Bookkeeping for retail shops
Shops live and die by stock and margin. Daily takings, supplier invoices and stock counts all have to join up to show what is really made.
- Flat £15 an hour
- No contract
- Qualified UK team
- Pay online in minutes
Bookkeeping for retail shops
Your price
4.5 hours at £15
£67.50
Set-up fee£0
ContractNone
Regulated firm
Qualified team
Qualified team
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The short answer
What does bookkeeping for retail shops involve?
Bookkeeping for retail shops means keeping EPOS and till reports, supplier invoices and statements, stock counts and the rest of your records accurate and reconciled. At £15 an hour, a typical independent gift shop (about 150 transactions a month) needs about 7.5 hours a month, which is around £112.50.
What makes these books different.
Every sector has its own records and rules. These are the ones that matter for retail shops.
Daily takings
Till reports must agree with card settlements and cash banked each day.
Stock and margin
Gross margin by category shows which lines earn their shelf space.
Mixed VAT rates
Shops often sell standard, reduced and zero-rated goods, and each sale needs the right rate.
Shrinkage
Differences between expected and counted stock reveal waste, theft and errors.
£15
an hour, flat
£112.50
a month for a typical independent gift shop
7.5h
of bookkeeping a month, about 150 transactions a month
0
contract, stop whenever you like
Records we keep for you.
- EPOS and till reports
- Supplier invoices and statements
- Stock counts
- Card and cash settlements
- Rent, rates and utilities
- Staff costs
Rules worth knowing.
Retail schemes
VAT retail schemes can simplify accounting for shops with many small sales at different rates.
Business rates
Rates are a major fixed cost, and reliefs may apply, so the bill should be reviewed.
Stock valuation
Closing stock must be valued consistently at the lower of cost and net realisable value.
General information, not tax advice. Rules change, so check GOV.UK or ask your accountant. Last reviewed November 2026.
A typical month.
A independent gift shop with about 150 transactions a month, VAT registered, running payroll. Here is the time it takes and what it costs.
- Core bookkeeping (101 - 250)6h
- Limited company extras0.5h
- VAT-ready books (MTD)0.5h
- Payroll journals0.5h
Each month
£112.50
Where this sector is most common.
Using ONS business counts for 2026, retail and wholesale is the biggest share of local businesses in these places. We serve all of them online.
- Leicester24% of local businesses, 1.7 times the UK share, about 3,340 firms
- Bradford23% of local businesses, 1.6 times the UK share, about 3,930 firms
- Stoke-on-Trent22% of local businesses, 1.5 times the UK share, about 1,450 firms
- Birmingham21% of local businesses, 1.4 times the UK share, about 8,035 firms
- Wolverhampton21% of local businesses, 1.4 times the UK share, about 1,680 firms
- Manchester20% of local businesses, 1.4 times the UK share, about 4,835 firms
Clients say it better than we do.
4.9300+ Google reviews of Accotax
“He took the time to explain every step of the process and made a complex situation much easier to understand.”
Hugo Alvarez
Google review of Accotax
“They take the time to understand how our business works and what our needs are.”
Mael Leboucher
Google review of Accotax
“Very prompt in responding to questions and patient with us even when we seem to be slow.”
Mansur Liman
Google review of Accotax
“The work was completed promptly, my tax return was successfully filed.”
Sergey M
Google review of Accotax
retail shops: your questions.
Can you work from my EPOS reports?
Yes. We import or key daily sales summaries and reconcile them to card settlements and cash banked.
Related sectors.
- Restaurants and cafesCash, tips, stock and the VAT rules on hot food for restaurants and cafes.
- Hairdressers and beautyChair rental, products, deposits and staff for salons and beauty therapists.
- Gyms and personal trainersMemberships, direct debits and class income for gyms, studios and trainers.
- Pubs and barsGross profit, stock, machine games duty and cash for pubs and bars.
- Market traders and street foodCash, stock, pitch fees and events for market stalls and street food traders.
Not sure where your books stand?
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