60 Supermarket Related Business Ideas You Can Start Today [2024]

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Updated: July 15th, 2024

Interested in starting a supermarket business in 2024?

We put together 60 of the best supermarket businesses you can start in today.

For each business idea, we’ll show you real-world examples of other supermarket businesses to help you see what it really takes.

Here's the full list:

1. Start a fresh seafood supermarket business

2. Start a beauty supplies supermarket business

3. Start a virtual reality supermarket business

4. Start a mobile supermarket business

5. Start a kids store

The kid's store business is a large market attracting millions of annual global sales and steady growth. If you plan to start a kids store business, you can specialize in clothing, toys, and accessories or sell all of these in one store.

Research the local market to discover what is appealing, and find the best suppliers. Define a business model and apply for applicable licensing. For kids apparel stores, a physical storefront acts as an anchor and helps build a local customer base. An online store will help you reach a wider market as you supply to those outside your locality.

How much you can make: $1,250 — $1,000,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $5,000 (?)

How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)

How I Started A 1.6K/Month LEGO Reselling Business At The Age Of 14

A high school student turned his love for LEGO into a $1.6k/month business, Summerfield's Toys, by reselling sets online through eBay, BrickLink, and Facebook Marketplace, in addition to buying and reselling brand new sets.

Read this case study

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6. Start an online supermarket business

How much does it cost to start: $750 (?)

How long does it take to build: 720 days (?)

7. Start a specialty food shop business

8. Start an easy shopping/checkout apps development business

Imagine a world where checkout lines are a thing of the past. An easy shopping/checkout apps development business could be your ticket into streamlining the retail experience. By designing and developing intuitive apps that simplify shopping and checkout processes, you can make transactions faster and more efficient for both customers and retailers.

The concept is straightforward: create user-friendly software that allows customers to scan, shop, and complete purchases through their mobile devices. There's a tangible demand for such technology in today's fast-paced retail environment, making this a promising venture for those with tech acumen.

Starting this business requires a solid grasp of mobile app development and user experience design. It also entails collaborating with retailers, securing user data, and ensuring seamless payment integrations. If you have a knack for technology and problem-solving, this business idea could be both rewarding and impactful.

How much you can make: $250,000/month

How long does it take to build: 100 days (?)

I Earn $3M/Year Developing Clone Apps For Startups

Appscrip is a globally-acclaimed service-based app and web development company that has delivered over 350+ apps/year globally with an in-house team of 150+ developers, at an average of 45 days/app that otherwise would take almost 6-9 months to develop, generating an average monthly revenue of $2,50,000 and garnering recognition from Deloitte, Clutch, Good firms, while also encouraging women entrepreneurs.

Read this case study

Read by 5,162 founders

9. Start a pet food and supplies supermarket business

10. Start a fruit mart business

11. Start a supermarket dropshipping business

12. Start a delivery business

Starting a delivery business can be a great opportunity for entrepreneurs looking to enter the transportation industry. The business involves transporting goods and packages from one location to another, either locally or internationally.

To start a delivery business, you must invest in a reliable vehicle, such as a van or truck, and secure insurance coverage. You will also need to research and understand the regulations and requirements for transporting goods in your area.

To be successful in this business, it’s important to offer competitive pricing and exceptional customer service. You can differentiate your business by offering specialized services, such as same-day or white glove delivery for fragile items.

Another key to success in this industry is effective time management and organization. You will need to have a system in place for tracking and managing orders and deliveries and keeping your vehicle well-maintained to avoid any delays or issues on the road.

Overall, starting a delivery business can be a rewarding and lucrative opportunity for those who are organized, customer-focused, and have a reliable vehicle. You can build a successful business in the transportation industry with a little hard work and dedication.

How much you can make: $200,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $5,000 (?)

How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)

I Started My Online Food Business At 17: It Now Earns $720K/Year

HalalWorldDepot is a Halal online marketplace that started three years ago as a meat and grocery delivery service and has now expanded to offer a wide variety of Halal products, with a customer return rate of 50-60%, profitability at 16-25%, and over 10,000 customers, with plans to expand to Canada and the United Kingdom within three to five years.

