Used Book Store Business Plan

Flyleaf’s competitive edge will be the lower prices we will charge our customers and the dominant selection above what our used bookstore rivals can offer. This is based on management’s industry knowledge, greater capitalization and excellent location. One of the most critical element of Flyleaf’s success will be its marketing and advertising. In order to capture attention and sales our company will use prominent signs at the store locations, billboards, media bites on local news, and radio advertisements to capture customers. We expect an average 4.5% increase in sales during the first three years as we establish ourselves in the community. After that we assume a much higher average growth of between 10%-15% growth over the next five years with growth then tapering off to the industry average of 2.5% from year to year. These figures may seem very high, but considering the level of initial sales and the growth possibilities, management actually considers this to be conservative.

5.1 Competitive Edge

The company’s competitive edge will be the lower prices we will charge our customers and the larger selection we can offer: through our large store, buyback/trade program, and leveraging management excellent supplier contacts. As stated before, in the bookstore industry, low cost and dominate selection are the two success criteria. We plan to create these advantages in a new, comforting environment that will retain customers.

5.2 Marketing Strategy

One of the most critical elements of Flyleaf Book’s success will be its marketing and advertising. In order to capture attention and sales our company will use prominent signs at the store locations, billboards, media bites on local news, and radio advertisements to capture customers.

5.3 Sales Strategy

Since our store will be a stand alone facility, there is little in the way to directly influence how we close the sale other than to have an attractive storefront with our low prices and excellent selection. We believe this in itself is its own seller. One critical procedure we will be establishing is to insure top customer service and reliability and that our store always has enough inventory of all our products. We will be using industry data on inventory for bookstore chains to assist us.

5.3.1 Sales Forecast

Based on a 10% mark-up, our forecasted sales will increase by an average of 4.5% from year to year.

These sales figures are based on a conglomerate of commuter and walk-by traffic established by the Loeman/Twin Towers Mall management and with an average $3.00 purchase amount conforming to industry averages. The target profit margin was defined as an average net profit of all merchandise. As retained earnings increase, a debt retirement fund will be established to encourage early repayment, thus relieving interest expense. Also, a cash basis for purchases will be used to avoid incurring liabilities.