If you have to acquire a commercial space, its choice requires reflection. Responding to your specific expectations, in terms of location and convenience, it should allow you to carry out your activity in the best conditions. To find the right location, certain criteria must be taken into account.
Summary
A well located place
If you must open a business, make sure it is located on a busy street. In this case, you will be able to benefit more easily from the customers of neighboring stores. Check that the premises are located near public transport stops and that there are enough parking spaces.
If so, your employees and vendors will also have easy access to your store. Other details may seem secondary, such as the width of the sidewalks or the sunshine in the street. However, they influence the habits of passers-by.
Even if the local is in a busy street, check that it has not been rented too often. If so, passers-by might associate it with previous failed business attempts.
Also take note of the times when the passage is more intense. In this regard, as in many others, find sound advice on unlocation.com.
A location that matches your business
The choice of commercial premises also depends on the profile of your business. Depending on the items sold, he will often be able to take advantage of the bustle of a busy street or a shopping center. But not necessarily.
If you offer high-end clothing or luxury products, it is better to locate your store in a residential area. Undoubtedly calmer, it will be inhabited by potential customers with sufficient income.
Similarly, a craftsman will benefit from choosing a craft area, frequented by a public with specific needs. If you have to open a bar or a restaurant, it is best to avoid neighborhoods that are too quiet. Local residents, less accustomed to noise than residents of the city center, could find themselves bothered by it.
A well-suited room
The configuration of the commercial premises is another essential criterion to take into account. It should be spacious enough to hold your products. Also pay attention to the ceiling height and the layout of the room.
In some cases, it is also necessary to provide the space necessary for the easy movement of customers. Sometimes, however, a smaller or full-length store will do. It will thus be suitable for a candy store.
Also check the surface area of the window and the layout possibilities it offers. Plan a reserve large enough to store your stock of goods. Before you decide, also assess the cost of any development or renovation work.
You should also make sure that your store is accessible, especially for wheelchairs or strollers. In this regard, the presence of steps or a poorly designed door should attract your attention.
Take useful information
Before you decide to acquire commercial premises, try again to obtain, from various sources, information that could be very useful to you.
The chambers of commerce and industry are, from this point of view, essential interlocutors. They can provide you with very well-designed studies on the characteristics of a neighborhood and the consumption habits of its inhabitants and potential customers.
This information sheds light on the potential of a location and the extent of the catchment area that surrounds it. Nothing prevents you either from asking for information from neighboring merchants, who know the area well and who have identified businesses that are having difficulty setting up shop.
It is also in your interest to inquire with the municipal services. You will thus be aware of the urban planning developments planned for the short or medium term. If the street in which you intend to settle must be redone, this long-term work can thus hinder the start of your business.
Rules to follow
Finally, it is important to be familiar with the regulations that apply to commercial premises. Considered as establishments open to the public, they are indeed, as such, subject to certain obligations.
They concern first and foremost the safety of people. The presence of suitable exits, in particular in number, must make it possible to ensure the evacuation of people in the event of disasters. Also make sure you have fire detection and fire fighting equipment, which in both cases meets specific standards. Other obligations concern the lighting system or, if applicable, the lifts.
Also, be sure to follow your local accessibility standards. They apply in particular to the conditions of access to the store, to circulation in its space or to the operation of the doors.
Likewise, before undertaking any work in the premises, make sure that they are permitted by the co-ownership regulations. It can in fact prohibit certain developments or attach restrictive conditions to them.