Starting a Furniture Store Business

This article briefly discusses the furniture store business. Find out how you make money from this business. Learn several tips and advice to help you start your furniture start business.

Starting a furniture shop can prove to be a worthwhile undertaking since the demand for office and home furniture is quite substantial.

To succeed in this business you must have the eye for good finds. Look for furniture manufacturers that offer variety, uniqueness, quality, and attractive design. This will give you an edge over your competition.

Before you set off and start your furniture shop, you must first have your business plan on hand. A business plan will guide you and help you keep things in order. It is divided into several sections.

Executive Summary – write a short and concise statement of your business concept, financial features, financial requirements, and current business position.

Business Description – herein you shall write a short description of the furniture industry as a whole and your own business as a component of the industry. Make sure you include the present state and future outlook like trends and developments that can affect your business whether positively or negatively. Also include in this section, your business concept or the manner and rate by which you can earn profit. Of course, you must also state in brief the factors that support your ideas.

Market Strategy – here you will (1) indicate the results of the market analysis you conducted. Identify your position in the market share and define the profile of your target market. Specify your market positioning in terms of growth prospects, sales potential, size, structure, and trends. (2) Define your pricing scheme. The price of your products must cover your operation expense plus a mark up price relative to your desired profit. Factors like demand, economic fluctuations, and distribution should be taken into account. Ideally, your price list must be at par if not lower than your competition. (3) Describe your promotional plan. This subsection includes product packaging, public relations, sales promotions, personal sales, and sales potential.

Business Development Plan – There are three main areas to discuss here, product development, market development, and organizational development. Indicate your goals for each area and include the steps by which you plan to reach these goals.

Operation and Management Plan – herein you shall describe the day-to-day business functions and identify your logistics and manpower requirements as well as define the tasks of each of your departments.

Financial Management – Here you shall indicate your financial statement and capital requirement. Include the amount of your assets and liabilities. Describe how you plan to allocate your start-up capital and how to distribute your income or cash flow.

On Retailing

Once you have completed your business plan, it is now time to focus your attention to retailing and all the aspects that comes with it. In essence, retailing calls for purchasing merchandise from the source usually the manufacturer or wholesaler then selling the merchandise to the customer at a mark-up price. Your furniture shop can be categorized under specialty retailing because you address a specific need or requirement of the customer.

More Tips

Majority of your business transactions take place in a fixed point of sale location. You can augment this by using alternative avenues like electronic shopping, home TV shopping, and catalog or mail-order shopping. Most small business attains success by offering something new to the table. Try to be innovative. Develop means and ways to promote and deliver your furniture product to your market.

36 Comments

  • HANUMANTHA RAO said on July 20, 2010
    Hi I want to start a furniture shop in tenali, andhra pradesh. Please give the suggestion and requirements and the details regarding the from where can i bring the furniture and what about the margins.
  • Ogundimu Ronke said on August 21, 2010
    Hi, i want to start a furniture business in Lagos, Nigeria. I need your suggestions and all the requirements about it.
  • dwayne edwards said on September 25, 2010
    i am a furniture builder and i'm starting my very own retail store. give me your ideas.
  • kenneth chinedu said on April 8, 2011
    how do i start off furniture business in Lagos where the competition is very high, is there any cutting-edge over others?
  • khaladhar reddy said on May 11, 2011
    hai, i want to start a furniture shop in kurnool, i want to put sofas, double cots, dining tables, chairs,dressing tables ,beds,off chairs,etc...,but i dont know where can i get these things and how much % percentage i can get, i have very good circle i am thinking i want to put min 30lac.
  • Rodney Joiner said on June 20, 2011
    I want to open a furniture store wholesaler. What would be the nearest wholesaler from Abbeville, Louisiana zipcode 70510
  • pertunia said on December 26, 2011
    Hi. i would love to open a retail furniture store in south africa(polokwane). i already have suppliers or manufacturers in mind but the problem is i dnt know where to start, how do i register my retail store, what do i need to start working in terms of administration side. thanks
  • raghu raj said on January 3, 2012
    I want to open an furniture store in visakhapatnam A.P. India. Are there any suppliers of good furniture where I can procure in the market ?
  • amy teow said on February 24, 2012
    I want to open a retail furniture shop in bahau, negeri sembilan malaysia, i want to know how much the capital need and the manpower, this is my dream, i hope it come true.
  • shawnta brown said on March 20, 2012
    hi I want to open a furniture store in Nashville..I would like to know how do I go about doing it and what avenues do I take to get the furniture?
  • Akhilesh sharma said on April 16, 2012
    Hi i want to make a small furniture factory but i don't have so much money and i don't know where i can supply
  • Louise Harden said on May 2, 2012
    I want to open a furniture shop in united state i have already gather my licensing. i now want to know how do i find suppliers and manufacturers
  • HANIF said on May 10, 2012
    Hi I would like to start a business for furniture in thohoyandou limpopo south africa pls give me some suppliers' contact number
  • Yuni beginner adviser said on May 16, 2012
    @Louise Harden, I can help you to find direct manufacture or home production for wooden, rattan, bamboo or other material furniture in Bali, Lombok - Indonesia or in the Philippines. My email: w.wahyuni83yahoo.com

