Fishmonger business plan template


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fishmonger business plan template

Not accustomed to writing business plans? Our fishmonger business template will turn a typically challenging process into a total breeze.

Modelled on a complete business plan of a fishmonger in Caen, our template features both the financial forecast and the written part that presents the project, its team, the local market and the business strategy implemented by the management.

Cast your eyes on this template to achieve a better understanding of what your bank and investors would like to see, so that you can create a business plan that meets their expectations.

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Fishmonger business plan template content


This template includes a complete business plan, with a financial forecast and the following sections:

  1. Executive summary:
    The executive summary gives the reader a clear and concise overview of your business idea
  2. Company:
    This section lays out the structure of your business, including its location, management team and legal status
  3. Products and services:
    Here, you'll give an overview of the services or products offered by the company
  4. Market analysis:
    The market analysis is where you’ll demonstrate that there is a strong demand for your products and services through a thorough assessment of the industry (customer profile, hot trends, regulation, competition, etc.)
  1. Strategy:
    This section highlights the company's game plan when it comes to pricing, marketing and mitigating risks along the way
  2. Operations:
    This step lays out the company's operational organisation, including the recruitment plan
  3. Financial plan:
    The financial plan includes a table of sources & uses (initial funding plan), and complete financial statements (P&L, balance sheet and cash flow statements)
  4. Appendices:
    This part provides the opportunity to include multiple financial appendices generated by our software (debt maturity profile, monthly financial statements, financial analysis, etc.)

Fishmonger business plan template extract


Executive Summary

Business Overview

The Little Fishmonger will be a fish shop located in the city of Caen. We will specialize in seafood and fish with an emphasis on French products. 

Our customers will be able to purchase fresh produce, in addition to dishes produced by our team.

We believe that our extensive knowledge in both fishing and the origin of our products will help deliver quality service and proximity. We aim to listen to the needs of our customers and react accordingly.

Despite there already being a large number of local shops in the area, our arrival will further improve the attractivity of the street for residents due to being closer to more amenities. 

By offering a variety of fresh fish and seafood, alongside food offered by the existing restaurants and shops in downtown Caen, The Little Fishmonger will be able to adequately meet local demand for fresh produce, which is currently high.

We plan to set up a limited liability company with total share capital of €5,000. The business will be managed by Maxime C. and Valentine D.

Maxime C. has 10 years of experience working in wholesale (buying from fishermen and re-selling to fishmongers), whilst Valentine D. has worked for multiple fishmongers in the past, as a shop assistant.

The two partners met through their professional experience 5 years ago, and have remained friends ever since. 

Market

National market

Retail trade in France

Key figures

The French government estimated that there were 517,400 retail companies in 2016 with a combined turnover of €441 billion.

The retail sector included:

  • Food stores (groceries, butcher shops, fishmongers, etc)
  • Household stores (home decoration, hardware etc)
  • Personal stores (perfume stores, clothing stores, body care stores, etc)
  • Other store types (any other type of business that did not fit into these categories)

Food stores headlined the retail market in 2016, employing the most number of workers.

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Food retailing

According to the same report, 114,000 retail businesses specialised in food in 2018 - in other words, 24.8% of the retail sector.

There were 10,271 new companies formed in 2018 and the sector employed a total of 705,000 people - most of them in Île-de-France and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.

The food industry generated €208.6 billion in sales or 49.9% of the retail sector.

The majority of shops where under 400m2, employed 2 people, and generated an average turnover of around €454,000 per year.

In 2019, The Observatory of Small Business estimated that food shops recorded a total increase in turnover of 2.4%.

French fishmongers

Key figures and data

The French Agricultural and Fishing Agency (French Agrimer) estimated that the turnover of fishmongers was between €1 and €1.5 billion in 2016. However, the study also noted that the "data on fishmonger turnover is highly variable depending on the source and no data could be directly exploited."

The data were thus aggregated from those available on INSEE (National Institute of Statistical and Economic Studies) and other sources. These data also estimated that the average turnover per business was between €300,000 and €400,000 per year.

According to The Observatory of Small Business, fishmongers recorded a 0.8% increase in turnover during the last twelve months of 2019.

