Where to buy business equipment, furniture & office supplies from?

Best Cities to get Office Supplies from

Consumers of office supplies, whether they are individuals or professionals and companies that buy things for their final consumption, have multiple options where to buy from. The areas of purchase can be supermarkets, shopping centres, and specialised neighbourhood stores to large specialists in the category, and lately online stationers, which are positioned in the war of who is cheaper.

One of the advantages of online stationery compared to traditional stores is the convenience of being brought to your home or office and another, no less important, cost savings when large quantities are bought regularly (especially in shops, companies and for professionals).

There are lots of little things to think about when starting a business, but the location is everything. It will affect everything you need to grow, including operating costs, access to skilled labour, customers, partners, funding, supervision, resources, equipment and even the reliability of your internet connection.

Small businesses are everywhere, but the clusters that can be found in some cities offer better prospects for growth. And even online businesses and digital nomads depend on the environment around them outside of digital aspects, such as trade and banking services. The importance of human contact should not be forgotten either.

Every city has a unique offering that attracts different types of businesses, but here we'll take a look at the key ingredients for a start-up's success and the best cities to buy stuff for your business. These cities are as follows:

Bangalore

After being pushed aside by the rest of the world, Bangalore is now at the centre of the world stage.

The best institutions in terms of education are located in Bangalore. The city is a good mix of many skills available with a really low cost of living.

The international business community initially recognised the city as an ideal location for external IT services. It then evolved into a vibrant start-up ecosystem and ranked as India's best city and second-fastest-growing city globally.

Pune

With a rich history dating back almost 1,600 years, Pune is a city that is developing and modernising at a rapid pace as evidenced by the major infrastructure projects that are underway. It also benefits from good connectivity, thanks to a huge transport network, not to mention its international airport.

Over the years, the city's landscape has turned into a centre of life and business. There are not only universities, higher education institutions and research centres, but also a multitude of large companies ready to hire highly qualified foreign professionals.

Navi Mumbai

In Bombay, exclusive shops and boutiques are located on the streets of big hotels, where clothes, shoes, furniture, upholstery, carpets, fabrics, and a great variety of articles from the most recognised designers in the world are exhibited. Other commercial areas that invite shopping are found in the centre, west and south of it, such as Fashion Street on M. Gandhi Street between Cross Maidan and Azad Maidan.

Andheri and Shoppers Stop are shopping malls recognised for the quality of the products they sell; Besides, they house stores of international brands such as Nike, Adidas or Reebok. Another avant-garde shopping centre is Crossroads which is close to the Haj Ali Mosque, it also offers branded products and inside there are several cafes that mix Western and Indian style.

Chandigarh

Endowed with a great historical and cultural richness, without forgetting its picturesque architecture, its natural landscapes including parks and gardens, and its fauna, Chandigarh offers an excellent quality of life to its inhabitants. Benefiting from good connectivity with the rest of India, Chandigarh is also a safe city where the nightlife presents no major risks. As for the cost of living, it is more affordable compared to other Indian metropolises, whether it is housing, food or recreation.

Thane

The city enjoys the support of the Israeli capital, Tel Aviv, in its drive to transform into a smart city. Thane's real estate market is in full swing to meet demand, both in commercial and residential terms. If you have chosen to settle there with your family, the choice of schools, higher education and entertainment institutions is vast.

Where to Buy?

Buying furniture in Mumbai is possible. The choice is wide and ranges from practical and simple to contemporary style to renovated antique furniture.

Many Mumbai residents buy their furniture online on the Pepperfry site launched a few years ago by two young Indians from Mumbai or on that of Urban Ladder founded in Bangalore.

There is everything you need to settle in, be it beds, sofas, tables and chairs, decorative or occasional furniture. The manufacturer is Indian, and the price range is wide (for example, the first price for a two-seater sofa starts at 10,000 rupees and the most expensive is over 150,000 rupees). Both sites offer free delivery for most products, and the delivery time varies between 2 days and 2 weeks, depending on the furniture chosen.

Basic measures to adopt to save on office supplies

The maximum to save on office supplies are these recommendations that we must always take into account when managing it.

Greater control and organisation of the material. Study the needs that your company has. To do this, it is advisable to make a list of all the materials that need to be used and which are the most used and finished before.
Buy at the best quality/price. You should prioritise those materials that will later be taught to the client. This is, for example, if you make mockups of designs for a client, you will have to give importance to the toner or printer cartridges. If it is only for internal use, the essentials will be printed, and the colour that will be used the most will be black. Also, remember to take advantage of the promotions that material suppliers or distributors usually do.
Make smart use. Some recommendations are: save paper and use it when necessary, that staff do not take material home, properly store materials, avoid misplacing materials, properly treat delicate or electronic materials, etc. Even if necessary, you can train staff to use office supplies efficiently.

Also read:

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2) How Effective are Posted Flyers for Early Small Business Marketing?
3) What Is The Future Of Direct Selling In India?
4) What are the keys to success when operating a small scale business?