How much investment is needed to open a comprehensive lightning warehouse?

In the current era of the booming instant retail industry, flash warehouses have become a new choice for many entrepreneurs due to their efficient fulfillment model of "delivery within half an hour to one hour". But how much investment is needed to open a comprehensive flash warehouse? What is the specific cost structure? Recently, Liu Laoshi investigated some leading brands of comprehensive flash warehouses. Based on their actual situations, he sorted out the general cost structure for opening a comprehensive flash warehouse, providing a clear reference for entrepreneurs planning to join the franchise.

First, there are the core franchise fee and deposit, which are the initial fixed expenses.

The first fixed cost for opening a flash warehouse is concentrated on brand authorization and cooperation guarantee fees. The amounts vary under different models, but the overall range is relatively clear.

The franchise fee is mostly paid in a lump - sum, with the common amount ranging from 39,800 to 69,800 yuan. Some brands charge for "lifetime authorization" without subsequent annual fees; others charge the "brand usage fee" annually, usually ranging from 12,000 to 15,000 yuan, which needs to be paid continuously on an annual basis.

The deposit is a risk - guarantee fee for cooperation, generally ranging from 10,000 to 30,000 yuan. Most brands clearly state that "it can be refunded when the cooperation ends and there are no fulfillment issues", while a few do not mention the refund conditions. Entrepreneurs need to confirm in advance. In addition, some brands require the payment of a "warehouse opening service fee" or "on - site visit fee", with a single - time fee of 10,000 to 40,000 yuan, mainly used for initial support such as store opening preparation and on - site supervision.

Second, the procurement of the first batch of goods is also the largest investment of working capital for opening a flash warehouse.

Goods procurement is the core part of the investment in a flash warehouse, accounting for the highest proportion of the total investment. The amount is greatly affected by the scale of the inventory and the city level.

The procurement cost of the basic inventory (suitable for small - and medium - sized flash warehouses) is usually between 200,000 and 450,000 yuan. If you choose the "basic version" inventory (with fewer categories), 200,000 to 300,000 yuan can meet the demand; if you pursue the "competitive version" (with a complete range of categories, suitable for high - order volume requirements), it will cost 400,000 to 450,000 yuan, and for some brands, it can even reach 550,000 to 700,000 yuan (including goods purchased through multiple channels).

The procurement model also affects the capital occupation: Brands that support "unboxing and shipping + high - frequency replenishment" can reduce the first - batch payment to 70,000 to 100,000 yuan, with subsequent replenishment 2 - 3 times a week, greatly reducing the pre - investment capital pressure; if you need to stock up all at once (such as some inventories in the sinking market), you need to prepare the full amount of the inventory.

Third, the investment in the venue and other hardware, mainly the cost of leasing a storage store, is relatively controllable.

Flash warehouses do not require the facade decoration of traditional offline stores. The core costs are the warehouse rent and basic hardware, and the overall expenditure is relatively flexible.

In terms of rent, the initial rent expenditure is usually between 40,000 and 100,000 yuan. Most brands recommend choosing a 300 - 350 - square - meter warehouse. Calculated on the basis of "one - month deposit and one - month rent" or "three - month deposit and one - month rent", the specific amount is affected by the city level: the rent in county - level cities in the sinking market is relatively low, while that in the core business districts of first - tier cities is relatively high. Some brands clearly state that "rent is the core factor affecting profits and needs to be controlled first".

The hardware costs mainly include shelves, surveillance systems, and basic renovations, amounting to about 50,000 to 100,000 yuan. Pure online flash warehouses do not require cash - register equipment, only shelves and surveillance systems; if it is an "online - offline combined" model, additional cash - register, refrigeration and other equipment are needed, and the cost will increase accordingly.

Fourth, the labor and operation costs are relatively stable in the early stage and will be adjusted according to the order volume later.

The labor cost and operation support fee need to be planned separately according to the store preparation stage and the operation stage.

In terms of labor cost, the personnel expenditure during the opening preparation period and the first - month ramping - up period of a flash warehouse store with an investment of about 800,000 yuan is about 70,000 yuan. The initial standard configuration is 6 - 7 people (1 store manager + 5 - 6 employees) to meet the 24 - hour three - shift requirement. After the order volume increases later, additional employees will be added according to the standard of "1 employee for every 100 orders per day", and the labor cost will be adjusted dynamically according to the operation situation.

Among the operation - related expenses, pre - investment in traffic is a necessary expenditure: Some platforms require an investment of 200 yuan per day for 6 weeks before opening, totaling about 8,400 yuan; if you choose "headquarters - managed operation", you need to pay an operation fee of "3% of the received amount". There is no additional fee for self - operation, but you need to bear the cost of the in - house team or outsourcing.

Fifth, there are other miscellaneous expenses and risk reserves.

In addition to the above core costs, some funds also need to be reserved to cover miscellaneous expenses and potential risks.

The miscellaneous expenses include the platform - specific deposit (some brands require 50,000 yuan, which can be refunded when the cooperation ends), daily basic activity fees (such as the cost of participating in platform promotions), etc., amounting to about 50,000 to 80,000 yuan.

It is recommended to reserve 50,000 to 100,000 yuan as a risk reserve to deal with situations such as the disposal of slow - moving goods and temporary replenishment. Although some brands provide support such as "transfer of slow - moving goods" or "80% repurchase", funds still need to be reserved to buffer market fluctuations.

Finally, Liu Laoshi summarizes the total investment range and pay - back period of a general comprehensive flash warehouse.

Looking at the costs of all aspects, the total investment range for opening a flash warehouse is relatively clear:

Basic version (sinking market, small - and medium - sized): About 450,000 yuan, suitable for county - level cities or pure online models with streamlined categories;

Standard version (second - tier cities, full - category): 600,000 to 800,000 yuan, covering a complete inventory, standard storage, and human - resource configuration;

Premium version (first - tier cities, online - offline combined): About 900,000 yuan, suitable for high - traffic areas, including a premium inventory and an offline experience area.

In terms of the pay - back period, the industry average is 10 - 18 months: Stores with good business can recoup their investment in 7 - 8 months, those in the sinking market take about one year and a half, and a few premium models with high investment or high - order - volume stores need about two years.

Currently, although the best profit - making period for joining a flash - warehouse franchise has passed, the pay - back period will become longer, the investment amount will further increase, and the investment risk will gradually rise. However, overall, the pay - back period of flash warehouses is still shorter than that of the traditional catering industry, and most stores can achieve profitability (it's just a matter of how much). Flash warehouses still have strong investment feasibility.

Of course, in the end, Liu Laoshi still says: Joining a franchise involves risks, and investment should be made with caution.

This article is from the WeChat official account "Instant Liu's Talk", written by Liu Laoshi in the instant retail industry, and is published by 36Kr with authorization.