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

Gas block leads in popularity by a wide 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 autoclaved aerated 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

Ways to increase sales

Trade in construction materials is a business on the verge of a foul. There are no huge markups, and the main profit comes from large sales volumes. Construction is declining. New materials are appearing and the range is growing. In order to be successful in this business, you need to subtly work with the assortment, different groups of customers and customer retention conditions.

How to increase sales of building materials in these conditions, and other features of increasing the profitability of this business area. This will be discussed in the article.

Who is the client?

All buyers of building materials can be divided into three groups.

1. Retail clients. They bring maximum profit from each unit of goods, because for retail buyers price is less important, and they are willing to pay 10-15% more for service, availability, transport accessibility, and quality of service. But servicing them requires large costs for goods in the warehouse, retail outlets, and service personnel.

2. Wholesale clients - construction organizations. This is the most attractive group of buyers, because they regularly need large volumes of goods. In addition to price, they focus on the range presented, speed and uninterrupted supply.

3. Wholesale clients - trading enterprises (intermediaries) who resell goods purchased from you. This is the group with the lowest margin - intermediaries increase your turnover, but provide minimal earnings, because in order to make a profit they must purchase goods at the lowest possible price. The essence of their business is to buy cheaper to sell more expensive, they can only overpay for an exclusive.

To increase sales of building materials, you need to clearly understand which customers you are targeting - wholesale, retail, or both.

Approach the choice not based on personal preferences, but taking into account the situation and statistics in the region and other objective factors.

The number of potential customers in the category, the current business situation, the needs of the regional market, the amount of funds you are willing to invest in development, and others.

Example

If you trade in a region that is developing well and has many developers, it makes sense to focus on them. If you already have an extensive network of retail stores located in areas with good traffic, it makes sense to continue developing your retail business.

10 effective ways to increase sales

You can increase sales in both traditional and non-traditional ways. We will tell you how to increase sales of building materials for the population and the B2B sector. Below are the 10 most effective ways that allow us to increase sales in such companies by at least 20%.

1. Wholesale for the sake of retail. If before this you were exclusively engaged in retail, you can open an additional wholesale line, even if it does not bring profit. For what? To have a constant large sales volume, due to which you can receive discounts from manufacturing plants and a low entry price.

Having received a reduced purchase price, you can:

• set a higher markup on retail and earn even more on each unit of goods sold;
• reduce retail margins by keeping prices as low as possible, and increase profits by increasing turnover.

2. Expansion of the range. Expanding the range requires additional investments, and therefore must be clearly justified. It’s not worth taking this step “just in case” or “to make it cooler than others.” It makes sense to expand your product line if it will increase your profits or customer flow.

Expanding the assortment allows you to increase profits by attracting new customers and selling goods “by steam locomotive”.

Attraction of new clients. Expanding the assortment contributes to the emergence of new customers in two cases.

Firstly, when you know those to whom you can offer new products. It is naive to hope for ghost buyers who will appear with the updating of the assortment. Expansion is justified when there is confidence that the new product will be bought.

Secondly, when you know about potential customers who want to purchase everything in one place. For example, if you have new roofing material, they will buy bolts, screws, and roofing material from you. You can break even on this material, but you can make money by selling screws, fastenings, and gutters.

Selling goods by “locomotive”, i.e. when a client comes to you for a new product, and leaves having bought a new product and something from the main assortment. In this case, as in the previous version, the new product may not bring profit - the profit will come from the “locomotive product”. Thus, you will not earn anything on the new product, but you will earn on everything that he buys additionally.

Please note that in this case the work of the sales manager plays an important role. It is he who must offer the client not only a new product, but also a “locomotive product”. He must actively sell and know everything about. In reality, it often happens that the owner creates such a system, but the manager does not fulfill the requirements and the company breaks down.

3. Sales through the website. Online sales are an effective method for increasing sales during a crisis or during periods of seasonal decline, such as winter. Sell ​​building materials online. If you don't have your own website, now is the time to create one. If you have a website, it is important to promote it wisely, achieving relevant (targeted) visitors. The site allows you not only to expand the circle of customers, but also to save on costs (on office rent and managers’ salaries, because an employee working from home can accept orders from the site).

