Local catering supplies shop

Cafes, takeaways, restaurants, pubs and mobile caterers, plus some retail customers such as keen home bakers and party organisers.

You buy from wholesalers or suppliers and sell at a mark-up. Repeat trade customers buying consumables bring steady orders, while equipment sales add larger one-off amounts.

• Knowing kitchen equipment and what chefs need
• Stock control and ordering
• Friendly, reliable customer service

• Lease terms, deposits and business rates, check these carefully before signing
• Public liability and stock and contents insurance
• Rules on food contact materials and electrical goods, check what applies to what you sell
• Tying up cash in slow-moving stock, start with a small range
• Credit terms for trade customers, late payers can hurt cash flow

Estimates suggest startup costs typically around £15,000 to £60,000, depending on premises, deposits and how much stock you buy. Starting with a small range can help limit the cash tied up in slow-moving stock.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around £6,000 to £30,000, depending on location, range and how many trade customers you win. These are revenue figures, not profit, so costs such as rent and stock come out of them.

Check lease terms, deposits and business rates before signing. Also check public liability and stock and contents insurance, rules on food contact materials and electrical goods for what you sell, and the credit terms you offer trade customers.