Formation of assortment and display of fish products in stores

How to open a fish department

Opening a business in the field of fish and seafood trading in Russia is quite a promising business. Moreover, in any format, be it a fish shop or a fish kiosk. To confirm this forecast, the following figures can be cited: each resident of Russia annually consumes up to 22 kg of fish, while a European consumes 30 kg, and a Japanese consumes more than 60 kg of fish per year.

Of course, opening a fish retail outlet cannot look spontaneous. First, it is necessary to conduct a thorough marketing study of the territory, identify the presence of competition, and determine the market capacity. But determining demand is not the only critical first step. The presence of stable suppliers and profitable contracts for the supply of fish is also a key point when opening a “fish” business. The choice of one supplier or another depends on the remoteness of the wholesale bases, the time and speed of product delivery (fish is a perishable product), and the company’s pricing policy.

The highlight is the delivery of products to your point. How will the fish be supplied? By yourself, a supplier or a transport company? If the supplier does not offer its own fish supply services, you may have to purchase a refrigerated truck.

The next step is choosing the location of the fish department. The most preferable places are places with high traffic volumes, for example markets, bus stops. However, not only cross-country ability is the most important indicator when choosing the location of a fishing point. The availability of free space and rental rates are also important. In this regard, opening a fish kiosk in a residential area of ​​the city seems to be a completely profitable solution. The location in a residential area is usually aimed at attracting regular customers of the area.

What documents are needed to open a fish department?

• Certificate of registration of individual entrepreneur (LLC);

• Title documents for non-residential premises (purchase and sale agreement, lease agreement, etc.);
• Sanitary and epidemiological report with a list of products sold (must be in the sales area);
• Conclusion on the compliance of the facility with the established fire safety requirements (issued by the Department of the State Fire Service of the city);
• Certification of workplaces Sanitary rules SP 2.3.6.1066-01, laws of the Russian Federation “On the sanitary and epidemiological welfare of the population” and “On the quality and safety of food products”;
• Agreement on systematic cleaning and disinfection of air conditioning and ventilation systems;
• Agreement for disinfestation, deratization and disinfection of premises;
• Agreement for the recycling of fluorescent lamps;
• Text of the Law of the Russian Federation “On the Protection of Consumer Rights” (in the sales area);
• Telephone numbers of civil defense and emergency departments, the Central Internal Affairs Directorate, the FSB (in the sales area);
• Agreements on the removal of bulky waste, food waste and solid waste;
• Personal medical records for sellers with notes on the results of examinations and hygienic certification.

Next, you should consider the assortment of the outlet. Its list includes about 20 types of frozen fish (pollock, blue whiting, hake, tilapia), 10-12 types of fresh fish, about 10 types of smoked fish, as well as preserves, canned food, dried fish, squid, seafood cocktails, caviar and other fish delicacies. The most popular types of fresh fish: carp, pike perch, pink salmon, bream, greenling, sprat. Such fish can be purchased in large quantities.

Chilled fish is usually delivered in special foam boxes and lined with ice - this design allows you to keep it cold for a long time. To store chilled fish, a temperature of minus 5-7 degrees is required. Stores try to buy such goods in minimal quantities, since the sales period is only 72 hours. Salted and smoked fish should be stored at the same temperature. But the most difficult product is chilled fish, which must be sold within 12 hours after catch.

The arrival of the next batch of fish must be carefully checked for the presence of veterinary certificates, which the product supplier must attach. A veterinary certificate confirms the quality and nutritional suitability of the product. Without this accompanying document, retail trade in fish is prohibited.

Ban on fish and vegetable shops

Indeed, there is a rule according to which it is not allowed to place specialized fish and vegetable stores in residential buildings.

These provisions are enshrined in:

— clause 4.10 of the Code of Rules “SNiP 31-01-2003 Residential multi-apartment buildings”, approved by order of the Ministry of Construction of Russia dated December 0, 2016 No. 883/pr;

— clause 2.3 of the Sanitary Rules “Sanitary and epidemiological requirements for trade organizations and the circulation of food raw materials and food products in them. SP 2.3.6.1066-01”, approved by the Decree of the Chief State Sanitary Doctor of the Russian Federation dated 09/07/2001 No. 23.

Recommendations for determining the freshness of fish

1. Carefully examine the eyes of the fish - they should be convex, with a transparent cornea and a black, shiny pupil;
2. The scales should be shiny and fit tightly to the body of the fish;
3. The gills of the fish should be hard and bright red, without mucus.

