I'm interested in obtaining information from others in the business. I'm thinking of opening a hot tub store. Would appreciate any and all advice from those in the know, such as:
Rent: What are costs for a busy roadway per sq.ft.?
Utility Costs: What are you paying per month and what is your electricity rate per KWH? How many square feet of store?
What type of lighting do you utilize?
How do you pay for the hot tub you have in inventory, are they floor-planned and, if so, how does that work and who provides the floor-planning?
How many hot tubs do you sell per year? What is the percentage breakdown of sales between low price, mid-range and premium hot tubs? What are the busiest months for sales and also the slowest months?
How many square feet is your showroom and how many hot tubs do you have on display?
How many square feet for workshop?
Do you have a dedicated technical service employee? Does he/she double as sales/delivery when there are no service calls?
How many square feet for inventory storage? How many tubs do you keep in inventory, aside from the floor models?
How do you handle deliveries? Do you have a trailer that holds multiple units and have specific delivery days? Do you have hired employees that just handle the deliveries? Do you have multiple delivery trucks?
How many days a week are you open for business? What are your hours? What are the busy times? How many employees do you have working in the store?
Do you have a hot tub set-up for wet testing? One, two? Do you set-up a model for testing if a customer is interested in that particular tub?
Do you have arrangements with a concrete contractor/s to provide customers with pads for their tub? If you're doing a volume business, do you have several concrete contractors that you do business with? Do you ask them for a percentage or flat fee for business that you provide them with?
The same question above, only for electrical contractors?
What distances do you maintain from overhead power lines when placing a hot tub?
Other than chemicals, do you sell accessories, e.g. Umbrellas, spa pillows, vacs, etc? Are they good sellers?
Thank you in advance for your responses!
