What would u like to see in a equestrian shop

Daisy11

Daisy11

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I'm looking at open my own equestrian shop
There are a lack of equestrian shops in the south east
But before I go into this I need to do my homework so
Here are a couple of questions
(1) what would u like to see in a equestrian shop part from rugs , grooming equipment
Is there stuff that your currunt shop doesn't sell that u wish they did
(2) what brands and what brands do u prefer
(3) would u like to see bigger sizes for horse and rider wear
(4) and what kind of prices would u be prepared to pay ie on rugs etc
What would your ideal tack shop be !!!!
 
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Horsatack are offering franchise opportunities...
http://www.horsatack.co.uk/Franchise/Franchise1.asp
I am in no way connected to the company, so I hope this doesn't count as advertising, but I love shopping there. If there wasn't one near me already I'd be looking into a franchise with them!
Even if you don't fancy the franchise route, it's a great business model, you could get some ideas from them? I love their loyalty card for example (think Tesco Club Card for ponies!), and my local independant tack shop does a similar but less high-tech version now to compete. You get a little card that they stamp when you make a purchase. Once you've collected 12 stamps, you get 15% off.
 
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You are brave!!

Unfortunatley with the onset of the equestrian online discount shops and ebay, the only items that people tend to go to tackshops for are either "emergency" items or well considered purchases that they need to try on, but quite often then use the tack shop to try and buy online cheaper!!

A good tackshop has a selection of items that cater for the local market, for example where I am I have the mecca of tack shops- Ingatestone where it is expensive, expensive or not quite so expensive, but you are almost guaranteed to get what you want, the smaller tack shops, like Witham, greenstead, Priory etc, that have a good selection but quite honestly can't see how they make ends meet? They tend to go a little whip and bucket and then seasonal ie showing stuff etc, but to survive quite often are a little more friendly and will discuss what you want and order it - almost like a cataloge option but in store?

I used to rep and can't remember there being a particular shortage in the south east, just a little trek to get somewhere. Have a look in Equestrian Trade news, they mystery shop tack shops with some interesting criteria.

Good luck!!
 
Thank you guys

Yes its a big risk to open a tack shop and are awear of other competitive markets such as online shopping and eBay , I will be trying to set up to eBay to
To run a shop throw them too
At the moment there are a few tack shops in Kent but very few are some what not great not my words but from a few people from Kent
I do believe there could possible be a Market for another as long as it's competivly priced and differently stocked
I don't want to be like any other shop in Kent I what to beable to stock things that other shops don't
 
What would I like to see in an equestrian shop?

Less whips and spurs, and definately NO pretty little child/pony size crops in sparkly pink and purple (absolute pet hate)!!

A good selection of various bitless bridles.

Ditto hoofboots.

Ditto treeless saddles (can you see a theme here?).

Nice chummy staff who don't look down their noses if you ask if they have any of the above in stock. Staff with a good knowledge of which tack is suitable for what type of horse and rider. Oh, and an attitude of 'if we don't have what you want in stock we will order it in for you'.
 
Am liking the idea of a loyalty card. Also i tend to buy rugs etc from shops as i can easly take them back if they don't fit, as theres a big difference in the sizing of different makes, as long as they are competively priced. Also very knowledgable staff who can give advice or probem solve, also people often make impulse buys
 
The most important thing for me is approachable staff who do not pressure you into buying, but help you find what your looking for, recommend products and help you find the right size of products (measure your head for hats
etc).

Aside from this good quality products that have competitive prices.

Good luck :D x
 
Hi we have two saddlers but I don't use them very often as they don't carry much that I like, they both stock Joules and Tottie and Caldene which are okay but not my favourites.
I like Pikeur clothing and also Dubarry and Barbour , I appreciate that these are expensive but I also like Just Togs for riding wear so I usually have to order stuff on line. I also like Stubben and Sabre for tack (which they don't stock either). I prefer Horseware Rugs and like the deeper ones for our bigger horses. I would also like to see some clippers particularly the smaller ones for the face as I am not the only one who has been after these. When I go for any basic items I love to go and have a look for a treat for myself at saddlery shops, if the saddlers stocked any of my favourites my husband would be very unhappy!
 
The eighth day in the week that I need to get eveything done! Sorry a bit random. My local tack shop used to offer a loyalty card so we used it loads to get "free stuff" , nearly always spent extra. But then they stopped it so now I but from all over. Think it must have been a good idea
 
For a small tack shop a loyalty card would simply be a nightmare to administer - you would probably find that you spend more time working out what than doing!!

With regard to products a good selection is a must but people will be your most important asset. BETA run some great courses but it can work out expensive, Body protectors and Hats are great but expensive to stock, however if you have them and sell them you have a duty of care! Bits are something that no-one can ever find the right one at the right time, but a good sales assitant with knowledge can always find an alternative - without stocking too much.