Fish is a perishable product, so you can’t do without refrigeration equipment. These include: chest freezers, refrigerated display cases, special chambers.

What equipment to choose for fishing business

There must be at least two freezers: low and medium temperature. The optimal storage mode for frozen fish is minus 18 grams. – at this temperature the fish will last up to 6 months. Before sale, the product must undergo defrosting (defrosting) for 11 hours. In principle, this time can be reduced - the main thing is that the fish can be cut. In addition to refrigeration equipment, you will need specialized display cases (1.8-2.5 m) for displaying products, wall racks, and an aquarium for live fish (if necessary).

You can’t do without an ice maker - refrigeration equipment designed to produce edible ice. Trade enterprises use special flake and granular ice makers. The ice produced by the ice maker is used to display fresh fish and seafood. It keeps the product fresh and attracts the buyer's attention.

Subtleties of design

The display is desirable exclusively for fresh fish, but in addition to the high quality of the products themselves, the decor of the store premises as a whole is of great importance. Let's say the owner decided to save a little money and simply painted the walls light blue or green.

In combination with dim light, a negative impression is created, it seems that the fish is spoiled and in general the interior resembles a morgue. This is the worst design idea.

It is very important to choose a neutral color scheme so that the window display as a whole does not look too dull, but is not too colorful. The same rules should be followed when developing the design of price tags.

For fish display cases, special price tags in the form of needles were developed, which are stuck into the ice directly next to the seafood. It is unacceptable to stick a price tag into the fish, this violates its integrity, and soon the product will have to be thrown away.

Interesting article : Decorating a grocery store window.

Price tags

Price tags can be made simply black, size A7 - they look stylish and perfectly represent the price. In addition, they are easy to wash, which means they will last a long time. By the way, cleanliness is the most important aspect of trading this special product.

There is no need to put out sloppily cut fish with traces of blood and scales, as well as weathered fish that have been on the counter for several days. Of course, no one will be fined for this, but you will soon notice a drop in sales yourself. The design of fish display cases assumes the complete absence of various unpleasant odors.

Another secret from marketers is to always lay out fresh fish in a heap, so that visitors get the impression of a rich assortment and abundance. It is best to arrange seafood in vertical rows on flake ice; this composition already looks attractive.

Useful article : How to design a store window?

How much money do you need to start?

The total cost of equipment for a small sales department is at least 200 thousand rubles. As for the total costs of starting a business, taking into account the renovation of the premises (purchase of a kiosk/pavilion) and the purchase of the first batch of goods, they will amount to at least 500 thousand rubles.

One cannot fail to mention the rules for displaying goods in the fish department. From a sanitation point of view, each individual type of fish (smoked and salted, frozen, chilled) has its own refrigerator. The delicacy group should also be placed separately: squid, octopus, seafood cocktails, caviar, etc. Representatives of the fishing business recommend adhering to several simple rules for displaying goods. For example, the most expensive types of fish should be placed in the middle of the counter - that is, in the most visible place. Cheaper varieties can be placed along the edges of the counter. Seafood should not be mixed with fish, and fresh fish should not be mixed with ready-to-eat foods, such as salted or smoked fish.

Fish trading, for all its benefits, is quite a troublesome business. In their work, entrepreneurs have to deal with markdowns of goods and losses of profit, problems with timely delivery of goods, seasonal drops in demand and other force majeure situations. The risks in this business are perhaps among the highest in the trading industry. However, with a competent approach, knowledge of the seafood market and maintaining the quality of the product, it is quite possible to make a business profitable. Experts consider a wide range of outlets, reasonable prices and colorful presentation of goods to be the keys to success.

Assortment of fish

Due to the fact that depending on the purpose and size of the store, the assortment in it will vary, we will consider each type of store separately.

Specialized fish store

A specialized fish store should contain the maximum range of fish - frozen, chilled, dried, dried, salted and smoked, and even live. The exception for live fish is sales in specialized kiosks and stalls, where installation of an aquarium is impossible.

First of all, the assortment in a fish store will be influenced by the location and the contingent of customers prevailing in the area. For students and young families, the assortment should include smoked, dried and dried fish. Also dried snacks, packaged. Among fashionable houses, the assortment consists of chilled seafood. In the average statistical area, chilled and frozen fish of different price categories predominate.

• Frozen fish: cod, pollock, flounder, pink salmon, mackerel
• Chilled: perch, haddock, catfish, pike, trout, pink salmon, sea bream
• Smoked fish: mackerel, pink salmon, trout, catfish. Weighed and vacuum packed.
• Salted and dried: herring, salmon, mackerel, horse mackerel, anchovies. Packed in sealed packaging.

