Large scale businesses are usually international, have a wide customer base, and have highly specialized departments (e.g. Marketing and Accounting department). Other criteria can be used to identify large-scale businesses such as the number of employees (where a business has more than 100 employees) and amount of turnover (where the turnover of a business exceeds N100 Million).

In line with the mentioned criteria, here are examples of large scale business ideas in Nigeria:

1.   Supermarkets and Boutiques

You may decide to set up a supermarket in a strategic location and later on establish other branches of the supermarket in other locations. There is no one specific target market for this business as a variety of products would be sold in the supermarket or boutique. You may however decide to specialize in one category of products, for example, instead of having a general supermarket, you may establish a fruit and vegetable supermarket.

If you choose to operate this business on a large scale, it would require about N5 Million to N10 Million.

2.   Fuel/Filling Stations  

Fuel stations, especially those owned by individuals, are generally not operated on a large scale. This is because setting up fuel stations would require a large capital base which is difficult for individuals to source out. Where you have sufficient capital and funds, you may establish a fuel station at a key location, which would usually be along major expressways.

Vehicle operators in the country are always on the lookout for fuel stations to keep their vehicles running, thus customers in this market are always in large supply. You may decide to use profits from an existing fuel station to establish another fuel station.

To build and set up a filling station, you would have to set aside about N100 Million.

3.   Transportation Business

This involves providing transportation services for individuals in return for income. There are many large-scale fragments of this industry. An example of a large-scale fragment is air transportation. You may decide to have an airline that provides air transport services for individuals on a route that is in high demand.

Establishing an air transport service usually requires large capital. However, you may decide to use this capital to establish a small fragment of this industry on a large scale. For example, instead of starting up an airline, you may decide to start up mass transit.

Setting up this business will require capital ranging from N2 Million to N300 Million.

Already have a transport business? See how to use Bulk SMS for seat reservations here.

4. Agricultural Business

This industry has grown all over the world. One of the most profitable businesses in this industry is Apiculture(beekeeping). You may choose to target this market as the demand for honey has increased remarkably over the past years. Starting up a small-scale farm or apiary would require about N250,000 to N400,000. 

5. Hotel Business

Setting up a hotel is no easy task. It is proper to construct your hotel and offer it up for accommodation. People are always looking for accommodation from time to time as they drive in and out of town.

Including the cost of building a standard hotel, this business would require an average capital of about N10 Million to N100 Million. 

6. Furniture Business

This market is huge and yields high profits, most especially in the case of high-end furniture. You can choose to make and sell furniture or to buy and resell them. 

You would require about N8 Million to successfully kick off your high-end furniture business. However, you may require an amount lower than that when you choose to venture into average quality furniture.

7.Gas Station Business

Although this is similar to the fuel stations, this business focuses primarily on cooking gas. Cooking gas has become of great importance and use in the country today and has a growing market.

You can kickoff your gas station business with about N300,000 to N1 Million.

8. Food Business

If you have culinary skills and the right amount of capital, this might be the best option for you. You can decide to set up a catering establishment to offer meals to your customers. You can comfortably set up this business with about N500,000.

Conclusion

Having gone through the mentioned businesses, it is now left for you to decide which large-scale business you would want to start up. As already mentioned, these businesses would normally require a large capital base.

Let us know in the comments if we have missed any large-scale business in Nigeria you know of.

Also, if you are feeling unsure of which venture to pursue, you may leave a comment and we will reach out to you. We are always here to help.