Re: New life in Spain
 

yeah I have heard that too, think thats why Pedreguer was nearly closed down last year...also heard that to get a proper market stall its not what you know its who......... and how much you are willing to put in someones back pocket ;)

Re: New life in Spain
 

The market at Tivoli World on fridays is on a roto system it is so busy, with an overspill at Paloma Park.

Re: New life in Spain
 

They are still selling new stuff on stalls in Pedregeur now

Re: New life in Spain
 

but they didnt for a while, suppose at the time of the crack down everyone scarpered !!

Re: New life in Spain
 

Can we presume you already have experience of running a shop - not just "saturday job" style work. I mean ordering the supplies, knowing all the ways the wholesalers will try to rip you off (in any country). How to advertise and lknow which bills to pay first.
You'll also have to become au fait (wassat in spanish?) with the country's financial rules, employment law and company law.
How will you go about securing suppliers in Spain? Do you already have contacts in the trade?

Sorry if this comes across as negative - it's not meant to be. It's just that I have already seen an acquaintance who tried to turn her dream / hobby into a business and it failed terribly and expensively - simply because she assumed that doing it for business purposes would be just like doing it for fun, but more so.

Re: New life in Spain
 

My advice would be to try and sell something that you can`t find in the larger pet stores. One thing I noticed when I was there is the lack of quality pet food. If you study the pet food market a bit you will realize that there are various levels of pet food, ranging from those made with very cheap ingredients, i.e. old, diseased animals and left overs from the slaughterhouse to those made with human grade ingredients, and not full of cheap fillers like corn and rice. The top end of these which are considered `super premium pet food` are not available in Spain. These are holistic products made with human grade, chicken, fish, lamb etc. Many of them are also grain free. A lot of dogs are allergic to grain. Even stores like Corte Ingles stock only the cheap brands like Science Diet, Purina etc. Yes, they advertise a lot, but they are cheap brands. See if you can find and import super premium type foods and market them as such. They are more expensive by the bag, but you feeds less of them and you make less visits to the vet.

You can supplement this with unique items like leather leashes, harnesses and pet beds. But, don`t just import run of the mill stuff that you can get anywhere and hope to make a success of it.

Re: New life in Spain
 

Markets are big business in Spain.That comes with a price, usually who you no not what you no.

Business in Spain works differently than the UK, its hard to explain, but in Spain money and influence is top dog.

I once read that own a successful business in Spain, you need to have been a successful owner in the UK.

I don`t want to dampen your idea, but car boot sales arn`t popular in many parts of Spain.

I`ve never heard of anybody being able to earn enough from a car boot sale to live on or finance a business, never mind in Spain.

But i`m sure I could be wrong, you have to start somewhere.

That somewhere though may be more successful in the UK though.I`d run a business here, grow it and then move it or use it to finance a move abroad.

The pet industry as with all industries in Spain tend to be covered by Spanish businesses.

Its not that hard even for a non Spanish speaking person to enter a spanish pet shop, pick an item from the shelve and pay for it.

What you need is something different.

Why would anybody buy from you.

What is your market.

What makes you unique.

Having said that, i`ve never seen a teddy bear factory in Spain and they sell loads to young kids in the UK.

What Spain needs is a business unique to an area, that would be popular and nobody has risked entering into.

:thumbsup:

Re: New life in Spain
 

selling pet products at the moment is going to be hard .even the british expats are cutting back on pet products, and lots of pets are been put out on the streets as they cannot afford to look after then . this is in the almeria area.

Re: New life in Spain
 

if you come to spain with the idea of making money from car boot sales then dont,you will be back in uk in 6 months a lot poorer

Re: New life in Spain
 

With respect, your plans are too vague. Listen to the Cassandras. Maybe it's better not to think in terms of making the move in one fell swoop....but come over for a few weeks to do some much needed research. Yes, yes, the sun does shine here and peeps cook with olive oil, but that will not offset a life of stress and poverty.

Re: New life in Spain
 

The same thing happened at the car boot at Almunecar. They didn't just fine people - they closed the entire market and it has not reopened.

Getting a place at any of the other markets is almost impossible.

Re: New life in Spain
 

Two in Albir, and both sell animals, cats and dogs, they are displayed in cages in the windows. Most seem also to advertise that they can get you any breed.

Re: New life in Spain
 

Every Carrefour has a pet shop and every vet sells pet toys. Then there are the other pets shops around too.
You should not contact the Spanish Embassy if you want to know about setting up a business here in Spain. You need to talk to a good gestoria. You are right in thinking you need to have 265€ per month. Then you have to allow set up fees and you need some initial money in the bank as a deposit. The latter 2 depend on your company and you will need local advice for that.

I think you also want to purchase your supplies from somewhere in the U.K. if so then how do you get back your IVA (VAT)?
Good luck

Re: New life in Spain
 

That's (hopefully) one of the easier things. The VAT Return form contains a line for VAT reclaimed for goods purchased in other EU countries. ---- Once you are VAT registered, of course!

Re: New life in Spain
 

I think the OP is going to find out that in the UK the tax rules etc can be complicated, even when the helpful guideance notes are supplied.

Add that to a country you don`t speak more than a basic level.

That equals, you`ll either be makin mistakes or ripped off.

Getting a Gestor is easy, using them are helpful, but if your not conversing with the locals, how you gonna no if he is any good.