Online asian grocery store

Home cooks and families who live far from an Asian grocery shop, and people wanting specialist items or gift boxes.

You sell products at a mark-up on wholesale cost and add delivery charges or minimum order values. Subscription boxes or bundles can raise order size.

• Knowledge of the cuisine you sell
• Online selling and basic photography
• Packing and order handling
• Stock control

• Register your food business with your council, even if you run it from home
• Check whether your landlord or mortgage lender allows storing stock and courier collections at home
• Heavy bottles and jars cost a lot to post and can break, so test packaging
• Imported products need correct English labels with allergens, so check before selling
• Chilled and frozen items are hard to ship, so consider leaving them out at first
• Public liability and product liability insurance
• Check distance selling and returns rules for online sales

Estimates suggest startup costs are typically around £1,500 to £8,000, depending on the range you stock, your packaging and how much stock you buy at the start. Test packaging early, as heavy jars and bottles can be costly to post.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around £500 to £5,000, depending on your product range, how many orders you handle and your delivery options. That is revenue, not profit, so allow for stock, postage and packaging costs.

Check the points in this idea: register your food business with your council even if you run it from home, make sure imported products carry correct English labels with allergens, and check distance selling and returns rules and your insurance.