Local Running Store with Gait Advice

Beginner and regular runners, race trainees, walkers, and people with foot discomfort looking for better shoes.

Margin on shoes, clothing and accessories. Repeat purchases come as shoes wear out, and run clubs and race-season events bring in new customers.

• Knowing running shoes and how they fit
• Friendly, patient customer service
• Buying stock and managing inventory
• Building a local running community

• Brands may set minimum orders or limit who they supply in an area, so check before you sign a lease
• Stock is a big upfront cost and sizes or models can go unsold, so plan your buying carefully
• Check your municipality for a business licence, zoning and signage rules; Quebec has French-language requirements
• Commercial general liability insurance and property cover
• Give fit advice, not medical advice, and suggest a health professional for pain or injuries
• Register for GST/HST when required and check WCB/WSIB rules when you hire staff
• Sales dip in deep winter in many regions, so plan your cash flow

Startup costs are estimated at typically around $60,000 to $200,000, depending on your premises, set-up and opening stock. Stock is a big upfront cost, and sizes or models can go unsold, so plan your buying carefully.

Monthly revenue is estimated at typically around $12,000 to $50,000, depending on your location, range and customer numbers. Sales can dip in deep winter in many regions, so plan your cash flow around that.

Check whether brands set minimum orders or limit who they supply in your area before signing a lease. Also check your municipality's business licence, zoning and signage rules, insurance, GST/HST registration, and workers' compensation rules if you hire staff. Quebec has French-language requirements.