Local beauty supplies delivery round

Salons, barbershops, spas and mobile therapists who want quick local restocking without waiting for postal deliveries.

Margin on each product sold, with regular weekly or fortnightly orders from a set route and sometimes a small delivery charge on small orders.

• Building relationships face to face
• Route planning
• Stock control
• Reliable customer service

• Cosmetic products have safety and labelling rules, so check requirements with Trading Standards before selling
• Business use on your vehicle insurance and goods in transit cover
• Public liability and product liability insurance
• Slow payers, consider payment on delivery or short payment terms for new customers
• Competition from large wholesalers, so focus on service and convenience

Startup costs are estimated at typically around £3,000 to £15,000, depending on your vehicle, opening stock and insurance. Business use on your vehicle insurance, goods in transit cover and liability insurance are worth checking.

Monthly revenue is estimated at typically around £1,500 to £7,500, depending on the number of customers on your route, your product range and payment terms. The estimate assumes at least about 15 hours a week.

Check the safety and labelling requirements for cosmetics with Trading Standards before selling. Also check business use on your vehicle insurance, goods in transit cover, public and product liability insurance, and consider payment terms for new customers because of slow payers.