Remember you can't cater for everyone, but you need to be able to cover alot to bring enough people in, so the question to you is :- what are the people you want to sell to and which products will make you money?

Be careful with the wholesalers, they are really good at selling you a whole load of general products in lots of sizes, you can't live without them, but their minimum orders when you don't have what your customer wants can cripple. Also a web site gives you credibility but can also cost you alot, although if done right shouldn't cost you more than £250-300!! with a little effort!!

pm me if you want
 
Affordable clothing and rugs, not too expensive but not the really cheap brands that break after one wear. Lots of things such as stable equipment, horse care products, lotions and creams etc. I would agree that I only go to the local tack shop for emergency things such as vet wrap, sudocream etc. Most of the tack shops near me have closed due to people buying cheaper online. And I for one am guilty of trying things on in the the shop then buying online cheaper.

Definitely a rug cleaning service, offer to order in anything that you can't stock, a selection of feeds perhaps?

I would also give my right hand for a tack shop near me that stocks nice leather tack instead of ONLY bling!!!
 
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a range of products and if possible a budget, mid and expensive range so customers can choose what range they buy. As I often find they only have certain items in one price range which is great when you have money to spend but for a student that buys everything for my horse it would be nice if certain items are more affordable.
 
I'd like to see a variety of clothing ranges not just the expensive brands, in more than a size 8 & 10!!!
I'd also like to see more items like muckers, yard boots/shoes. Everyday footwear that you can go down to a boggy field in and not be in fear of ruining a pair of £160 boots!!! We don't all get our grooms to turn out and bring in our horses!!!
Saddlerys around here either sell expensive long leather boots or those tall brown suede boots (£160+!!) that everyone seems to have these days.
No Joules...For the love of god people haven't we seen enough pastel pinks, greens and navy blue?!!?

Knowledgeable staff that know the products you sell and what they do/used for.

Rugs that are displayed out of their bags...You can keep the stock where ever you like but i hate having to open bag to see the product and then trying to get it back in the bag again...Grrr

Car Parking...

I always by a packet of horse treats that sit on the counters near the till so could be a good pick up line?

Notice board that you can pop ads on, advertise services, show notices etc.

Offers like BOGOF or 2 for £**, buy 5 get one free etc...

Somebody who knows about bits. The saddlery near me has a whole wall dedicated to bits in all shapes and sizes but when i asked the sales assistant she didn't know what they were all for and basically said she only used a snaffle in her pony so didn't have any experience with any other type of bit!!!
 
Oh..thought of something else...wormers. And a great big chart displayed of different wormers and what to use at different times of year (for numpties like me who always get confused,, it can get a bit complicated sometimes). Um what else? A second hand department where people can take stuff to sell on a sale or return basis, with comission to the shop.
 
I tend to buy online :( when I go to a tack shop it is for things that need to fit eg hat, leather boots or body protector. Also little things that you want immediately eg salt licks, gloves, plating bands or to heavy to post eg hay rack.
 
I would like to see my husband go into a tack shop more :D Foalie rugs & head collars as local shops dont sell them though they do have discount cards. Prehaps a bit bank to 'Try before you buy' Cheaper range of rugs not just Rambo etc.
 
A Loyalty card scheme isn't hard to run actually. the shop I used to work in (and temp back there helping for a couple of months) runs one. I would suggest not doing it at start. Getting to know your customers, and then giving your 100 best ones a card that you've made and tell them every time they come and spend over £10 if they show their card they get 10% off. That's what we do and it's worked well for ages!

You staff are actually the most important! They need to be trained to fit hats and body protectors and have a good knowledge of all products and training methods. Try not to employ too many teenagers!

The shop needs to be clearly laid out and neat and tidy (with notes in hats and rug areas saying if you need assistance please ask! Nightmare areas to keep tidy and organised and people trying on hats and being careless if not good!).

Brands of stock really depends on which stockists will supply you.... Be aware if they are stocking another local saddlery they may not stock you. We stock a variety from budget to mid range with only a few bits of expensive clothing. don't really stock expensive tack and rugs.... Too easy to get cheaper online and we're in a very competitive area (4 saddleries withint 10 miles!)
 
I like sparkly jazzy things :p Girly bits and bobs ie like the pink hoof varnish I bought.. :D

And nummah s....I think I have an addiction to buying them :o I think Dee has about 8-10 in varying shades of pink :p oo and I always end up buying her a bag of sweets or a lick it while I'm there.
 
