Park home and caravan supplies shop near holiday parks

Static caravan and park home owners, holiday park operators, site maintenance staff and local handymen and fitters.

Retail sales at a mark-up, trade discounts for regular site accounts, and seasonal peaks such as pre-season preparation and winterising. Many shops also add an online store to reach further afield.

• Retail and stock control
• Product knowledge of caravan and park home fittings
• Building relationships with park managers
• Basic bookkeeping

• Lease terms, business rates and planning use class for the unit, so check with the landlord and your council
• Selling gas items: check what rules apply to storage and sale, including any fire safety requirements
• Public liability, stock and contents insurance
• Strong seasonality, with quieter months in winter
• Check whether parks have preferred suppliers before expecting trade accounts

Startup costs are typically around £10,000 to £45,000, depending on the unit, fit-out and how much stock you carry. Monthly revenue is estimated at around £4,000 to £18,000, depending on location, range and the time of year.

Check the lease terms, business rates and planning use class with your landlord and council. If you sell gas items, check storage, sale and fire safety rules. Also arrange public liability, stock and contents insurance, and check whether parks have preferred suppliers.

The estimate is at least around 35 hours a week. Useful skills include retail and stock control, product knowledge of caravan and park home fittings, building relationships with park managers and basic bookkeeping. Expect quieter winter months.