Retail business plan template
A retail plan is an inventory and rent argument. This outline covers the numbers a landlord and a lender both ask for: margin per line, how fast stock turns, what the fit-out costs and how many staff hours the floor needs.
The drivers this model runs on
Fill these in before you write prose. Every statement in the plan is derived from them.
- Average transaction value and transactions per trading day
- Gross margin by department and markdown allowance
- Stock turns and the working capital locked in inventory
- Rent, outgoings and the percentage of sales they consume
- Rostered floor hours against trading hours
Retail store plan outline
1. Executive summary
The store concept, the site, the customer and the capital required, on one page.
- Concept and product range
- Trading location and catchment
- Total start-up capital and funding mix
2. Site, lease and fit-out
Retail economics are set at lease signing. Document the terms and the capital works.
- Rent, term, review mechanism and outgoings
- Fit-out cost and its depreciation schedule
- Foot traffic and neighbouring anchor tenants
3. Product range and margin
Break the range into departments with a target gross margin for each.
- Departments and price architecture
- Supplier terms and creditor days
- Markdown and shrinkage allowance
4. Inventory and working capital
Show how much cash sits in stock at any moment and how quickly it recycles.
- Opening stock investment
- Target stock turns per year
- Reorder cycle and lead times
5. Marketing and customer retention
Local retail runs on repeat visits, not reach.
- Launch campaign and budget
- Loyalty or membership mechanic
- Seasonal trading calendar
6. Financial projections
Monthly trading forecasts that respect seasonality, plus the balance sheet effect of stock and fit-out.
- Seasonal revenue profile
- Wage ratio as a percentage of sales
- Break-even sales per week
7. Funding and risk
State the funding stack and the two or three risks that would close the store.
- Founder cash, bank loan and investor capital
- Loan repayment against monthly cash
- Downside scenario at reduced sales
Worked example figures
These are the assumptions inside the “Harbour Lane Retail” demo plan shipped with Auziplan (Australia · AUD). They are illustrative starting points for a business of this shape, not market averages — replace them with your own figures.
- Headcount
- 6
- Average salary
- $62,000
- Monthly revenue
- $95,000
- Annualised revenue
- $1,140,000
- Monthly operating expenses
- $38,000
- Target net profit (year 1)
- $205,000
- Net margin
- 4.3%
- Founder cash
- $525,000
- Bank loan
- $420,000
- Investor capital
- $315,000
- Investor equity
- 15%
Questions
How much detail do lenders want in a retail plan?
Enough to test the lease: monthly sales, gross margin, wage ratio, rent as a percentage of sales, and a repayment schedule against forecast cash.
Should a retail plan model stock separately?
Yes. Inventory is usually the largest current asset and the main reason a profitable store runs out of cash, so it belongs on the balance sheet and in the cash movement statement.
Turn the outline into a real financial model
Auziplan takes your drivers and produces a five-year profit & loss, balance sheet and cash movement statement with the tax rules for Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada applied automatically — plus KPIs, an exit valuation and a printable investor dossier.
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