prices up at every opportunity. They treat "farmers" very differently to "smallholders". You can see why as a lot of smallholders don't have much of a business head and will happily pay over the odds.

Womble

  • Joined Mar 2009
  • Stirlingshire, Central Scotland
Re: business opportunity?!?
« Reply #20 on: October 01, 2013, 11:29:59 pm »
Hiya,

Well I feel your pain too. The truth is, there are plenty of places about in Central Scotland. In no particular order:

  • Boquhan Estates, Kippen
  • Stirling Mart Shop, Stirling
  • New Kildean Mart Shop, Stirling
  • McKaskies, Springkerse Stirling
  • Central Saddlery, Avonbridge
  • Russell's, Larbert
The trouble we have with all of these is 1) the prices seem very high compared with what others on here are paying 2) I typically work from 8:30 till 4:30, which is not too arduous, but if the shop is 1/2 hour drive away, even if they open 8 till 5, that's still not much use. 3) Now I think about it, I've had "service with a spit" at most of these locations over the past wee while. The classic was last month when I wanted growers pellets - "I'm sorry, we haven't got any in stock". "But I just walked past a pile of them - they're right there!". "Ah, but the computer says there's none in stock, so I can't sell them. I'll have to order some in for you"  :o .


So, if you can open a better store, and hopefully at a better price, I'll beat a path to your door. Truthfully though, I doubt you could make enough profit after expenses to make it worth your while. The other alternative, as Raine says would be to open a feed co-op. You could buy in some things like wheat in bulk to bag off, and other things like pig nuts by the pallet. If everybody placed their individual orders with the co-op once per month, these could then be pooled to get the best price available, then orders could be collected or delivered, or whatever. You would make your money by charging an admin fee or a premium over the bulk buy price, and also delivery charges for those who wanted that.  Now that's an idea that could start off slowly and grow as more people joined.
Worth a thought at least?


Womble.
"All fungi are edible. Some fungi are only edible once." -Terry Pratchett

ballingall

  • Joined Sep 2008
  • Avonbridge, Falkirk
Re: business opportunity?!?
« Reply #21 on: October 01, 2013, 11:43:44 pm »
  • Central Saddlery, Avonbridge
The trouble we have with all of these is 1) the prices seem very high compared with what others on here are paying 2) I typically work from 8:30 till 4:30, which is not too arduous, but if the shop is 1/2 hour drive away, even if they open 8 till 5, that's still not much use. 3) Now I think about it, I've had "service with a spit" at most of these locations over the past wee while. The classic was last month when I wanted growers pellets - "I'm sorry, we haven't got any in stock". "But I just walked past a pile of them - they're right there!". "Ah, but the computer says there's none in stock, so I can't sell them. I'll have to order some in for you"  :o .
Womble.


Central Saddlery are open 9am until 7pm everyday- yes that includes Sundays. I agree the rest on your list don't have great opening hours. Central Saddlery isn't especially cheap, but they've got to make a living too. As long as you know what you want/need, and pay attention to their prices, then the prices aren't that much higher. Avoid having stuff delivered from there, because they do seem to charge a lot for that.


Beth

honeyend

  • Joined Oct 2011
Re: business opportunity?!?
« Reply #22 on: October 02, 2013, 12:31:33 am »
My friend works for a large retail agricultural suppliers which has grown hugely in the 10 years she has worked their. She says the managers have no real understanding of the customers needs, basically the sell what they get the biggest mark up on .
 Over the summer I had pigs for the first time and had no real idea how much I would need, if it was ponies I would have had a better idea. I managed to find a good deal locally £7.20/20kg for a bag of sow nuts but next time I would look at bulk. I have plenty of space for storage and its not that difficult to get bulk deals, the internet is a wonderful thing and its surprising the smaller companies that you can find that have not spent most of their budget on advertising. I would also look at farmers who do their own mixing, some have branched out as they get a better price for their raw material selling direct from the farm. As to running a business the mark up on animal feed is small but if it was a cooperative with the profit or surplus being split at the end of the season or ordering period with the person doing the storage and handling getting a large cut, a bit like village shops where the villagers fund/run the shop. Its sad that some of the large store probably started out as farmers cooperatives but have gone over to the dark side.
 I know some of you live in remote areas but I would check out some of the online suppliers, or horse feed places that supply professional yards, sometimes they have accounts with suppliers that sell all pet animal foods which are in a central warehouse so its just a matter of putting something else on a lorry . I have used www.e-feed.co.uk, not cheap but I always check their special offers before I order and you can combine different products to make up the order, you have to evaluate what it costs to collect yourself in time and petrol.
 
 
 

AndynJ

  • Joined Sep 2010
  • uk
  • Says it as it is. don't like it don't look
Re: business opportunity?!?
« Reply #23 on: October 02, 2013, 05:24:53 am »
I sell 20kg bag of layers for £8
15Kg Dr Johns working dog £11
Barley by the sack £3
I am hoping to stock poultry medicines though struggling to buy wholesale as I only want small quantity.
My customers ring up before they come.
We be in Devon.

Womble

  • Joined Mar 2009
  • Stirlingshire, Central Scotland
Re: business opportunity?!?
« Reply #24 on: October 02, 2013, 07:27:47 am »
Central Saddlery are open 9am until 7pm everyday- yes that includes Sundays. I agree the rest on your list don't have great opening hours.

Hi Beth, Actually they seem to be the exception, especially when it comes to opening hours. Unfortunately theyre also the least convenient for me to get to, so I've only actually been there once, though they were absoultely fine.

I've always just walked into these places and paid cash. Thinking about it now, does anybody know if there is there any advantage price-wise in opening an account?
"All fungi are edible. Some fungi are only edible once." -Terry Pratchett

aess35

  • Joined Jan 2013
Re: business opportunity?!?
« Reply #25 on: October 06, 2013, 10:04:39 pm »
  :-\  I love the idea of running a basic shop but the truth is I'd never actually do it as I don't have the dedication and passion needed to make it a success. I looked at the rent for industrial space being curious and to be big enough it would be app. £20k per year!!!  :roflanim: I do think there's a genuine need for one though as the hours offered from most of the current shops isn't good enough.  I did however find a poultry supplier that obviously no one knows about..Benview Garden Centre on the A81 from Aberfoyle to Glasgow..it's just past Gartmore.  Only prob is you end up spending money on plants too!!  :roflanim: 

 

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