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A hardware and building supplies business has one of Türkiye’s lowest closure rates: people never stop repairing their homes. But the entry isn’t cheap either — filling shelves takes money, turning them takes judgement. 🔧
On this page we’ve placed the sector’s 17 branches side by side against the same four figures: profit margin, capital, setup cost and monthly earnings. The figures aren’t fixed prices but bands gathered from the field; location, customer type and stock discipline decide where you sit inside them.
Our one-sentence principle: in this sector money is earned from turnover, not from the shelf. Below you’ll find how to read the four figures, then the comparison of all 17 branches, and finally each branch’s own article.
Profit margin: what’s left above the shelf?
Here margin varies not by product but by customer.
Retail, tradesperson or contractor?
You sell the same screw to a neighbour at a 45% margin, to a tradesperson at 22%, to a construction site at 12%. Your customer mix is the real determinant of your margin; a retail-heavy shop writes high margin, a contract-heavy dealership writes high revenue. 📊
Gross margin or net margin?
The buy-sell difference is gross margin; what remains after rent, staff, freight, payment terms and wastage is net margin. The bands in the table sit close to gross margin; for net, you deduct those lines with your own figures.
Capital: how much to start with?
In this sector capital goes to one place: the shelf.
Why are capital and cost separate?
Setup cost ends on day one: rent deposit, shelving, signage, till and barcode system, licensing. Capital is that figure plus the first stock and three to six months of working runway. The most common cause of failure here isn’t a lack of sales but freezing money on the shelf. ⚖️
Dealership or independent?
A brand dealership brings ready demand and payment-term support, in exchange for a narrower margin and less pricing freedom. An independent shop protects the margin but negotiates supply alone. The table shows that split clearly.
Costs: the first month’s bill
Whoever knows it line by line spends in the right place.
Five standard lines
Whichever branch you choose, the bill gathers into five lines: rent and deposit, shelving and display, first stock, licensing, till and software, staff and accounting. Beginners’ most common mistake is overspending on first stock and setting aside no working runway. 🧾
Where do people misjudge most?
Stock depth and freight. Two units each of a hundred lines gives depth in none; a customer who can’t find what they came for doesn’t come back. Freight, on heavy goods, quietly eats the margin.
Earnings: what’s left at month end
Not the till’s revenue but what remains at month end.
How to read the monthly net band
The earnings band in the table is the net range at the end of year one for a shopkeeper who takes the work seriously and stands behind the counter. The first 6-12 months sit below the band in most branches; that’s normal, because customer habit is built over time here. 🎯
What grows the earnings?
Three things: a tradesperson network, stock turnover and visibility. The third is our profession; even a neighbourhood shop now needs to be findable in search — “hardware store near me” is searched every day.
The 17-branch comparison table
Bands are from the 2026 Turkish field, at single-shop and small-team scale. They give direction, not certainty. 🧭
| Branch | Gross margin | Starting capital | Monthly net band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Locks & steel doors | 35-55% | ₺400-900K | ₺50-160K |
| Ironmonger (nalbur) | 30-50% | ₺500K-1.2M | ₺45-150K |
| Hardware & tools | 28-45% | ₺600K-1.5M | ₺50-170K |
| Garden & landscaping supplies | 30-50% | ₺350-900K | ₺35-130K |
| Lighting dealership | 30-45% | ₺500K-1.3M | ₺45-150K |
| Electrical supplies | 25-40% | ₺500K-1.2M | ₺45-160K |
| Plumbing supplies | 25-40% | ₺500K-1.2M | ₺45-160K |
| Paint dealership | 22-38% | ₺400K-1M | ₺40-140K |
| Plaster & cornice | 25-40% | ₺350-800K | ₺35-120K |
| Glass & mirror | 30-50% (incl. labour) | ₺450K-1.1M | ₺40-140K |
| Insulation materials | 22-35% | ₺400K-1M | ₺35-130K |
| Welding & metalwork | 30-50% (incl. labour) | ₺400K-1M | ₺40-150K |
| Flooring (parquet/laminate) | 20-35% | ₺500K-1.3M | ₺40-150K |
| PVC windows & doors | 25-40% (incl. fitting) | ₺700K-1.8M | ₺50-180K |
| Bathroom & tiles | 20-35% | ₺800K-2M | ₺50-180K |
| Timber & lumber | 18-32% | ₺600K-1.6M | ₺40-150K |
| Rebar & cement dealership | 8-15% | ₺1.5-4M | ₺60-250K |
The ironmonger and hardware line
Highest margin, hardest range to manage.