If the 2016 French Agrimer report is to be believed, there are approximately 180 new fishmongers formed every year. Contrastingly, there are roughly 150 fishmongers that cease trading each year (the figure has been declining since 2010 and has stabilised since 2012).

Coastal departments such as Manche and Charente Maritime accounted for the majority of outlets in France.

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Customer profile

According to Artisans Gourmands, on average a fishmonger has:

  • 61% urban area customers and 39% rural area customers
  • 33.4% of their customers living in areas that have populations of above 100,000
  • 37.1% of their customers living in the city centre

The average customer has a monthly income above €2,000. This figure rises to €3,000 for 54.3% of customers.

The average shopping basket is estimated to be €30.60 and 50% of the people who visit a fishmonger weekly spend between €19.00 and €40.00.

Due to fish being perishable, purchases are made weekly by most customers.

79.1% of customers believe that quality is the most important attribute. This is closely followed by the value for money. 51% of all purchases made are for daily purposes and 49% are for special occasions. Ingredients used is the least important factor, and only matters for ready-made meals.

Seasonality plays a big part in customer habits, especially in rural areas. For example, mussels are more likely to be purchased during the summer, while there could be an increase in the consumption of smoked salmon and oysters during the winter. 

Local market

According to the INSEE (National Institute of Statistical and Economic Studies), Caen was home to 105,403 individuals in 2016. The city also had 57,524 households.

The city centre of Caen is very dynamic - there is a wide variety in the type of businesses that operate in the area.

According to Tendance Ouest, there were several innovative independent businesses such as microbreweries and cheesemongers in Caen in 2016.

With no less than 10 fishmongers in the city of Caen, the market is well established.

People living in the city centre tend to have above average income and can afford to buy premium fish directly from fishmongers.

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Normandy has a prolific fishing industry - as a result of being located on the coast. It is also home to the second-largest maritime fishing region in France.

According to Normandie Fraîcheur Mer, the region has 626 boats and catches 61,000 tonnes of fish annually.

Most of the fish caught in this region are sent across the country but local fishmongers also receive their fair share to sell.

Normandy stands out as the leading fishing region for shellfish (mainly scallops). They are followed by whelks and mussels.

Target market

The inhabitants of downtown Caen

Those living in the city centre who generally do their grocery shopping in shops nearby for both convenience and quality purposes.

We believe that being situated in a busy high street works to our advantage as we're able to capitalize on a strong footfall.

The inhabitants of the Caen area

Population living on the outskirts of the city is not to be ignored either. As fishmongers are becoming more uncommon outside large towns, those living in less populated areas around Caen may want to travel to the city centre to buy premium fish. 

We hope that these customers will also purchase fresh fish by filling in the order form on our website or calling the store. 

Competition

Despite there being more than 10 fishmongers in the city of Caen, we consider the competition to be moderate.

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This is because most of the fishmongers serve their respective neighbourhoods and are well-distanced from each other.

 We believe that we will differentiate ourselves by:

  • Taking into account customer needs
  • Highlighting our ecological, local, and environmentally conscious approaches to reduce waste

Thanks to our website and our presence on social media platforms, we will be able to differentiate ourselves from our competitors.

We consider this competition to be moderate. Indeed, the main clientele that we are targeting, which is the inhabitants of downtown Caen, won't necessarily make the trip to a market or to the fish market (located in Ouistreham) to buy their fish. 

Key figures

We expect the company to be profitable from its first year of operation - achieving a sales revenue of €279,880 and an EBITDA of €14,878 (i.e. 5.32% margin).

In year 2, we plan to expand our client base and expect sales revenues of €285,620 (or 2.05% of growth) and an EBITDA of €17,368 (which corresponds to an 6.08% EBITDA margin).

In year 3, we expect to achieve revenues of €293,650 (or 2.81% of growth) and an EBITDA of €21,456 (or 7.31% of margin).

Operating cash flow generation is expected to be positive for the entire duration of the plan, and the company should be adequately capitalized to allow us to meet our loan repayments while maintaining sufficient liquidity to meet any contingencies.

Our Ask

The initial financing needs of the project are estimated at €30,000. Our partners have planned to contribute €20,000, that is to say 66,6% of the sum.

We would like to obtain a bank loan of €10,000 to complete the financing.

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