EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Footwear Retail Outlet is proposed to be set up in urban areas. The outlet would cater to the demand for ladies and children footwear, belonging to middle and upper middle income groups.  The demand for footwear is constantly rising and there are a number of local manufacturers producing good quality footwear. The consumers are becoming increasingly quality conscious and seek products offering value for money. This trend has led to strong growth in retail footwear outlets all across Pakistan.  The focus of the business would be to provide casual, semi-formal and formal, quality footwear at affordable prices. Shoes are assumed to be purchased from different subcontracted manufacturers and sold at the retail outlet. The total project cost for setting up a footwear retail outlet is estimated at Rs. 2.18 million.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT & PRODUCT
This document provides information for setting up a Footwear Retail Outlet for ladies and children. It involves purchase of ladies and children shoes from any local manufacturer and selling it through a retail outlet established in a rented premise under a brand name, in any of the urban cities of Pakistan. The retail outlet will have a covered area of 900 sq. ft. Shoes of the required quality and quantity will be sourced from wholesale markets and small shoe manufacturers. The product mix would include ladies and children shoes in all sizes. This product mix is divided into further categories; casual, semi-formal and formal footwear which includes pumps, heels, coat shoes, sandals, slippers, etc. made of leather and other materials. The three categories among ladies and children shoes are further classified by proposed selling prices, ranging between Rs. 750 – Rs. 1,125 for ladies shoes and Rs. 375 – Rs. 675 for children shoes. 
CRITICAL FACTORS
Following factors are critical for the success of footwear retail business:
 Develop strong linkages with suppliers for sourcing good quality products at competitive prices.
 Efficient management of stock to keep inventory cost at the minimum.  
 Selection of a central location keeping in mind the target market.
 Knowledge about the latest market trends.
 Induction of trained sales personnel for efficient customer handling.
 Strong competition with similar shops in the same commercial area. 
INSTALLED & OPERATIONAL CAPACITIES
Since the proposed venture is a trading business, there are no installed capacities per se. The turnover will depend on seasonal sales and ability of the venture to attract customers through quality and price incentives. Experienced and efficient sales staff also plays a critical role in determining the sales revenue of the business. The business is expected to have a capacity to sell 15,000 shoes in one year. The proposed project assumes to have a stock of 12,000 pairs at 80% capacity, out of which 500 pairs would be kept in inventory while remaining 11,500 pairs will be sold during first year of operation. The outlet will operate for 12 hours daily.
GEOGRAPHICAL POTENTIAL FOR INVESTMENT
There is significant domestic demand for footwear in all the urban and semi- urban areas, year round. Thus, the outlet can be opened in any urban Location in the country, where customers have an easy access to the outlet, like shopping malls, busy markets or similar high traffic. 
POTENTIAL TARGET MARKETS / CITIES
Most of the shoe manufacturing units and a number of shoe stores are present in cities like Lahore, Karachi, Faisalabad, Quetta, Hyderabad, Peshawar, Sahiwal, Gujranwala and Rawalpindi. Hence, these cities and other comparable cities in the country are considered as a suitable option for setting up a footwear retail outlet.