Good luck, dont forget as a bricks and motar shop you will have access to brands that wont supply us lowley mobile tack shops.. As already said for most a shop is now an emergency visit however if you can stock something that you can get a name for supplying, I dont know horse boots for instance its all about marketing yourself nowdays.

Bear in mind that the majority of known brands want a large annual spend off you, Shires I think, was about 12k per year.
 
My old tack shop had a 10% discount card for regular customers. They also had 'sale days' at strategic times of the year. To sign up for the discount card you needed to give them your email and every nown and again you would get an email telling you of their next 'sale day'. Generally one type of product would be on offer eg rugs. They were often 15 - 20% off the rrp and were the old stock in last years colours or bulk buys that they had got hold of. You couldn't use your discount card on the sale items. Loads of people would go to the sale days and they would sell lots stuff that wasn't on offer too.

My new local tack shops aren't as good (I have moved area). The things that I miss are;

*a good selection of human boots, different price ranges and different calf widths/heights.
*more makes of rugs (I can now only get shires or amigo from the tack shop) in various price ranges and cuts to fit cobby or fine horses.
*Hi viz. They only have pony hi viz in my local tack shop and it isn't going to fit my 15.2 no matter how much she breathes in! Also rider hi viz would be good.
*various bridle ranges. I can only get shires from the tack shop, where as the old tack shop stocked kincade, mark todd, kieffer, jeffries, stubben, CTD and shires.
*Coats. Again not everyone wants a cheap coat, which is all my local tack shop has. I prefer to get a musto that then lasts years and I want to try it on before I buy it.
 
I think a second hand section is a good idea (with commission to the shop, of course) and also a WIDE range of sizes. I was a large size and had to get everything from specialist online places, and now I have lost a vast amount of weight and can't get jods etc to fit - I have to get children's to fit my skinny legs!

I do think we have quite a few places near here though (west kent) (eg Speedgate, Frogpool) but I do miss Surrey Equestrian's big choice - what sort of area are you thinking of?
 
Another thing that was great about my old tack shop, if you bought a certain amout of heavy/large items (stable mats or show jumps) they would deliver them in their transit van for free if you lived very locally. They charged a delivery fee if you were further away.
 
MrsHutt said:
I think a second hand section is a good idea (with commission to the shop, of course) and also a WIDE range of sizes. I was a large size and had to get everything from specialist online places, and now I have lost a vast amount of weight and can't get jods etc to fit - I have to get children's to fit my skinny legs!

I do think we have quite a few places near here though (west kent) (eg Speedgate, Frogpool) but I do miss Surrey Equestrian's big choice - what sort of area are you thinking of?
Click to expand...
I'm going to do Medway/ sittingbourne
 
For me, it would be better pricing...I am sick and tired of going into a couple of local ish tack shops and because they think they don't have competition, they are marking up 100% or more....

(I only know this as I used to manage a tack shop and our mark up was considerably less than this)...when a new ish supplier had a few items at rock bottom trade prices, we took some and put 60% on...the next nearest tack shop had exactly the same items and were putting 170% on!!!!

Friendly staff would be my next wish....also fed up of grumpy staff who just aren't interested....again as they have little/no competition, they know we will go in there as there's no where else!!

Its very very expensive to stock an equestrian shop fully so make sure you have a customer ordering service (but also make sure you take a 20% or so deposit so you don't have people ordering and not collecting)...lots of the biggies like Shires do 'customer' catagloues that you can put out, which don't have the trade price in!

Bit bank trial service is a good idea...
 
You're going to have to be completely different from Speedgate and Frogpool to pull in the customers. When I lived up in Leicestershire they had similar "posh" tack shops like Frogpool all over the place, but everyone went to the one particular shop. She had a very small square footage and only stocked the things you'd go out and buy in an emergency - grooming items, treats, headcollars, value bridles, basic riding clothes. Everything was very cheap, value lines. She would order pretty much anything you wanted and add a tiny mark up on the wholesale price so was cheaper than online when you factored in postage. I got some aeborn magnetic wraps for under £40! So everyone went to her for pretty much everything. She made her money on the bulky things you can't buy online - shavings, feed etc and sweets and drinks (being right near a few yards helped as people would wander down when they fancied a bar of dairy milk or a can of coke) Being the place to buy a bargain drew in the customers and she made her money on bulky sales where the prices were the same as local shops. The bulky items were stacked high in the attic of the shop and bought down when someone wanted some. she would also bulk buy items and have a weekly special offer. I remember buying a nice leather headcolalr for £12 - bought in massive quantities and sold cheap. People would go in and buy 3 or 4 and some more for friends. It was all about buying in bulk and selling in quantity on a small mark up rather than fewer sales with a higher markup. Thats how the big supermarkets work, but seemd to work for her as well even though she was a small shop.
 
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