Zimbabwe is among the top consumers of alcohol in Africa, with an annual consumption of more than 500 million liters. Both Zimbabwean men and women are ranked high in Africa for drinking beer, and the country is on number 7 on the top African beer consumers. Thus starting a liquor bar business in Zimbabwe is very rewarding, as the demand is very huge. Many entrepreneurs are making money all over Zimbabwe buy running liquor bar businesses.Before you start a bar business in Zimbabwe, you have to decide on the size of your business, location of business, products to offer and your target market. You should always carry out a feasibility study, market research and write a business plan before you venture into any business.
Do not make the mistake of starting a liquor bar or any other business just because someone is doing it and he/she says it’s profitable. This article will explain how to start a liquor store business in Zimbabwe, and the liquor bar business plan.What you need Location and PremisesLocation will influence the viability of your liquor bar business. Make sure you locate your liquor bar in an area that provides enough traffic to bring sufficient customers to your store. It is however important to ascertain that you’re choosing a market that has enough purchasing power. Investigate the size of your target market and their income patterns. Use quality marketing and advertising strategies. People can always come and find you because of the quality service and the type of beer, and atmosphere which you provide. You will need premises which include the liquor bar, back offices, and a kitchen if you are also offering food. Market researchYou need to conduct market research and come up with a market entry strategy that will keep you viable.
Identify your competition and understand how they do business, what their marketing strategy is and the amount of market influence they have. Most importantly identify the niche that you want to cater for. This will help you in formulating your marketing strategy.
Liquor Bar ProductsYou have to make a decision on what kind of alcoholic products you will sell in your liquor bar. This will be determined by the niche you have chosen to target. Before choosing your niche, you have to determine how many bars/bottle stores sell items similar to those you intend to sell, what their price point is and how they market themselves. Also, see if there is a market for a new liquor bar or bottle store in your chosen location. This is determined by the demographics and drinking habits of people who live in the area. Examples of a liquor bar products include:.
Lagers eg Castle, Lion, Eagle. Ciders eg Hunters Edge, Savanna Dry.
Brandy eg Viceroy. Whisky eg Gold Blend. Vodka eg Smirnoff. Wines eg eg Green Valley.
Sorghum Beer eg Chibuku Super. Soft Drinks. Food eg Sadza & Beef. Snooker Pool gameThe largest suppliers of liquor products in Zimbabwe are Delta and African Distillers.
Other liquor products maybe imported from South Africa.Inventory ManagementIf you are to succeed you need to manage your inventory properly. Satisfy all your customer needs and make sure that they find all of the supplies they require.The demand is steady over time such it is better if you keep your liquor bar fully stocked all the time. You therefore need a good supplier who delivers the right quality and on time. At startup, it may be hard to stock your store with all the liquor products you need.
However you can cash in fast if you focus on providing liquor products that are highly demanded eg lagers. Profits will keep rolling in if you have a wide selection for your customers to choose from. Cash flow managementCash can be very difficult to manage in your liquor bar business. When it comes to cash flow management, you cannot take chances. Account for all your cash inflows and out flows. In the first few months you may need to put back all the revenue you get back into the business to increase your supplies and grow the business.
Costs for the liquor bar business include salaries of employees, rent, inventory, utilities, taxes, insurance and advertising costs. Management and employeesAs a customer-centric business, you should hire employees that are representatives of your bar’s style, friendly and efficient.
Your employees should be passionate about selling beer and serving the clients. Depending on the size of your store, the number of your employees will vary. You will need cashiers, bar assistants, security bouncers, cooks(if you offer food), logistics personell etc. Good management is a determining factor in the success of the business.
Liquor Business LicenseTo kick start your liquor business, prepare your application and get the necessary licenses. You first apply from your local authority/council and then apply for a licence from the liquor board. Liquor licenses in Zimbabwe are given by the Liquor Licensing Board. Liquor licence can be applied for online. If the online system is down, applications can be down at various provincial office around the country. In Harare you can apply from Makombe building.
Requirements include local authority approval, health report, lease agreement, building plan, and advertising in the national newspaper of your intention of opening a bar/bottle store. Follow through the legal procedure because operating this business without a license or using an expired license may result in the confiscation of the license and the business’ assets.
Market for Liquor Bar BusinessDemand for alcohol in Zimbabwe is huge, with over half a billion liters consumed every year. Both men and women drink beer in Zimbabwe, thus are both potential customers. You can use various strategies for attracting customers to your liquor bar. Share with your friends, your family, your social media circle, give them reasons why they should drink at your bar. Do bar opening promotions with special discounts, giveaways, and other “little extras.” Put your best foot forward and put a particular emphasis on amazing customer service. The drinkers usually love watching soccer, thus showing soccer games will attract more customers to your business. This means your customers will spend more time in the bar as they will be entertained by soccer, and thus will buy more products.
Good products, good customer service, good music, snooker tables are some of the ways of attracting repeat customers to your bar. The StartupBiz business plans are excellent, well prepared, fully detailed. I had not that much of the financial knowledge of the Agri business I wanted to venture into but I can tell you right now that from the moment I went through those farm business plans I had purchased, I started having the real picture of what I was to get in to,what was needed for me to be financially successful and I would want to tell my fellow mates that if you really want the business you want to venture into to be successful I think you need to get one of the StartupBiz Business plan.You wont go wrong with those ones.
Donald Hebert, ChairmanAntonio Viveiros, MemberDavid Wood, MemberAll licenses involving the sale of alcoholic beverages need to be approved by the City of Attleboro Licensing Board. This Board meets once a month; usually the third or fourth week of the month.All applications can be found on the. Please refer to the document for detailed instructions.Requests for live entertainment in establishments that have liquor licenses need to be approved by the Licensing Board. Applications for live entertainment can be found in the or.All license holders in the City of Attleboro must renew their licenses annually in November. Any applications or changes to current licenses should not be done during the renewal application process.
Liquor Licence Application Form
If you need further information, please Alison Wood or call her at 508-223-2222, ext.