Buying a Tack Shop!

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HOWEN

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Has anyone here started up or has a tack shop? Out of the complete blue I have been offered to buy my local saddlery as the owner wants to retire. It has been a life ambition to own one and I am really quite excited about this. Also scared to fail!! I am from a retail background and currently run the web sales department for a large outdoor company.

So I would be truly grateful for any information, hints, and pointers.

When you go shopping for you horses do you normally buy online or from an actual shop (I will be setting up a website)
Do you spend less now on your horse due to the current climate?
What products do you like to see, or more to the point is there anything you want but your local saddlery doesn’t stock?

Honestly any information good or bad …. I am open ears
 
I know our local tack shops have been hit hard recently. With more and more people buying online it is really taking its toll.

i would be very thorough in your research, check their sales and books etc etc.

Good luck, sounds brill.
 
Shopping. Normally online as its more convenient for me. The nearest tack shops are quite far away, and the closest one I wont use anyway.
My spending doesnt change much. I dont buy lots of tat I dont need, as a general rule.
Nothing Id like to see particularly. If I go to a shop and they dont stock something I just order online. Ive been looking for inhand filly slips recently and had to go online for those as they dont seem to be around in the local shops.

I always used to want to run a tack shop :)
Not a modern, clean lines, well lit one, but an old fashioned aladin's cave full of stuff, like my local one was when I was a kid :)
 
It maybe different as its an existing shop - there maybe an element of loyalty that comes with it. Think long and hard and look at the accounts etc Generally speaking more shopping is done on line now - I only use my local tack shop/feed merchants for feed, shampoo etc Breeches, rugs etc tend to be bought online:o

There was a new tack shop that opened here last year - didn't make it to a year:o
 
When you go shopping for you horses do you normally buy online or from an actual shop (I will be setting up a website)

I usually pop to the local large shop, national brand, but increasingly have been buying second hand due to the climate, I have never done this until about 6 months ago and now I use a lot of facebook/ebay/preloved horse shops and second hand items. I think even when (if) the situation changes (I'm talking about nationally, not for me specifically) then I'll continue with this habit because I'm pretty thrifty anyway :o
Do you spend less now on your horse due to the current climate?
As above, but I do also think more about what I need/ if I need it I wouldn't scrimp on essentials, eg first aid stuff, things that need replacing for safety, but 5 years ago I would have bought matchy matchyfor my new horse, now I just use what I've got
What products do you like to see, or more to the point is there anything you want but your local saddlery doesn’t stock?
I like a full range, across all price brackets, or at least the option of ordering stuff in. Nothing worse than a tack shop that specialises say, in rugs or buckets!

Good luck
 
Thank you for your replies, Yes we have looked at the accounts with a fine tooth comb with my partners accountant (he has his own business) Lucky the shop does have quite a loyal customer base. I want introduce new lines and start the website back up I know buying online is a big part of the future, and its also what I have done for the past 5 years. It will be good to sell stuff I am actually interested in haha. I also have the banking of my partner so I am not too worried about the start up/relaunch.
 
horsesatemymoney said:
When you go shopping for you horses do you normally buy online or from an actual shop (I will be setting up a website)

I usually pop to the local large shop, national brand, but increasingly have been buying second hand due to the climate, I have never done this until about 6 months ago and now I use a lot of facebook/ebay/preloved horse shops and second hand items. I think even when (if) the situation changes (I'm talking about nationally, not for me specifically) then I'll continue with this habit because I'm pretty thrifty anyway :o
Do you spend less now on your horse due to the current climate?
As above, but I do also think more about what I need/ if I need it I wouldn't scrimp on essentials, eg first aid stuff, things that need replacing for safety, but 5 years ago I would have bought matchy matchyfor my new horse, now I just use what I've got
What products do you like to see, or more to the point is there anything you want but your local saddlery doesn’t stock?
I like a full range, across all price brackets, or at least the option of ordering stuff in. Nothing worse than a tack shop that specialises say, in rugs or buckets!

