Herbal remedy shop on your high street

Local people looking for natural products, herbal tea drinkers, home cooks and people interested in traditional remedies.

Profit on each sale: you buy herbs and products wholesale and sell them at a mark-up, weighing loose herbs by the gram or selling ready-packed items.

• Knowledge of herbs and their uses
• Customer service
• Stock control and buying
• Careful record keeping

• Medicines rules: a herbal product presented as treating or preventing an illness may count as a medicine under MHRA rules. Check whether each product needs a Traditional Herbal Registration or other authorisation, and only stock products that comply
• Never claim a product treats, prevents or cures an illness unless it is properly authorised, and avoid giving individual medical advice in the shop
• Some herbs are restricted or banned from sale, and some products must be supplied under supervision of a pharmacist. Check with the MHRA and your wholesalers before stocking
• Register your food business with your local council at least 28 days before you start selling herbal teas or other food items, and check food labelling rules with Trading Standards
• Public liability and product liability insurance
• Check the lease, business rates and planning use class for the unit before you commit

Startup costs are typically around £8,000 to £35,000, depending on the unit, shop fit-out and how much stock you buy. These are estimates, so get quotes for rent, fixtures and initial stock before committing to a lease.

Monthly revenue is typically around £2,500 to £12,000, depending on location, footfall and your product range. That is revenue, not profit, so rent, stock, rates and insurance come out of it. Estimates suggest at least 35 hours a week.

Check whether each product needs a Traditional Herbal Registration or other MHRA authorisation, and avoid claiming a product treats or cures illness unless authorised. Also check restricted herbs, food business registration with your council at least 28 days before selling teas, and labelling with Trading Standards.