Convenience store business plan template for the Philippines

Summary

[Store name] will be a [size] square metre convenience store at [address], [city], open [hours, for example 6am to midnight]. It will sell packaged snacks, drinks, groceries, toiletries, ready-to-eat items [if your permits allow], mobile load and bills payment. Owner: [name]. Staff: [number] per shift, [number] shifts.

Capital: ₱____ (fit-out and lighting ₱____, shelving and chillers ₱____, point-of-sale system and receipt printer ₱____, CCTV ₱____, first inventory ₱____, lease deposit ₱____, permits ₱____, reserve ₱____). Funding: owner ₱____, loan ₱____.

Location and store layout

Write why this spot: foot traffic, nearby offices, dormitories, terminals or a residential block, and how far the nearest school is. That distance decides whether you can sell tobacco and vapes at all.

RA 9211 prohibits the sale of tobacco products within 100 metres of any point of the perimeter of a school or public playground. RA 11900 sets the same 100-metre rule for vape products around schools, playgrounds and similar places. Measure and write the distance in your plan.^[5,6]

Layout. Chillers along the back wall, fast movers at eye level, impulse items at the counter, aisles wide enough for [number] people to pass. CCTV covering the counter and entrance.

Customers and nearby stores

Use these prompts and record your answers with dates:

Example fill-in. "Between 6am and 9am, [number] people passed the store front on [dates]; between 9pm and midnight, [number]. Nearby: [chain store] at [distance], open 24 hours; [number] sari-sari stores within [distance], most closing by [time]. Residents of [dormitory/condo] told us they want [item] late at night. We will compete on [hours / location / bills payment / hot food]."

• Who walks past at 7am, noon, 7pm and 11pm?
• Which chain convenience stores and sari-sari stores are within 300 metres?
• What hours do they keep?
• What do people say they cannot buy late at night nearby?
• Which services draw people in: bills payment, mobile load, e-wallet cash-in?

Pricing, restricted products and daily operations

Price tags. DTI requires tags, labels or markings showing prices on consumer products sold at retail, and cites fines of ₱200 to ₱5,000 or one to six months in prison. Under the Price Act, selling a basic necessity or prime commodity without a price tag is prima facie evidence of profiteering.^[3]

Shelf pricing. DTI Administrative Order 09 (2002) lets you price on the shelf instead of tagging each item only if you issue itemised receipts and install at least one price verification counter or similar electronic system, with shelf prices at least 8 mm high. A POS system with a scanner at the counter is the usual way to meet this.^[4]

Cigarettes. If you sell tobacco: no sales to minors, verify age when in doubt, and post a clear notice that selling tobacco to minors is unlawful (RA 9211). Vapes and heated tobacco. Sell only to people 18 and over after checking a valid government photo ID, and only products registered with DTI by the manufacturer or importer (RA 11900).^[5,6]

Household insecticides. If you will sell household pesticides, ask the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority about a licence. FPA licenses dealers and retailers of fertilizer and pesticides and sets the fee.^[7]

Shifts. Opening, mid and closing shifts; cash count at each handover; deliveries received at [time]; expiry checks every [day].

Permits and registration costs

The basic registrations are in the registration guide. DTI's business name fee is ₱200 to ₱2,000 depending on scope, plus ₱30 documentary stamp tax. BIR stopped collecting the ₱500 Annual Registration Fee from 22 January 2024.^[1,2]

If you serve hot food or coffee, ask your city health office whether you need a sanitary permit and health certificates for staff; that depends on your menu and the local ordinance.

Financial plan

Published fees filled in: DTI ₱500 plus ₱30 and BIR ₱0. FPA sets its own licence fee if you sell household pesticides.^[1,2,7]

Sales. Transactions per day [number] × average basket ₱____ × 30 days = ₱____ per month. Count transactions at a comparable store if you can. Gross margin by category: drinks ____%, snacks ____%, groceries ____%, services (commission) ____%.

Break-even. Fixed monthly costs ₱____ ÷ blended gross margin ____% = ₱____ monthly sales needed.

• Fit-out, lighting, air-conditioning ₱____
• Shelving and chillers ₱____
• POS, scanner, receipt printer ₱____
• CCTV ₱____
• First inventory ₱____
• DTI ₱500 + ₱30; BIR ₱0; FPA licence ₱____ (if selling household pesticides; fee set by FPA)
• Barangay clearance, mayor's permit ₱____ (assessed locally)
• Monthly: rent ₱____, electricity ₱____ (chillers and lights all night), staff ₱____ (three shifts), restocking ₱____, security ₱____

Risks

Write your response to each one.

• Night-time robbery. CCTV, cash drops to a safe, two staff on the night shift.
• Shoplifting and expiry losses. Weekly counts, first-in first-out shelving.
• A chain store opens next door. Keep services and products the chain does not carry.
• Selling tobacco or vapes near a school. Measure the 100-metre distance before stocking them.

Convenience store permits and fees

Questions people ask

Can I use shelf prices instead of tagging every item?

Only if you issue itemised receipts and install at least one price verification counter, with shelf prices at least 8 mm high, under DTI AO 09 (2002).

Can a convenience store sell cigarettes near a school?

No. RA 9211 prohibits tobacco sales within 100 metres of any point of a school or public playground perimeter.

What do I need to sell vapes?

Sell only to people 18 and over after checking a valid government photo ID, only DTI-registered products, and not within 100 metres of a school or playground.

Is this plan for a franchise like a 24-hour chain?

No. It is for an independent store. For franchises, see the franchise section.