Good luck
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This!

So it may be worth offering some sort of swap shop for a charge or buy in second hand items too...

Definately worth having an online shop I'd buy more from my local shop if they had an online store!

Also... maybe sell on behalf of a private seller for a small fee... (I'd love someone to sell all my bits and bobs for me without having to worry about it!)
 
Am in Australia - the retail environment is tough over here, esp. competing with bigger retailers and established online outlets.

If you are buying a business, any business, but especially a retail outlet you do not want to pay too much. I assume they are asking for stock, plus equipment, plus goodwill. People often think buying a business = financial freedom, but can be 60 hours plus a week for less $ than you could get working for someone else 40 hours a week, and more stress.

You also want to look at the terms of the lease - when does it expire -what are the options to renew. Moving a business can be expensive - and you may lose clients in a new location.

Have you got an accountant that can look at the figures, the vendor should be able to provide at least three years of financial statements that tie up with their lodged tax returns. Your accountant should be able to give you an indication as to whether what they are asking is reasonable.

Have they got a contract, you should ask for a copy and have your solicitor check it over.

Had a client with saddlery that she started from scratch and went well, till hit with GFC and Equine Flu, after that slow decline and just recently closed up. Retail just dead over here and she gradually just ran out of funds so could not keep enough stock. She is a pretty smart business woman so I think she cannot blame herself, but more the timing. If she had started a few years earlier she may have had enough in reserve to last a bit longer - but even established saddleries finding things tough here.

I am an accountant, and we have people who call sometimes after buying a business without any advise at all, (one chap who paid $250 000 for a coffee shop within a week of first looking at it, no solicitor, no accountant, no financials or tax returns, huge lease commitments, never run a shop before - marriage break up lost every cent and in debt for more, walked away from the business within 12 months) - he thought it was a good deal, he learnt the hard way. By the time he walked away he knew the business inside out, but it did not help - the smart decision is whether you buy the business and what if so what you pay.
 
as others have said check books,accounts etc before taking the plunge...good idea to set up a website as well, i think that is almost a must these days.

personally i hate piles of stuff everywhere, i think its good to have maybe one of each item on display with prices clearly marked and a list of colours available....and the bulk of the stock easily accessible......hope this helps, good luck if you go for it....:D
 
I ran a tack shop for 3 1/2 years, and to be honest it was very hard work, and not particuarlaly rewarding. we had lovely customers, and a strong customer base, but the numbers just did not add up. We are very close to a couple of agriclture places, and although they didn't sell much in the way of horse stuff they sold a bit, and the perception was that they were cheaper, even though they weren't. There was one time that one of them started selling weatherbeta at 50p above trade, but other than that, we were very competitive. We had a nice website, that we did promote, but we were not one of the big names, so even though the service was good, we struggled there too. New lines are a hard one, most larger companies like Horseware want a minimum of £5k first order, and you pretty much go from there.
We had a massive range on certain things, and were happy to do special orders, which was where our customer base came from. The local riding schools were great, and we spent a lot of time working with them to encourage there customers to us.
I would take a very long hard look at the books to be honest.
In the long run, its not something I would do again, unless I was quite happy to take no money out of it at all.
 
It would be good to focus on the things that people do want to have fitted or want to touch and feel before buying

So. things like hats (good range as different heads need different makes) and body protectors.

Also cater for the larger, older rider as well as the teens. A shop local to me has thousands of pairs of jodhs but rarely anything in a larger waist size. Also stock a budget range of jodhs and also maybe some acccessories like endurance kit as thats getting more popular (compass, whistle, clear map case, first aid kit, maybe heart monitor)

Try and get decent quality but good value brands of stuff. Shires type. And stock rugs that fit chunkier horses and dont look like miniskirts - Masta is good or Mark Todd.