Read this case study

Read by 5,769 founders

13. Start a green super store business

14. Start a wine and cheese supermarket business

15. Start a meat supermarket business

16. Start a bakery supermarket business

17. Start a cafe-plus supermarket business

18. Start a souvenir supermarket business

19. Start a small batch supermarket business

20. Start a diet supermarket business

21. Start a gourmet supermarket business

22. Start a dollar store business

23. Start a self-check-out supermarket business

24. Start a supermarket promoter business

25. Start a millennial-centric supermarket business

26. Start a candy supermarket business

27. Start a grocery store

A grocery store sells a wide variety of food products, fresh or packaged, and other household & personal care items. The grocery store industry is the largest retail channel that makes $682 billion in the United States.

To start a basic grocery store, you can expect to spend a minimum of $50,000. Ideally, the bigger expense would be the rent, equipment, labor cost, cash registers/POS systems, and software. Some of these are recurring monthly fees. However, the location, size of the store, competitors, and local customers will significantly impact the business. A new grocer should sell more items for a lower price to make a more significant profit.

A new grocer can also save costs by buying the items from local distributors. The distributor is the middleman between the manufacturer and the grocery store selling it. Once the store cost and location are decided, the next step is to obtain a seller license. In most states, a grocer's license is required to run a grocery store.

Thus an average grocery store has a profit margin of 3% to 5%. The profit rates depend on the store's location, size, and popularity. On average, a small to medium grocery store can make a profit of up to $300,000 annually if all the profit factors are considered.

Another way to make your business more profitable is to diversify your store and add amenities like a coffee shop or stocking up the front of the store with magazines, batteries, etc., as these items can cross a margin of up to 70%. As a rule of thumb, offering lower prices on higher purchases will ultimately win more customers and increase profitability.

28. Start a herb and spice superstore business

29. Start a waste free supermarket business

30. Start an exotic food supermarket business

31. Start a surplus food supermarket business

32. Start an automated supermarket business

33. Start a supermarket consulting business

34. Start a kosher food supermarket business

35. Start a meat free supermarket business

36. Start a bulk-food supermarket business

37. Start a supermarket clothing pop-up business

38. Start a dairy store business

39. Start a web-based farmers’ market business

40. Start a sip-and-shop supermarket

41. Start a self-sustaining supermarket/grocery store business

42. Start a misshapen produce discount supermarket business

43. Start a hypermarket business

44. Start a drive-thru supermarket business

45. Start a c-store business

46. Start an apparel supermarket business

47. Start a supermarket entertainment center business

48. Start a private-label supermarket business

49. Start a pasta-focused supermarket business

50. Start a cosmetic store

The cosmetic industry is growing rapidly. Starting a cosmetic shop can be highly profitable, but only if you stock trendy, skin-friendly products.

If you are passionate about the beauty industry, consider starting a cosmetics brick-and-mortar shop.

Cosmetic shops sell products ranging from anti-aging, aromatherapy, lotions, beauty spa, cosmetic store, and even make-up.

To start a cosmetic store, research the market and source products from well-known brands in the beauty industry.

How much you can make: $8,500/month

How much does it cost to start: $800 (?)

How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)

How I Started A $8.5K/Month Cosmetics Brand

A former felon's passion for makeup and skincare led her to launch FBI Cosmetics, which has grossed over $62,000 in sales since July 2020, through social media marketing, brand partnerships, and online sales at Walmart.com.

Read this case study

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51. Start an art & crafts supplies supermarket business

52. Start an electrical items supermarket business

53. Start a fabric supermarket business

54. Start an auto accessories business

55. Start a gardening supplies supermarket business

56. Start a leather product supermarket business

57. Start a processed food supermarket business

58. Start a tailoring supplies supermarket business

59. Start an upholstery supermarket business

60. Start a discount grocery retail supermarket business

meet the author

Pat Walls

I'm Pat Walls and I created Starter Story - a website dedicated to helping people start businesses. We interview entrepreneurs from around the world about how they started and grew their businesses.

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