• Visualization. To increase sales, you should not just advertise the product in words, but clearly show customers how it can be used. For example, if you sell roofing tiles, add a photo of a roof covered with those tiles to your magazine ad. Or place stands at points of sale with samples of tiles laid properly.
• Search for news feed. Don't know how to attract clients? Come up with an informational reason. For example, call regular customers with a message about discounts, about the delivery of goods that they bought last time to the warehouse, or about the imminent appearance of a new product.

5. Performing the functions of a picker. Large customers are willing to overpay for the opportunity to purchase goods in one place. You can not only sell your product, but also find/bring other products for clients. Everyone will benefit: you will sell your product and, possibly, make money through intermediary; the client will receive the necessary building materials in one car.

6. Work schedule. You can increase sales in a building materials store by adjusting your work schedule.

• Main client flow. Ideally, you should track the days and times when the main flow of customers occurs and be sure to accept orders during this period. Let's say that if the lion's share of orders comes on Saturday and Sunday, then it is better to make a day off on Monday, and leave Saturday and Sunday as working days.
• Counterbalance to competitors. If your competitors work until 18:00, work until 20:00. If they have Saturdays and Sundays off, try working on those days. This will increase the chances that customers will come to you.

7. Possibility of installments. How to increase wholesale sales of building materials? If your financial situation allows, sell the goods in installments. The main thing is to keep an eye on the size and condition.

8. Cold calling. You can increase the number of sales by. They will not give quick results, but if you build a dialogue correctly, in 2-3 months the number of clients will begin to grow.

9. Active work with incoming clients. It is easier to retain a client than to cold call him later. It is important that managers establish contact with all clients who come on their own in order to be able to subsequently make “warm” calls.

• If you are engaged only in wholesale trade, and a client stopped by/called to clarify the availability of a certain material, features or cost of a product, you should involve him in the dialogue, finding out his needs if possible, and be sure to take contact information.
• If you are engaged in both wholesale and retail, it is important to competently contact customers who come to retail outlets. Keep in mind that these may include wholesalers and those responsible for large purchases.

10. Customer Service Standards. The introduction of uniform service standards throughout the entire retail network has a positive effect on increasing sales. It is important to monitor the work of managers and train them to communicate competently with clients.

Situations where the manager was not in the mood and sent the client away or was too lazy to fully answer his question should be reduced to zero.

To do this, all telephone conversations must be recorded, and surveillance cameras must be installed in trading floors. Ideally, develop a ready-made algorithm for each manager to talk with the client and draw up answers to any objections.

Summarizing all of the above, to increase sales of building materials in your company you need to perform the following steps:

• Customer needs analysis
• Maximum customer satisfaction
• Improving the work of your own sales department
• Attraction of new clients
• Motivation to retain existing

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 numbers 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

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%.

Business involving participation in trade chains “we buy imported goods and sell to our compatriots” ceases to be profitable. There are many reasons for this, from geopolitical to economic. For Russian production of any scale today the green light is on. How to navigate among the opportunities that have opened up, what can a small business bet on?

The time of intermediaries is running out

From the very beginning of economic freedoms in Russia and until recently, domestic small businesses preferred the sphere of trade and services. Often the business model was elementary: we buy abroad, sell at home. Low competition and huge opportunities for choice ensured high profitability of projects.

* - with annual revenue up to 1 billion rubles. (2014 criteria)

The crisis, sanctions, high dollar and weak ruble dictate new rules of the game: competition in trade and services increases, demand narrows, and profitability falls. The most significant decrease in revenue for the 1st half of 2015 was recorded in wholesale and retail trade, and in cargo transportation. For small businesses, the time has come to adapt to market changes: today the trend is production and implementation of innovative projects. This is where there are many free/low-competition niches. Let's figure out what is profitable for small businesses to produce in Russia now.