The one thing where I would carry a lot of stock would be bits, as its something people will buy if the right size is there but wont come back for if it isnt, it is also small enough ££ for them to buy it on a whim. Make sure you have the larger sizes ideally up to 6 1.2 inch.

Oh yes and sell wormers and worm count kits and offer service like rug cleaning (even if via 3rd party, as long as they are reliable!)

hope this helps!
 
We used to have really nice tack shop in our town. They sold clothes, rugs, tacks and odd and sods. Most importantly they had proper saddlers to do repairs to saddles and tack. The owner retired and sold it to a lady who wanted to sell only really expensive riding clothes, it was top notch stuff, but the saddler went and it stopped being a regular tack shop. It finally went pop and closed down.

I would love to go to a proper saddlery shop selling nice leatherwork and be able to get stuff repaired, buy clothing etc. I buy a mix of stuff online and in a shop, but htere isn't a really good one local for me now.
 
I do buy a lot of stuff on line but sometimes its nice to actually go and have a look-feel of the stuff....

Make sure you have a good stock of things people run out of....fly sprays, supplements, tack cleaning stuff.....lotions and potions- I tend to nip out to pick up that kind of stuff often....
 
I agree, a saddler on site, or that collects tack from the shop to be mended, would be lovely.


Theres nothing like that in any of the local shops. Thats all they are really, shops, with not particularly knowledgable or experience staff, so no point asking for advice on anything.
I have heard that a tack shop 1/2 hr up the motorway might do repairs, so Ive got my fingers crossed with that and a bundle of stuff needs mending if that turns out to be correct.
 
We did repairs, sold feed, and did rug cleaning, gave free advice from a range of horsey people, and providedtea and sympathy when people needed it. There was no point selling wormers due to the courses you have to do, and the price is so key. Sadly, people just don't support the old fashioned saddlers, price is paramount.
 
As some one else said make sure you have bigger sizes in, I am not talking about just fuller fillies but I take a 34/36 Jod and they are rarely in stock.

My local tack shop I used for lotions and potions, 'ah crap it broke' stuff like head collars, leadropes, buckets etc Hats as someone else said.

I also got to the tack shop for advice and good service, I have 3 local tack shops in Harrogate and I only go to two, the third advised me very badly on an expensive pair of boots and made me feel like a fraudster when I went in to spend a gift voucher, don't go there now. There is a little one who stocks food and basics who always has magazine clippings for me when I go in as she knows my old boy is barefoot and the other has offered to lend me things to try on instead of buying and bringing back (don't recommend this though! I always panic about breaking it!)

Reputation is key, as is price. Hope my ramblings are vaguely useful.

I also know someone who got successfully into the wholesale market with some race yards and yards abroad as a sideline.
 
When I have spoken to suppliers they have all mentioned a minimum order, but I have a budget to set up with. I agree with the wormers, I won’t be stocking them as the course is a ridiculous price and apparently the amount sold would not cover the cost of it.
There is an option to relocate to premises up the road, which my partner owns therefore I would have no rent to pay. All is with our accountant at the moment so waiting to hear what his final advice is. I realize it’s a very tough market out there especially at the moment, but fingers crossed all would work out. Watch this space! Eeeek…
So if you wouldn’t mind letting me know what sort of supplies you like (I am also asking about in my local area) ie Ramo, Mountain Horse, Mark Todd or the brands you prefer not to buy.
 
I like Mountain horse for 'day to day' riding stuff - their boots are great:) For breeches I like Caldene and Equitech - medium priced but good quality.

For rugs I would look at stocking something like Premier Equine - not stocked by so many but are good quality and well priced - lots stock Masta, Rambo etc. Also look at the Equifleece rugs that way you have something different from everyone else.:)
 
The tack shop I used to go to in an emergency was ok but the owner was a right cow. Non existent customer service.
Go out of your way to help people and they will come back. Also I went to a local vets, again the receptionist was horrid so I changed vets.
 