1. Ironmonger
Direct answer: gross margin 30-50%; retail-heavy, with high margin on small items. Detail: ironmonger profit margin
2. Hardware & tools
Direct answer: 28-45%; tradesperson customers are regular, range management is hard. Detail: hardware and tools profit margin
3. Locks & steel doors
Direct answer: 35-55%; fitting and service income lift the margin. Detail: locks and steel doors profit margin
The plumbing and electrical line
Whoever builds a tradesperson network wins.
4. Electrical supplies
Direct answer: 25-40%; an electrician network produces steady revenue. Detail: electrical supplies profit margin
5. Plumbing supplies
Direct answer: 25-40%; urgent-need purchases carry high price tolerance. Detail: plumbing supplies profit margin
6. Lighting dealership
Direct answer: 30-45%; design and project sales grow the margin. Detail: lighting dealership profit margin
The surfaces and coverings line
A square-metre business; big numbers, thin margins.
7. Paint dealership
Direct answer: 22-38%; the colour-mixing machine is both a cost and a competitive edge. Detail: paint dealership profit margin
8. Bathroom & tiles
Direct answer: 20-35%; needs display space and carries high capital. Detail: bathroom and tiles profit margin
9. Flooring (parquet/laminate)
Direct answer: 20-35%; sold with fitting, the margin rises. Detail: flooring profit margin
10. Plaster & cornice
Direct answer: 25-40%; a branch that doesn’t turn without tradesperson connections. Detail: plaster and cornice profit margin
The building elements line
Heavy capital, large revenue.
11. PVC windows & doors
Direct answer: 25-40%; real earnings appear when fabrication and fitting combine. Detail: PVC windows profit margin
12. Glass & mirror
Direct answer: 30-50%; cutting and fitting labour is the margin’s real source. Detail: glass and mirror profit margin
13. Timber & lumber
Direct answer: 18-32%; wastage and moisture management decide the profit directly. Detail: timber and lumber profit margin
14. Welding & metalwork
Direct answer: 30-50%; what’s sold isn’t material but labour. Detail: welding and metalwork profit margin
The technical and outdoor line
Seasonal but with loyal customers.
15. Insulation materials
Direct answer: 22-35%; a branch growing with the renovation wave. Detail: insulation materials profit margin
16. Garden & landscaping supplies
Direct answer: 30-50%; seasonal but high-margin, entered with small capital. Detail: garden and landscaping profit margin
17. Rebar & cement dealership
Direct answer: 8-15%; thinnest margin, largest revenue; a business of capital and payment-term management. Detail: rebar and cement profit margin
Which branch suits you?
Three questions narrow it down.
How much capital do you have?
In the ₺350-900K band, garden and landscaping, plaster, locks and steel doors and insulation are the entry doors. Above ₺1.5M, rebar-cement and bathroom-tiles are the revenue-focused options.
Who do you want to sell to?
Selling retail lifts the margin; selling to tradespeople brings steady revenue. That choice should be made before choosing a branch.
📝 Field Notes
An ironmonger complained for six months that his range was too narrow and added new lines every week; the shelves filled and the till emptied. We counted what actually sold: seventy percent of revenue came from a hundred and fifty lines, while two thousand sat on the shelves. He cleared the non-movers and went deeper on the core. Revenue stayed the same and what was left at month end doubled. In this sector range doesn’t earn; turnover does. 🔧
📖 Quick Glossary
Gross margin: the difference between buying and selling price. Stock turnover: how many times a year stock becomes cash. Tradesperson network: the circle of regular trade customers. Dead stock: goods unsold for months that lock up money.
⚡ Quick Summary
17 branches, gross margins between 8% and 55%. 📊 Capital runs from ₺350K to ₺4M. Customer type sets the margin; stock turnover sets the earnings. The basis of the figures sits on our methodology page.
🎯 Next Step
Let’s work out which branch fits you and your visibility plan: quote form · free digital audit. 🤝
Frequently Asked Questions
Which branch is the most profitable?
The highest margin rates sit with labour-inclusive branches such as locks and steel doors, ironmongery and glass and mirror; but the branch that leaves the most money depends on your capital and customer network. A high margin on small revenue can equal a thin margin on large revenue.
Dealership or independent shop?
A dealership brings ready demand, training and payment-term support but limits your margin and pricing freedom. An independent shop leaves a higher margin; in exchange you build supply, negotiation and recognition from scratch.
Do customers really come from the internet in this sector?
They do, and increasingly: searches like “hardware store near me” and “laminate flooring prices” happen daily. Appearing correctly on maps and opening pages for your product groups is an advantage most shopkeepers haven’t taken yet — which is exactly why it’s still cheap.
Source: World Bank — SME Finance