# Open a little shop



## busy woman (Dec 19, 2011)

Does anyone know if it is allowed as a foreigner to open a little shop?


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## Whitedesert (Oct 9, 2011)

You can, but there is a lot of red tape. The best way to overcome this is to have a local partner.


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## hhaddad (Apr 14, 2010)

Whitedesert said:


> You can, but there is a lot of red tape. The best way to overcome this is to have a local partner.


The best way is to forget it .If you get through the red tape and open the shop you'll get the thugs of the tax office coming round and demanding money even though you've -paid your taxes.Also you'll get the local thugs coming demanding protection money.


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## PaulAshton (Nov 18, 2011)

busy woman said:


> Does anyone know if it is allowed as a foreigner to open a little shop?


You can but again as stated plenty of red tape.

Best if you open inside a 4 - 5* hotel but expect hours to meet the needs of tourists, also expect a low return on investment and low profit margins or to lose your investment

I have done a brief feasibility study into this one you can get those vile t-shirts in Cairo with camels etc on them or snow globes with pyramids for about 5LE and sell on at 60LE but hardly worth shifting that crap

Silver can sell but subject to various red tape to ensure it is quality

Back to the drawing board me thinks shops are closing not opening unless you are a masochist who will make a rod to break your own back, likes frustration and pulling out your hair


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

Shops are open 7 days a week and for no less than 12 hours a day..
You would need to be able to speak Arabic to order stock..
Not sure how it works in shops but for some businesses for every foreigner employed you have to employ 9 Egyptians.


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## PoleDancer (Apr 14, 2010)

MaidenScotland said:


> Shops are open 7 days a week and for no less than 12 hours a day...


Never the ones you need though.


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

PoleDancer said:


> Never the ones you need though.




Lol Where do you shop? The only time I have found my local shops closed is on a Friday before prayers.


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## hhaddad (Apr 14, 2010)

PaulAshton said:


> You can but again as stated plenty of red tape.
> 
> Best if you open inside a 4 - 5* hotel but expect hours to meet the needs of tourists, also expect a low return on investment and low profit margins or to lose your investment
> 
> ...


Your joking of course with rent of 30,000 l.e./month minimum and a three month deposit that's what somebody I know paid for unit in Four Seasons .He went broke after 6 months and didn't get his deposit back as he had signed for one year.


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## PaulAshton (Nov 18, 2011)

hhaddad said:


> Your joking of course with rent of 30,000 l.e./month minimum and a three month deposit that's what somebody I know paid for unit in Four Seasons .He went broke after 6 months and didn't get his deposit back as he had signed for one year.


I would have been able to secure a shop in a 4 star hotel for 2000 LE per month and 30,000 LE investment (stock etc) however that was through networking, of course my proposed Egyptian business partner was all for it, this person being pivotal to moving it forward, more like to sucker me for my money 

Upon looking further I deemed it as high risk with low return on investment, as well we would have no quality of life and not see the light of day

I did advise anyone not to move forward with such a venture...

If someone has invested the amount you state they either have money to play with, made a bad business decision or need to up the lithium


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## hhaddad (Apr 14, 2010)

PaulAshton said:


> I would have been able to secure a shop in a 4 star hotel for 2000 LE per month and 30,000 LE investment (stock etc) however that was through networking, of course my proposed Egyptian business partner was all for it, this person being pivotal to moving it forward, more like to sucker me for my money
> 
> Upon looking further I deemed it as high risk with low return on investment, as well we would have no quality of life and not see the light of day
> 
> ...


Yes he did have the money and was selling local made carpets and he is doing fine now selling by internet mostly export low costs and good profits and has a factory working for him.By the way he is from Iraq.


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## ArabianNights (Jul 23, 2011)

Well, once upon a time (few months back) when I first came to Egypt, I thought that it would be a nice little idea to maybe open some kind of restaurant or even a little stand out on the street somewhere, selling Samosas and other asian-style snacky goodies and that my husband could run it  I thought it would be not only be providing more variety to the Egyptian diet  but also it could be a nice little earner, opening up possibilities later on. I was even starting to imagine the rich to rags stories of us in the local (and international) newspaper, pictures of us jet setting off to far flung places, with the ultimately success of our somosa business. Our kids could even be learning Chinese! Low and behold. I realized that Egyptians do not like spices, they will not substitute their fuul and felafel for Samosas and Pakoras and I could see my first class flight seat twiddle its way down that mouldy drain, having cockroaches eagerly wanting to get out from. Alas! The gas needing to cook all those Samosas and stuff is a hassle getting, with the bowabs and the flip flaps of their flip flops wanting to rip us off and the other never-ending bakseesh issue. My husband thought that it would have been easier for him to say yeo, dwa, drey on the Afghan border, rather then wahid, itneen, talaata in Egypt, where his samosas would also be accepted, without prejudice with open arms. At least the currency was weaker anyway. The Afghan Afghani and the Pakistani rupee are near worthless, but oh so more familiar then the Egyptian Pound.

So, moral of the story is, don't do it!


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## PaulAshton (Nov 18, 2011)

I can assure anyone here that once you are looking to open a business you will have many prospective "Egyptian Business Partners" all with good intentions of course 

I could write a book, believe me

I give them 10/10 for creativity in what they feel would work, one idea put forward I was in the bank and nearly choked on my coffee with laughter and simply raised my eyebrows :eyebrows:


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## Johnsmith- (Dec 13, 2011)

busy woman said:


> Does anyone know if it is allowed as a foreigner to open a little shop?


If you were to open a Homebrew supplies shop i would be delighted


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## busy woman (Dec 19, 2011)

hhaddad said:


> The best way is to forget it .If you get through the red tape and open the shop you'll get the thugs of the tax office coming round and demanding money even though you've -paid your taxes.Also you'll get the local thugs coming demanding protection money.


Thanks for the advice, very similar like in West Africa. I had a shop there and soldiers came in reguarly demanding for money. If they didn't get any they closed the shop with a padlock and you had to go to an office to pay more money. So I know exactly what you are talking about..


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## busy woman (Dec 19, 2011)

MaidenScotland said:


> Shops are open 7 days a week and for no less than 12 hours a day..
> You would need to be able to speak Arabic to order stock..
> Not sure how it works in shops but for some businesses for every foreigner employed you have to employ 9 Egyptians.


Very discouraging.. but the stock I will bring from Europe, it would be a different shop then you will find everywhere... but all the hussle.. it isn't worth it.


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## PaulAshton (Nov 18, 2011)

busy woman said:


> Very discouraging.. but the stock I will bring from Europe, it would be a different shop then you will find everywhere... but all the hussle.. it isn't worth it.


The 1:9 ratio is for 9 Egyptians to stand around watching one person do work 

Any goods brought into this country are probably subject to tax that is equal to the value of the product, far easier to get the stock here once someone else has sourced the product ie. wholesaler

I would not mind having a European cafe' to keep me busy but getting my lazy arse out of bed before 11am proves a challenge, by the time I make tea and decide to get off my chair it's 1pm


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