has anyone ever run a dress agency?

[stainesmassif]

There's a well established agency in my town (not Staines!) and the owner is moving overseas. She's selling the business at what seems to be a very low price - £2k, though I don't yet know what that involves.

I'm meeting her on Tuesday to find out the details - does it include fixtures and fittings, stock, does she have a P&L for the last few years etc.

Has anyone experience of running this type of business? what are the pitfalls? what do you wish you'd known before starting up? thanks in advance for any feedback or help.

What's a dress agency?

people bring in new/nearly new/good quality clothes and the dress agency sells them for them. generally 50/50 to the shop and the owner

I'd be very interested in the accounts. I know of 3 dress agencies (all in different towns across the UK) that have failed in the last couple of years.

What makes it appealing to me is that she doesn't advertise, so I'd imagine there's potential growth based on that.

Anybody else got any experience/ advice on this? Tia.

Have a careful look at the accounts - I know of 3 dress agencies that closed down near me recently.

Anyone else have any experience in this area? I will be looking at the accounts, we called it p&l in my old job.

Do some research - questionnaires and focus groups. Would people use them, how much would they expect to pay etc etc. Could you boost income by selling new items too eg accessories, bags, shoes, jewellery.

I worked in a dress agency growing up. The business is still running!

Although I was an unobservant 17 -18 year old at the time, the main thing that struck me was the need for organisation around when items were taken in, reduced and due to expire. My fellow Saturday assistants and I (3 of us, all older teens) were almost wholly employed in tagging garments that were due to be reduced or expire - so maybe you need to invest in a bar code or scanning system that would do that for you or at least make it easier than the system of index cards and codes that we employed!

Demographics are important. The local area had a lot of well-to-do SAHM between 30 and 60 - probably more WOHM now, but not fundamentally different. Also, not much local competition for clothes shopping apart from a not-very-trendy boutique, so the dress agency was the main place for local people to go in and browse.

The other key point was that the shop had quite personable, well-mannered, mature staff similar to the local SAHM demographic - so I imagine that local customers enjoyed going in there, despite encountering the haphazard and chattery Saturday staff!

They sold women's, men's and some children's wear. I would combine it with eBay nowadays.

I know of a (seemingly) successful one in my area but it is also a prom/eveningwear hire business might be something to consider?

Thanks all. I'm meeting her this morning. Very exciting.