Newsstand kiosk in a busy spot

Commuters, office workers, shoppers, patients and visitors who buy quick items on impulse or on their daily route.

You buy stock wholesale and sell at a markup. Magazines and snacks carry modest margins, so profit depends on location, rent, steady footfall and a good mix of fast-selling extras.

• Friendly, quick customer service
• Stock ordering and cash handling
• Negotiating a lease or kiosk licence

• Rent and lease terms, since a high rent can wipe out thin margins
• Municipal business licence and any rules for kiosks or retail in your chosen building or area
• Selling lottery tickets or tobacco usually needs separate provincial approval or a retailer agreement, so check your provincial rules
• Packaged food and drinks may have local public health requirements, so check with your health unit
• Commercial general liability and contents insurance
• Shrinking print sales, so plan to rely on a wider mix of goods
• Long opening hours and winter footfall changes

Startup costs are typically estimated at around $15,000 to $60,000, depending on the location, kiosk fit-out, opening stock and lease or licence terms. These are estimates, so get quotes for your chosen spot before you sign anything.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $6,000 to $25,000, depending on footfall, the mix of goods you sell and your rent. Treat this as an estimate, as a high rent can wipe out thin margins.

Check rent and lease terms, your municipal business licence and any kiosk or retail rules for the building or area. Lottery tickets or tobacco usually need separate provincial approval, and packaged food and drinks may have local public health requirements.