What do you think

[spicyayam]

A friend wants to start a new business in central Lovina. They want to sell cigarettes, soft drinks, pulsa etc. Like almost every second shop along the street, where there a few restaurants mixed in with shops selling sarongs, Bintang singlets etc.

I think they need to do something a little different. My idea would be to sell home interior goods and accessories. Nice, modern stuff with a Balinese influence. The stuff would appeal to tourists and people with villas living here.

Along with that, I thought they could sell custom made furniture. The shop is not big, but I thought they could get some nice catalogs made up with various styles of furniture. They could do a deal with a local furniture manufacturer, who would then make up the orders. The market would be locals and foreigners living in the area, rather than for export. There's pretty much no risk for them, as it would all be custom made.

I know they will probably just open a min-mart type of shop, but do you think my idea is any good?

 

[mimpimanis]

Spicy - few years ago we opened a similar type kiosk to what your friend want to do - it was pretty much a waste of time as the profit on each item is so tiny you have to sell heaps every day to make any money and with many others offering the same in the area that can be hard. increase your margin or your customers will just go next door. Mind you we were in a small village rather than a town so maybe they would have enough customers to make it work. However I think your idea is much better. Later I will open a different kind of shop in place of the kiosk but am waiting for the international airport to be finished on Lombok and business to pick up first.

 

[gilbert de jong]

I think you're right, they should do something else.

furniture/house accesories might be a good idea, but don't expect 'locals' to buy in this shop...they would buy straight from the manufacturer. I do that too btw.

 

[hafri]

Not bad idea... I would start rent out TV`s with DVD movies and Playstation with games... Then you could get local and expat customers and a good income too.. I dont think it`s any yet in Lovina...Secondhand TV`s, playstations and x-box is not so expensive..

 

[Jimbo]

Hafri

Everyother shop sells the DVD's and software. Profit on a Rp 7000 DVD is about Rp50 again hardly worth it and there is no demand for originals. Don't know about second hand TV and x box. Could be expensive and you would have to ask for a hefty deposit in case they do not come back.

I also do not know many houses without a TV

 

[noodles]

Spicy, your idea is right, they should open a mini-mart supermarket which local at tourist area

 

[mimpimanis]

Hafri could rent to tourists - plenty rent dvd players in Kuta and put them in their hotel rooms for the duration. We also rent DVD players to non guests if we get anyone asking. We usually ask for a Rp250,000 deposit. They have always been returned no problem.

DVD/VCD movie rental was a nightmare- mostly our customers were locals and they would rent a movie and pass it all around the village and bring it back a month later, by which time everyone had seen it. We tried implementing fines for late returns but that just made them keep the movies.... and we lost hundreds of movies - and mostly originals (VCDs) as it was at a time when in Lombok we didnt get a lot of copies.

 

[hafri]

Mimpi... sell the DVD`s. rent out DVD-player, TV, Playstation and X-box.... suply with some snacks and things... It works in denp.. many local kids rent and buy snacks and coke. In Lovina u have expats and tourists aswell.

 

[mimpimanis]

No - we have closed the kiosk down now - in fact it was recently half knocked down when they widened the road. But I would like to rebuild it one day have some other business once Kuta is busier. (Kuta, Lombok)

 

[gilbert de jong]

renting out second hand tv's???? :lol: very funny.
and ps2/dvds, like jimbo said every 100 metres is a place where you can get that.

Spicy, your idea is right, they should open a mini-mart supermarket which local at tourist area

:lol: , again very funny...especially since you don't know that one m.m.(expatowned) just went out of business. the one nextdoor (localowned) is thriving as usual.

 

[spicyayam]

Spicy, your idea is right, they should open a mini-mart supermarket which local at tourist area

I was trying to tell them it was a bad idea. Anyway the shop is now leased to someone else.