Of course, the assortment of a specialized kiosk should not stop only at fish, but in addition to other seafood, it should contain drinks and other food products in minimal quantities.

Food kiosk

In an ordinary stall it is enough to have several types of packaged smoked fish - mackerel, pink salmon, herring, as well as vacuum-packed salted herring, salmon, trout, butterfish and pink salmon.

Convenience store format

In a convenience store, there is no point in displaying chilled and live fish, since there is a risk that they will not be sold and will spoil, and an aquarium with live fish will simply take up the entire retail space. The remaining groups of fish should be represented by the most frequently sold products:

• Frozen fish: pollock, cod, hake, pink salmon, flounder in the form of fillets, half carcasses, cut gutted or ungutted carcasses.
• Smoked: mackerel, red fish - in vacuum packages.
• Salted: herring, salmon, sprat, butterfish - in vacuum packages or plastic containers.

You can complement the assortment of fish with an assortment of seafood that will look organic together.

Grocery supermarket

The supermarket's assortment is quite large and most fully satisfies the variety of needs of different segments of consumers. At the same time, live and chilled fish are offered in supermarkets quite rarely, or are offered in stores with fairly high traffic.

• Frozen fish - at least 15 - 20 types: cod, flounder, ice fish, pink salmon, salmon, etc. fish should be offered in various types of cutting - fillets, gutted without heads, gutted, steaks.
• Minced fish - 2 - 3 types.
• Smoked - about 5 types, including mackerel (cold and hot smoked);
• There are several types of fish delicacies: smoked, dried, salted. Tuna, trout, smelt, halibut, pink salmon, salmon.
• At least 10 types of various smoked fish. Weighed and vacuum packed.
• Salted - herring (mostly offered by weight or in plastic containers), salmon, chum salmon, trout, butterfish (mostly offered in vacuum packaging);
• Marinated - sprat, herring, capelin.
• Salted and dried - smelt, smelt, etc.

Liquor store

The assortment of fish in an alcohol store cannot be large, but must correspond to the most popular products purchased along with alcohol. Basically, these are various snacks and smoked, salted and other fish, processed and ready to eat. There is no point in putting live, chilled and frozen fish in such stores.

It is advisable to have on sale:

• several types of smoked fish, for example, vacuum-packed mackerel, herring, smelt.
• Salted herring, salmon or trout must be on the counter.
• Dried, salted and dried small assortment for beer, portion-packed in vacuum packaging (small fish, roach, ram, rudd).

Step-by-step plan for starting a fish retail business

To start your own fish retail business you will need to go through the following steps:

• register as an individual entrepreneur. To do this, you need to submit an application, pay the state fee for its submission and consideration, provide a photocopy of the passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation;
• rental of premises. A retail outlet in a food hall is best. This will save us from additional expenses on advertising. You can use your own premises, for example, buy or build a fish stall.
• purchasing the necessary equipment (refrigerators and special display cases, aquariums for live fish and a cash register, an ice maker and scales).
• supplier search.

There are two options here:

• the supplier delivers the goods independently;
• We personally purchase fish at the trading base;

Proper display of fresh fish.

Fresh fish is a delicate product that requires special temperature conditions. Live fish will naturally swim in the aquarium. Modern commercial aquariums are technically well equipped, but still require hygienic care. A large, clean aquarium with azure water should be placed directly in the line of display cases. Fish and crayfish will become a magnet, attracting customers to the department. When the aquarium is positioned at the front, the process of selecting fish is simplified, and this means a higher quality of service! The only thing is that bumpers and fences should be installed so that buyers do not accidentally break the aquarium.

All chilled fish will be located in specialized “fish on ice” display cases. Fish-on-ice display cases come in two types – open and closed. Open - a metal tray facing the buyer, closed - a showcase where the goods are laid out behind glass. An open display case is more often used, because it is more effective and much more beautiful. The fish is laid out on ice and sprinkled a little to maintain the temperature. Proper display of fish is carried out according to the type of fish, then taking into account the type of semi-finished product. It is important that the display is abundant.

Special needles and price tag holders have been developed specifically for displaying fresh fish. This price tag holder is stuck into the ice next to the product. Why is it forbidden to use ordinary needles - price tag holders? An ordinary needle - a price tag holder - will violate the integrity of the fish, and such handling of chilled fish easily leads to damage and write-off.

With fish needles they always take black signs on A7. Black price tag - the plate will favorably represent the price and will be very durable, as it is easy to clean and very practical.