European grocery shop

People from European communities who want familiar foods, plus local food lovers, gift shoppers and home cooks looking for specialist products.

You buy from importers and wholesalers and sell at a mark-up. Extra income can come from gift baskets, holiday orders (such as Christmas and Easter) and a small deli counter or pre-packed ready meals.

• Knowing the products and what your community wants
• Buying and stock control
• Customer service
• Basic bookkeeping

• Food business registration or permit from your local public health unit, especially for chilled foods, deli items or repackaging
• Federal food import and labelling rules (check with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency), including bilingual labelling and rules on imported dairy and meat
• Alcohol can only be sold with the right provincial licence, and many provinces limit who can sell it, so check before stocking any
• Short shelf lives and waste on chilled and fresh items, so start with a small range
• Commercial general liability insurance and a commercial lease you fully understand
• GST/HST registration and which items are zero-rated (basic groceries often are, but many snacks and drinks are not)

Startup costs are typically estimated at around $30,000 to $120,000, depending on the premises, shop fit-out, size of your opening stock and whether you add chilled items. A full-time commitment of at least about 40 hours a week is assumed.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $12,000 to $50,000, depending on location, the community you serve and your range. These are revenue estimates, so allow for stock, rent and waste on short-life items.

Check food business registration with your local public health unit, Canadian Food Inspection Agency import and bilingual labelling rules, provincial licensing if you want to sell alcohol, and GST/HST registration and which items are zero-rated. Also review your lease and liability insurance.