I think if it is profitable according to the accountant it sounds like an amazing opportunity. Relocating to reduce your overheads sounds sensible = more profit.

I think the website is key (if I'm looking for something specific I will try to check it' price and availability before making the trip) and as so many people buy via ebay I always think selling off all the odds and sods that way is worth considering. I know there are seller fees but someone who now makes a living selling on ebay alone!! & I always think it is a better idea then the lonely tub of sale odds and sods that I see at my tack shop.

I understand not wanting to sell wormers etc but I can't help browsing (& buying) when I pop in for the more practical stuff!!

My favourite brand is Ariat! & I like Caldene too.

I agree with batgirl that good advice and service is key! I was buying for a new horse so my local did me a deal on a full set of rugs - way cheaper than buying online as didn't need lots of separate postage costs) Oh & that 90 pairs of regular length 30" waist jodphurs is useless so some variety is good. I too am tall!!!

If you do go for it then let us know your website as we all love a nosey and if we buy then we are supporting you too!
 
I mostly just buy feed from my local tack shop. I have also bought things that need to be fitted like a hat and body protector. I have also bought a rug in an emergency but otherwise I tend to buy online. They do not have a saddler.

There is a second hand tack shop nearby but I do not use it as it has awful parking.

The good tack shop has more parking but still not enough. It has grown massively and really needs much bigger premises. It has a good range of stuff from the cheap to the more expensive.

It has an online shop which is much cheaper and if it had an option to let you order online and collect I would probably use it more.

The tack shops that do well do lots of extras like a fashion evening using the clients as models or get trainers in teaching and demonstrating.

I also do not like shops that are too friendly and accost you the moment you walk in or who have staff that do not know what they are talking about.
 
Becki1802 said:
I agree with batgirl that good advice and service is key!
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Yes, the closest local shop to me I refuse to set foot in because of the staff, I travel a bit further and pay more for my stuff which sounds bizarre really :D but I wouldnt give the other shop a penny.

I dont really have any favourite brands. I like well made, quite 'plain' things for the horse and my horse wear. One of the other shops in the region OMG last time I went in there it was basically a sea of pink and purple and glitter. Thats fine for the youngsters and those adults that like a bit of colour and sparkle, but for anyone looking for something without added diamante it was a bit offputting :o

I would definitely use the website if one of the decent local shops had one (well one does but its useless, just links to the websites of the brands they stock, no option to order or buy online (or even see what they actually have in stock)).
If I could order what I wanted, or I could just see that the things I was going to the tack shop for were available, it would save a wasted journey, or not bothering at all anticipating a wasted journey anyway.
 
Some where that does feed as well as normal tack shop stuff would be great round here as feed is in one shop and tack stuff in another. The tack shop that offers tea/coffee and cake also goes down well with not only customers but their OH's and they have a small table and chairs with newspapers on. Find the shops where you are followed round by the staff off putting but they need to be arround to ask if needs be.

Brands wise I like HKM and not many shops stock that apart from on the internet, find its really good quality for the price. Like weatherbeeta and amigo for rugs (and pessoa but only seen them on sale once) and some where that stocks 100g rugs that are not full neck as they are like hens teeth! PE stuff is also good to see in the flesh and seems popular. Aslo agree with having a large stock of bits in I'm more likley to decide to try a new one if its in stock.
 
I hate the clean clinical lines of many of the tack shops round here. Especially if you are the only one in there, it feels like you are in a botique (sp?) and I get very uncomfortable. I also hate the ones that only stock one brand, ie all the rugs are weatherbeta or amigo, I do understand the cost of stock is phernominal but if my horse doesn't suit weatherbeta then I am never going to buy a rug off them!

I think the best tack shop I ever went in is in Rugby, I can't for the life of me remember the name but it stocks many different brands from budget to top end and has a seconds room; some of these items are second hand and some are factory seconds.
 