Assessment of the current situation by SME industry for the first half of 2015

* - index of the current situation - expert assessment of the state of affairs over the past period
Source: “Pulse of Small Business” study, Alfa-Bank, June 2015

Production prospects: where to look for profit

Today, imported products are available in any Russian stores: food, sports, children's, household, electrical and other goods. Often, the “made in Russia” label hides a product assembled from foreign components. A small business can launch a successful production of any of these products. The main thing is to identify which product, what quality and price will be in demand.

When deciding on production, it is worth taking into account the sentiments/preferences of consumers in the B2B and B2C sectors. Russians - individuals buy less and save more. The direction of using free money has changed.

What are Russians willing to spend on?

Russian enterprises are focused on purchasing goods/services that allow them to maintain/increase sales while reducing costs, i.e. they are looking for inexpensive ways to increase the efficiency of business processes and reduce product costs. For example, by replacing imported components with Russian ones.

What is profitable to produce during a crisis by industry?

1 Furniture: junkyard chic

Italian kitchens are becoming an unaffordable luxury for many. It's time to offer our compatriots high-quality, eco-friendly furniture made in Russia. Our consumer now counts money, is sophisticated in the practicality of furniture and has tried Ikea.

Therefore, a successful furniture business idea should be:

• cheap to produce, competitive in price;
• fresh and original, using design solutions;
• environmentally friendly, using recycling ideas.

Furniture made from pallets (wooden construction pallets) meets these requirements. It can be a country house, garden, intended for offices and creating residential interiors in country, loft or industrial style. In this case, it is not necessary to disassemble the pallets; they are used as modules, constructing original models. The secret is in proper processing. Pallets are a cheap and rewarding “construction” material.

An important nuance. Furniture should look stylish and functional, not clumsy. Professional designers should participate in the development of models.

2 Pet products: cheaper and healthier

According to VTsIOM, 76% of Russians have pets. We are third in the world in terms of the number of pets per capita after the USA and China. What is it profitable for small businesses to produce in Russia for their smaller brothers?

The Russian animal feed market is growing despite the crisis. In the most profitable segment of the market - food for cats and dogs - today there are two leaders: Mars and Nestle (joint share - 86%). They can and should be squeezed out by domestic producers. The main thing is to choose the right niche.

It is believed that Russians do not skimp on pets even when they themselves have nothing to eat. In reality, people switch their animals to economy-class feed, preferring the healthiest options available.

Healthy food for cats and dogs - minced meat and bones with vitamin and mineral supplements. Such food is used by specialized nurseries and is sought after by knowledgeable cat and dog owners. The production of “natural cutlets” for animals in Russia is carried out by a few small producers. The niche is not very competitive.

To produce natural food for cats and dogs, you do not need an expensive production line; everything can be organized in a minimal area with small investments.

To launch a full production cycle you will need the following equipment:

• cutting table for meat products;
• meat grinder and minced meat mixer;
• molding machine/scales;
• blast freezing machine and “hot” table for packaging;
• freezer.

The cost of natural food is lower than that of industrial “drying”, even if it is produced from mechanically separated meat, which is used in the production of sausages. The business model is simple. The main limitation of sales is that there must be refrigeration equipment at the point of sale.

3 Construction and finishing materials: money out of thin air

The building materials market is shrinking. According to a study by RD Construction analysts, a drop in production for January-July 2015 compared to the second half of 2014 was recorded for cement, ready-mixed concrete, reinforced concrete products, and red ceramic bricks: -12, -30, -15, -1.5%, respectively. This is how the reduction in the pace of mass housing construction has backfired on building materials - the demand for housing is falling.

The main product of recycling old tires, crumb rubber, is used in the production of:

• rubber tiles/paving stones;
• coverings for sports grounds and fitness rooms;
• wall finishing materials;
• innovative road surfaces;
• accessories for cars (mats, mud flaps, etc.).