    w.wahyuni83@yahoo.com || +63 9477 829 585 || Spa Resort/Hotel Consultant

  • Rudresh said on June 21, 2012
    Hello Sir, I am planning to start Sofa manufacturing unit in Yellapur, Karwar Dist. Karnataka. I wanted to know from where can i get raw materials and equipment for manufacturing sofa.
  • mahmoud said on October 7, 2012
    i am living in Gombe Gombe state my business location is the same place
  • Renz Santos said on October 10, 2012
    good day., i'm renz santos, 23 years old, from the philippines., we have a furniture shop and i'm planning to make it more profitable, can you help, give me ideas from scratch? and also we opened up a new food business, can you help me there too? thank you
  • s s khurana said on November 20, 2012
    i am already doing furniture business in north india. any interested person, from india or outside india, may join my business to further promote it. any ideas or suggestions are welcome.
  • abhishek said on March 14, 2013
    @Ogundimu Ronke..contact me.we have a furniture business and a factory in India and Indonesia..but we are based in Mauritius, therefore under the COMESA you will not be incurring any taxes on imports
  • Norma Dulnuan said on March 18, 2013
    I am an Australian-Filipino citizen. We manufacture furniture in the Philippines. Our price is very competitive because we believe that the buyer's retail or wholesale price must be also competitive. In that way the manufacturing business will be busy making more.
  • edward said on March 21, 2013
    Hi I would like to open manufacturing of business in potchesftroom. will those agencies assisting with funding will require skills in dealing with wood? Please email me at:lebobolalane@gmail.com
  • sairam said on April 2, 2013
    Hai sir i want to start furniture store in vijayawada, andhra pradesh how much it will be cost for a furniture store i want a clear details about payment and best dealers
  • Pat Edgeller said on June 8, 2013
    Hello, I am interested in opening a shabby chic furniture store in Houston, TX. Do you know of any suppliers? Thank you.
  • Nomcebo Mabuza said on July 9, 2013
    Can you help me? I want to start a furniture store, for affordable furniture. . .
  • JOEL OSAYANDE said on October 1, 2013
    i want to start up a furniture making business in Benie Nigeria but i dont have any knowledge in woodwork. what do i do? how can i achieve my vision?
  • L.Lovely said on October 22, 2013
    Hello i want to start my furniture store business soon. In North Carolina, Can't wait to get it started.
  • Mernan said on December 5, 2013
    Hi, I want to setup a wicker furniture business in Nigeria and kindly need to know the requirements for the operation, the machineries required in the supply chain and source.
  • Kevin said on January 16, 2014
    hello, I have a furniture factory and I can supply furniture to United States. I have a lot of furniture to choose from. If anyone is interested Please email me at none.stop@live.com
  • Daniel said on April 7, 2014
    I'm a carpenter and a designer. I'm looking for a partner to start up a manufacturer business in selangor. We do a custom made furniture to accommodate to customer. If anyone is interested, do give me a call 0162388033.
  • Welcome Hlongwane said on May 31, 2014
    I would like to open a furniture store in SA Tzaneen Limpopo province how do I go about
  • satish said on August 5, 2014
    HI i'm Planing to start furniture store so please let me know all tools details n shop required n cost minimum. I would really appreciate if u will send all Details Step BY Step!! Warm Regards, Satish singh
  • PB Gatchalian said on August 24, 2014
    I would like to start a rattan furniture in Baguio city philippines. I like to know the best materials to be used for frames of the furniture.
  • Paul said on February 1, 2015
    Hi, am Paul from Kenya,am planning to start a Furniture business but i don't know how to go about it. I want to sell affordable furniture, relatively cheap. Please, can you assist me on how much capital i need in fulfilling my dream and can you assist me by listing some of the fundamental items that i should include in my business? Also, give me a hint on how to find suppliers. Please, i would be very grateful if you can assist me in these. Thanks in advance. Regards, Paul.
  • mikiyas kassa said on May 23, 2015
    I am Mikiyas from Ethiopia how start my business in bamboo furniture and home decorative but i don't know how to go about it.
  • Dele said on December 6, 2016
    For those who want to start furniture biz in Nigeria you can contact me for advice, esp. those of you who don't have previous experience. I design and make furniture in Nigeria. Contact me: deleunique@gmail.com
  • Bobby said on February 19, 2017
    Hi Where do I get Furniture Suppliers for general beds. Wooden Furniture. Upholstered Furniture and decor. I have googled. But nothing comes up. For a start up entrepreneur. I don't have any idea. Please help me with supplier names. Send me via e-mail please.

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