I totally agree, like quite a few of you have said customer service has to be 100%. In my current job customer service is complete key, to get people back. I have been to some very odd tack shops lately (checking out the local competition) it been a very useful knowing how I would run my shop to how certainly not to run it.
Definitely an online shop is a must, as most people spend quite a lot of their time looking a screen, I know I do.

Yes Ariat I would love to stock but would chew right into my budget, hopefully if things would work out I will open an account in the future.
 
How exciting, I'd love to own a tack shop!

To answer your questions...:

When you go shopping for you horses do you normally buy online or from an actual shop (I will be setting up a website)
I normally buy online but only because there aren't any tack shops near me so I don't have much choice! There's one very small one at the EC down the road but it's ridiculously expensive with hardly anything in it so I don't use it. I'm happier to travel an hour to the one in the next county as it has a huge variety and a big second hand section which is fab!

Do you spend less now on your horse due to the current climate?
I don't think so, but do tend to buy the more "special" items off websites like ebay - ie: the things that are lovely but I can't afford at full price!! I bought a beautiful bridle off there for £50 cheaper than it would be new and it had only been used twice. But always buy new rugs, brushes, rider clothing etc.

What products do you like to see, or more to the point is there anything you want but your local saddlery doesn’t stock?
As an earlier poster said - I would never leave a tack shop if it had premier equine in it! LOVE their products. Always go to the Horseware/Amigo range of rugs as well. Range of supplements rather than just one of each 'type'. Can never seem to find Topspec (ever!!) around me, or Cortaflex even though it's such a popular item. Global Herbs!
Would love to be able to try things like hats / body protectors, the only shop near me has neither and it's so important to make sure they fit properly.

Extras:
I would love a fitting room! So many tack shops don't provide them and I'm a lot more likely to buy something if I can try it in various sizes than having to take it away and then bring it back to try an alternative size if it doesn't fit.

A friendly atmosphere with knowledgeable staff - if I'm unsure about anything I'd like to think that I could ask advice and receive the 'right' response. Examples being "which bit is most suitable for -this- problem, what's the difference between ___ & ____, what would be correct for -this- discipline" and being answered rather than "dunno!"

Huge bonus would be a saddler who visits the shop say once a month to do repairs, or a saddler who could do saddle fitting on certain days of the month. Would be fab!
Rug repairs / reproofing might be popular if you could liase with a company who would collect / drop off on a certain day a month?

Big noticeboard with events & classifieds!

I like organised tack shops, can't stand rummaging through endless bins/buckets of things - especially bits, drives me mad! Having bits hung on a wall in size order would be lovely! Items which are clearly marked and easy to find.

I think that Becki's idea of selling "leftovers" on ebay is a great one, lone items on shelves don't look great.

Hosting horsey related events might be a good way to get more people in and would be a great way to get like minded people together - making it more than "just" a shop.



.....so, whereabouts are you?! would love this shop near me :D
 
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I agree with the saddler points, but the wormer one although you do need to go on a course, it's adding to the convenience, o for me if I wanted a few bits and wormer and the tack shop up the road had wormer, I'd be more inclined to do there .... I think offering clinics or advise sessions would be a good way to get through the door, I don't know maybe Farmkey/Saddlers/ etc just to add to the 'community' feel x
 
Good luck with your venture.

Most horse owners are pet owners too, half the reason I used to go to the feed merchant/farm store rather than a tack shop was because I also wanted other things, if I was opening a tack shop I would certainly consider having a small pet section there too.

Oh, and always, ALWAYS, have candy for sale at the cash desk , my friend works in a farm store and she says that almost every single customer buys a couple bars of chocolate at the checkout. :)

I think if you can move to somewhere with less/no rent that would be an enormous benefit, as long as it is easy to get to, has decent parking etc. Washroom/changing room is essential too, nothing worse than being torn between wanting to browse and needing to go!
 
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