Christmas Store Business Plan and SWOT Analysis

Christmas Store Business Plan, Marketing Plan, How To Guide, and Funding Directory

The Christmas Store Business Plan and Business Development toolkit features 18 different documents that you can use for capital raising or general business planning purposes. Our product line also features comprehensive information regarding to how to start a Christmas Store business. All business planning packages come with easy-to-use instructions so that you can reduce the time needed to create a professional business plan and presentation.

Your Business Planning Package will be available for download after your purchase.

Product Specifications (please see images below):

  • Bank/Investor Ready!
  • Complete Industry Research
  • 3 Year Excel Financial Model
  • Business Plan (26 to 30 pages)
  • Loan Amortization and ROI Tools
  • Three SWOT Analysis Templates
  • Easy to Use Instructions
  • All Documents Delivered in Word, Excel, and PDF Format
  • Meets SBA Requirements

Christmas stores are popular businesses that often remain in operation on a year-round basis. Typically, most Christmas stores generate the bulk of their revenues and profits during the months of October, November, and December. However, during the course of the normal year many of these stores will offer a number of small general merchandise products in order to ensure that they can remain in operation even though it is not there busy season. One of the nice things about owning and operating a Christmas store that despite the fact that this is a highly seasonal business, most of these companies are able to generate profits in any economic climate. This is primarily due to the fact that the vast majority of Americans celebrate Christmas or the holiday seasons. As such, these customers are always going to purchase either small or large items for the holiday seasons.

The startup costs associated with a new Christmas store are relatively low at most of these businesses can be started for about $100,000. The biggest expense for launching this type of company is the acquisition of salable inventory which needs to typically be purchased on a wholesale basis. The vast majority of Christmas supply distributors do not typically extend long-term credit on inventories. The gross margins generated from sales typically range anywhere from 60% to 80% depending on the item being sold. Some of these businesses are able to generate substantial additional income by offering Christmas trees that have been sourced from local farms.

The vast majority of Christmas stores are typically started with funds provided by the owner given the fact that most financial institutions are a little bit wary about providing capital to a company that operates substantially on a seasonal basis. However, if the Christmas store is going operating year-round operation than the acquisition of a working capital line of credit or small business loan is very feasible. Of course, a Christmas store business plan is going to be required. This business plan should feature a three year profit and loss statement, cash flow analysis, balance sheet, breakeven analysis, and business ratios page. For the industry research portion of the business plan, Christmas stores generate about $27 billion of revenue per year and provide jobs about 2 million people. At any given time there typically around 250,000 individual Christmas and holiday stores that are in operation.

As with all business planning operations, a full demographic analysis should be included within the documentation. This includes taking a look at annual household income, median family income, population size, population density, percentage of people that celebrate Christmas, percentage of people that celebrate the holiday in a nonreligious manner, and the competition that the business will face moving forward. In any given market there are usually just a handful of Christmas stores that operate in year-round operation. However, it is still important to examine any potential competitor including general merchandise stores that stock Christmas inventories during the holiday seasons.

A Christmas store SWOT analysis should be produced as well. As it relates to strengths, despite the fact that these businesses operate principally on a seasonal basis – they are generally able to produce substantial revenues and substantial profits during the busy holiday seasons. Mott barriers to entry are considered to be moderately low in the gross margins are considered to be moderate as well and enough to support a profitable enterprise.

For weaknesses, the seasonal nature of these businesses does make them somewhat riskier than a traditional retail store. However, by using a number of different marketing strategies – including more online marketing strategies – these businesses can reduce these risks.

For opportunities, many Christmas stores will expand their operations by integrating e-commerce functionality into their website while concurrently establishing additional retail locations. This is typically the only way that most Christmas stores are able to expand on an ongoing basis.

As it pertains to threats, outside of a major economic recession there is very little that these businesses need to work worry about on an ongoing basis. Although many online retailers have taken up a nice size of the market share for Christmas goods, people still want to go to stores to purchase things such as real Christmas trees. This is not something that can typically don’t be done by an online sale. This is important to note as many people want to directly choose their Christmas tree and Christmas products.

A Christmas store marketing plan also needs to be developed and with a substantial focus on ramping up operations during the busy holiday seasons. Foremost, high visibility signage should be showcased throughout the area in which the store will operate in order to ensure the people can find a store very quickly. It is also very important that the Christmas store maintain an expansive online presence – through a proprietary website and through social media – in order to ensure that visibility is maintained at all times. This online website can also feature e-commerce functionality coupled with links to third-party platform such as Amazon and eBay in order to further sales. Many Christmas stores will also distribute literature at houses of worship in order to ensure that people during Christmas can very quickly find the location. It should be noted that many Christmas stores to maintain an expansive e-commerce presence in order to ensure that sales are going to be made on a year-round basis. These online platforms substantially reduce the risks associated with maintaining a traditional retail store.

Christmas stores can be highly lucrative small businesses for owners understand how to properly manage a seasonal business. The high gross margins always ensure that these businesses can turn a profit in most economic climates. This is an industry that is going to be immune from automation the economy and they do have some staying power against companies operate strictly in an online capacity.