Thinking of starting up a small tile shop

[MTS]

Hi, I'm considering starting up selling tiles in a small way (just to see how it goes!) Does anyone have any advice or contact detail about tile sourcing etc? Would really appreciate some sound professional advice

 

[Dan]

I'd get on the dog and bone to some distributors and get their price lists and sample boards and take it from there. If you get setup with a good adhesive supplier you and did trade accounts you'd benefit tile-wise too.

 

[MTS]

Thanks, do you know any big distributors?

 

[sc24]

think about trying to specialise in a certain area, mosaics, stone, handmade tiles, or the high end of the market maybe villoroy & boch tiles, something different, try and compete with topps or b&q, i dont think you'll have much success, go online find some manufacturers and contact them asking who their U.K. agent is, then just big yourself up, good luck, worth a try

 

[MTS]

Cheers SC24, I'm very good at biging myself up !!

 

[enduro]

My mate who i trained with opened a tile shop two years ago, biggest mistake of his life you cant compete with the bigger outlets.

 

[Dan]

A friend of mine first openned a tile store and then found a german bespoke kitchen supplier not already in the Uk and had a few examples fitted in his showroom. (They had the silent slow close draws well before MFI etc) Now he turns over a fair amount a year and is doing VERY well.

So it is a case of moving with the times, I wouldn't just stick to tiles if I had the customers coming in around the time they are doing up such a room, it's either kitchens or bathrooms or floors.... so you have lots of other items you can sell to them to get the biggest % of their budget for their project.

The big boys can't always deal with the smaller bespoke type tile dealers as the demand can be too great so generally you just need to go for the lines that the other are not, to give yourself a really good custom feel when the customer walks in the shop.

 

[reaper72]

Do you have premises?If you want to deal with factories direct and have a bit of capital to spend,then pm me and I'll give you names and numbers for agents for
Spanish,Italian,Portugese and Turkish tiles.If you have the money,you'll be far cheaper than going to a distributer,although opening accounts with distributors means that they are shelling out the cash and holding the stock,buying stock direct is the old crystal ball scenario,when buying direct for the first time,you will need at least a 20 foot container load.
A lot of agents will be happy to sell you a few pallets to begin with,and most will take a gamble on giving you 90 days credit after the initial load has been paid for...pm me if you need to know anything else.....it's a big step,but done correctly,can pay off big time....

 

[MTS]

thanks guys, alot to think about

 

[DHTiling]

CTD would sort you out with boards and samples to get you going then once you get into it you can bring in individual suppliers as well.........dave..

 

[ms.tiles]

Hi

sorry to bring up an old thread but how did you get on?? did you open a shop and if so how is it going??

im currently looking into it, ive been getting some decent sized jobs 50-100 sq mtrs etc and have been asked to supply tiles etc.
I use a tile shop that has a distribution center aswell as a few shops and have spoken to them about tile supplies so thats not an issue. just have to find a property and get a plan together, there is only Topps in my town and a small B&Q with a small tile choice, there was another tile shop that folded but that was, in my opinion, due to bad tiles and poor adhesive. i used some of their tiles once on an insurance job and they was terrible. the addy they was selling was like melted ice cream, not my cup of tea and i didnt know any trade tilers going in there.
My wife and father can work the shop 7 days a week and i can pass out my card for work,hopefully wont be able to do all the work so local tilers will always be welcome to leave cards and get some form of discount.

My only concern is if this is the right time to do it, when the original post was started we was a couple of years away from the start of the recession i think, just wondering if the shop survived and was it worth it.

i hope it was and you are still doing well, any info on insurances, samples, setting out a shop etc anything really

thank you

mark
ms.tiles

 

[White Room]

MTS/OP has'nt posted for 3 years so we may never know...

 

[kilty55]

if it was me i wouldnt just keep it as a tile shop i would do good mid range bathroom and possibly kitchens supplier and fitting outlet as well as supplying tiles also

the mainstream market is rammed to the gunnels atm with tilers and other trades who will tile and the higher end of things is where the money is at just now imo if i had the dosh to do it thats what i would choose....i just dont have the dosh lol

 

[ms.tiles]

maybe mts/op is sitting in the carribean now on the profits from his tile shop empire lol

i would probably look at bathrooms or kitchens aswell, might just start with tiles first and then offer some bathroom suppliers a little space in my shop if im doing well. i was only thinking of doing a 12month lease so im not tied in for to long if thats possible as it might not work for me.

 

[diamondtiling]

My mate who i trained with opened a tile shop two years ago, biggest mistake of his life you cant compete with the bigger outlets.

Just saw this, what a load of tosh. Of course you can compete.

 

[Perry]

you earn more as a tiler than you ever would with a shop i have done both

 

[John Benton]

I bet Richard Branson didn't say that when he started flogging records and he's made a few quid since!!!

 

[PHG Dave]

I bet Richard Branson didn't say that when he started flogging records and he's made a few quid since!!!

he had a little help from the vat man from what i heard :smilewinkgrin:

 

[White Room]

I thought he did'nt pay any....

 

[PHG Dave]

I thought he did'nt pay any....

I didn't say the vat man did it knowingly.. LOL

 

[Perry]

I bet Richard Branson didn't say that when he started flogging records and he's made a few quid since!!!

he was selling things with a good profit great if you are the only tile shop in 200 miles and you have lots and lots of large detached houses with loads of rich people spending it all

 

[Time's Ran Out]

My wife and I had a tile showroom for 20 years and in the right location, without high overheads, and being at the top end of the market, you can have a good income. For us the fact that we offered a fixing service, had Stone, mosaic and Victorian designs before they all became popular, meant we could set our stall out accordingly. You have to have a USP as you will never compete with the big outlets as people just want run of the mill today and wont wait for a delivery.

 

[Muse2k8]

Look for a market gap and fill it. Best way forward tbh

 

[Peter]

Wonder how the OP got on? Don't think it's enough just simply selling tiles these days, you need various fingers in various pies.

Can think of 7 or 8 local tile shops that have came and went in the last few years. Once of which was Tile Market which had chains all over NI, and just two weeks ago Frackeltons closed, they'd been a main distributer on the go from the late 1800s. Most of the other shops are getting it tight too. My main supplier would be one of the busier showrooms and even then they laid a decent salesman off a few weeks ago and have their storemen down to 3-4 day weeks. Wouldn't fancy opening one in this current climate unless I was doing something very different to everyone else and getting the punters through the doors.

 

[Dan]

Hmmmm I wonder if he opened it too.