List of best Movie Shops in Kenya. Movie shops involve selling movies or series either as DVDs or by copying them to your customer’s preferred storage such as phones and flash disks.
You get these movies by buying and downloading them online, then create DVD copies which you will sell at KES 50 to your customers.
Customers would prefer buying your movies rather than those online because they are expensive and require lots of data to download.
Is a Movies Shop Business in Kenya Profitable?
We have ranked the movie shop business among the most profitable in Kenya. Here is why:
Starting a movie shop requires a small stall. Therefore, you can quickly get a shop in the town center.
Let’s see what you need to start a movie shop and how you will be earning your profit.
- Premium monthly subscription – KES 1,800
- A good computer – KES 50,000
- DVD Duplicators – KES 3,500
- Smart TV 43″ Inches – KES 40,000
- 500 blank DVDs – KES 5,000
- Kenya Film Censorship Board (KFCB) permit – KES 5,000
- Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK) license – KES 3,000
- Woofers – KES 5,000
- Rent – KES 20,000 (varies depending on your location)
- Shop setup (counter, chairs, and installation of computer and TVs) – KES 30,000
- Single business permit – KES 7,000
TOTAL = KES 170,300
After you are have assembled everything, let’s do a rough calculation of your profit.
So, You will be selling your movies at KES 50. In a good location, you may sell around 50 copies which earn you KES 2,500. You will get a total of KES 75,000 in a month.
You will get around KES 45,000 as profit after deducting monthly expenses. This calculation shows you will get back your total investment in less than four months.
Steps to Starting a Movie Shop Business in Kenya
Now that you have a clear view of how you will be earning. Look at these essential steps of how you will run the best movie shop in town.
Step 1:  Get the Necessary Equipment            Â
It would be best if you started by assembling the essential equipment for your business. The equipment list above will guide you on everything you should purchase before going to the next step.
At this stage, you should answer how you will raise capital to purchase your equipment and run other necessary activities.
If you are wondering how to get the required capital, here are some tips used by other business persons:
- Request for a loan – getting a bank loan is the most appropriate way; however, if you don’t qualify for a bank loan, loan mobile apps and credit group organizations can easily offer you a loan.
- Ask for support from friends and family – your friends and family are the most reliable people when you need financial help. Share with them your movie shop business plan and how it will benefit both of you.
- Use the cost-sharing strategy – you can team up with friends and family by asking them to be part of your movie shop business. Getting a partner will help you share the cost, therefore, making it easy to raise the business capital.
By now, you know the means of getting your capital if you had not raised or saved some money for your business.
Step 2: Find a Suitable Location
After having all the equipment ready, you should be eying on an excellent market location to attract many customers.
Your movie shop location will determine your sales. Find a high-traffic area that will grant you more customers, unlike a deserted place. Therefore, ensure your movie shop location is:
- Easy to access and visible – You should find a location where customers can easily spot your movie shop. These areas include:
Next to the town market or a supermarket
Around universities and collages
Along a busy street
Near a recreational facility
- It is Safe– study the area to ascertain your movie shop’s safety and your customers. It would help if you avoided areas with high robbery cases and reported gangs.
- Free from the competition – you need to research the businesses around your preferred location. You must ensure people demand movies by checking on the number of movie shops in the area. If there are many movie shops around, it may be hard for you to acquire customers.
- Friendly to your Budget – you should decide on a stall that fits your budget. It shouldn’t be beyond what you can afford. Nonetheless, this should not lead to you settling in a low-traffic area. Take time to find an affordable stall that meets all the points above.
Step 3: Get the Required Licences
You need to register your business to avoid clashing with law enforcers and risk the closure of your movie shop.
Lucky for you, most of these business permits are applied online, therefore, saving your time and the cost of moving from one office to another.
Here are the legal licenses you should have before lending your services.
1. Single business permit – your county government issues this permit at a cost that ranges between KES 3,000 and KES 5,000.
2. Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK) license – this license allows you to produce copies of movies and series legally. This license is issued for KES 4,000 per year.
3. Kenya Film Censorship Board (KFCB) permit – it is the board in charge of the movie content you will be selling. Its licenses cost around KES 5,000 to KES 10,000.
Now you know the basic legal requirements of running a movie shop business in Kenya.
Step 4: Know How to Get Your Movies
You have to find a reliable source that will be providing you with current movies. Keep in mind people go for the latest and most trending film.
Here are ways you can get movies:
1. Buying movies online – this is the most trusted source for getting all kinds of films quickly. Many movie sites are online to purchase movies from, e.g., Netflix, Showmax, and Disney+ Hotstar.
However, this source is relatively expensive and requires you to download the movie after the purchase. The basic subscription on most online movie sites ranges from KES 800 to KES 1,000
2. Get from another business partner – this is the cheapest way you can get your movies. You need to list the most trending and on-demand films and get them from another person who has already downloaded the movie. Most will offer you the movie at KES 50, and with it, you can produce multiple copies.
However, this may slow down your sales as you will be waiting for other people to download the movies before you access them.
Step 5: Set Up Your Movie Shop
Once you have all the above steps checked, you need to set up your movie shop stall. We believe at this stage you would have figured out the best location for your movie shop.
At this stage, you should ensure the following is done right:
- Create a beautiful display – you need an eye-catching display that will attract more customers to your shop. Ensure your stall has proper lighting and a lovely outlook.
- Have your posters around – ensure you have signs to inform people of your movie shop and the direction. This will help you scoop the attention of by-passers, and one or two may find their way to your shop.
- Ensure you have a good sound system – you should have a great sound system to quickly get the attention of people close to your movie shop. It will also help to advertise the exciting movies you are selling.
Here is a List of best Movie Shops in Kenya
Apex Ent Movie Shop
- Address:High point, Unnamed Road, Juja
- Â City/Town:Â Thika
Brenda Entertainment
- Address:Shop 7, Ground Floor, Suitable Annex, Kilimambogo Road, Thika
- Â City/Town:Â Thika
- Â Telephone Number:Â 0727 693146
Showmax Movie Shop
- Address:Kihunguro Next To Plainsview Hospital
- Â City/Town:Â Thika
- Â Telephone Number:Â 0797 831956
Xronic Ent.
- Address:Shop No. A 3, 1st Floor, Clairbourn Towers, Kwame Nkrumah Rd, Thika
- Â City/Town:Â Thika
- Â Telephone Number:Â 0721 754405
Underground Entertainment
- Address:Shop B – 07, Ground Floor, Basement, Victory Plaza, Mama Ngina Dr, Thika
- Â City/Town:Â Thika
- Telephone Number: 0720 277428
Dfre’s Movie Shop
- Address:Thika
- Â City/Town:Â Thika
- Â Telephone Number:Â 0712 621693
MAPS Entertainment
- Address:Room 5, Ground Floor, Hosana Stalls, Near Porkies, Uhuru St, Thika
- Â City/Town:Â Thika
- Â Telephone Number:Â 0711 438106
La Zone Ent
- Address:Shop 5, Ground Floor, Twin Oak Building, Posh Pool, Kwame Nkrumah Rd, Thika
- Â City/Town:Â Thika
- Â Telephone Number:Â 0715 707919
Up Town Entertainment
- Address:Victory Plaza, Miale Business Park,Thika Town ,Next to, Thika
- Â City/Town:Â Thika
- Telephone Number: 0726 012452