The cost of technological lines for “grinding” tires into rubber crumb depends on productivity, the degree of automation of the process, the quality and size of the output fraction. But in general, we are talking about costs of 1 - 12 million rubles. In addition to Chinese equipment options, there are also Russian ones: the plants of Vtorrezina Ecoprom LLC, Alfa-SPK LLC and others offer lines of their own design. It is better to prefer domestic equipment - both the quality of the product and the reliability of the machines are higher.

It is more profitable to produce goods with high added value, i.e., in addition to crumb rubber, produce tiles and coatings. The last two products are cold or hot molded from crumbs, polyurethane glue and dye. The cost of equipment starts from 2 million rubles.

The payback period for a mini-plant for the production of rubber tiles is from 6 months. The indicator is excellent, but the investment required to start will be significant. There is a more economical entry option: many manufacturers (EcoStep, Masterfiber, etc.) offer to start a franchise business. From 500 thousand rubles.

4 Tourism goods: my native country is wide

The growth of major world currencies and rising labor costs in China have a beneficial effect on the domestic light industry market. In 2015, the share of Russian manufacturers in this industry increased to 24% and continues to increase. What should a startup focus on?

Russians save money on vacation trips abroad. Most have to be content with local flavor and sponsor domestic tourism. They need equipment.

• mid-priced tourist clothing and equipment;
• budget tents (up to 5,000 rubles);
• fishing products of the low- and mid-price segment (up to 3,000 rubles).

The production of backpacks, ventilated caps/hats, windproof caps, gloves, “encephalitis”, thermal underwear, sweaters is a profitable business. You can choose a very narrow niche and start producing mobile baths or thermal bags.

It is not necessary to develop innovative boating raincoats or life jackets. It is enough to make practical and functional products a la the “Expedition” clothing range. But at reasonable prices.

5 Automotive equipment: Thule from Tula

What is profitable to produce in Russia for cars, where there is a free niche? Comparing our popular Swedish plastic autoboxes of the Thule brand with analogues is the same as pitting a Rolex against a regular watch. The Thule buyer primarily pays for style and branding. Moreover, from a production point of view, luggage boxes are the simplest products. Thule prices in Europe range from $400-970. The price, which is inhumane at the current dollar exchange rate already at the place of production, in Russian retail stores turns into an amazing one: premium solutions cost 60,000 - 100,000 rubles.

The average price segment of the car box market in Russia (10,000 - 20,000 rubles) is now under the radar of Polish, Czech, Italian and Chinese manufacturers. Products from the Middle Kingdom deserve special attention: they are widely represented, but the quality is objectively low. Time to make car racks in Russia. Domestic manufacturers of boxes for cars exist as a class, but are counted on one hand (brands ATLANT, VetlaN, LUX). Moreover, some have a meager assortment, others specialize in “luggage systems made from European components” (read: depend on exchange rate fluctuations), and still others have poor quality.

During a crisis, mini-production of universal luggage boxes (for all brands of cars) made of high-quality plastic with a reliable opening/locking system in low and medium price categories is profitable.

To do this you will need:

• vacuum forming equipment (Russian - from 350 thousand rubles);
• Press forms;
• raw material - ABS plastic.

Soft car boxes made of polyester, PVC and other plastic polymers are cheaper to produce. But this is sewing production and a completely different story.

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):

1. 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.
2. Standard stores. Area from 150 to 200 sq. m. The assortment ranges from 40 to 70 items.
3. 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.
4. 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:

1. 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);
2. 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);
3. 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;
4. 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;
5. 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);
6. 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;
7. Floor coverings:
   laminate; linoleum; PVC tiles; baseboard; substrate; threshold; overlay; carpets and rugs; flooring adhesive; related products;
8. 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;
9. 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;
10. Electrical goods:
    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 luminaires);
11. 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);
12. 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);
13. 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);
14. 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:

1. Identify a couple of dozen representatives of the required product range working in your area;
2. Determine the criteria that you consider most important for your business (a list of possible criteria is described below);
3. Distribute the criteria by importance;
4. 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 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 laid out 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 examine 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.