Growing7 min readUpdated By the StockỌja team
How to manage stock across multiple stores and branches
Short answer
Keep one shared product list for the whole business, but separate quantities for each branch. Record every movement of stock between branches as a transfer that the receiving branch confirms, give each branch manager access to their own branch only, and compare branches on the same numbers: sales, gross profit, stock value and losses.
What changes with a second branch
With one shop, problems are visible: you can walk to the shelf. With two or more, stock moves between places, different people handle it, and the owner cannot be everywhere. Most multi-branch stock problems come from three things: products described differently in each branch, stock moved without a record, and no clear responsibility for each location.
One catalogue, quantities per branch
Every branch should sell from the same product list, with the same names, codes and variants. What differs is the quantity at each branch, and sometimes the price. Separate spreadsheets per branch drift apart within weeks; a shared catalogue with per-branch stock does not.
In StockỌja, products are shared across the business and each branch has its own stock. You can view one branch or all of them together.
Moving stock with transfers
- 1
The sending branch creates the transfer
It lists what is leaving. That stock is no longer counted as available there.
- 2
The goods travel
With the transfer reference, so the receiver knows what to expect.
- 3
The receiving branch confirms
It accepts what actually arrived, all of it or part, and the stock is added there.
- 4
Differences are visible
If something did not arrive, the shortfall is on record instead of disappearing.
People: who can do what, where
- Branch staff see and sell only their branch’s stock.
- Branch managers can receive deliveries and transfers and record adjustments for their branch.
- Owners and head-office staff see every branch and the business totals.
- Each person has their own login, so every change is attributable.
Buying for several branches
Raise purchase orders per branch so deliveries go where they are needed, or deliver to a main store and distribute with transfers. Either way, low-stock levels per branch tell you where stock is short, and comparing branches shows where something sells better and should be moved.
Comparing branches fairly
| Measure | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Sales by branch | Which locations bring in the most revenue |
| Gross profit by branch | Which locations sell the most profitable mix |
| Expenses by branch | What each location costs to run |
| Stock value by branch | Where money is tied up on shelves |
| Adjustments by branch | Where stock is lost, damaged or miscounted |
StockỌja shows sales by branch and expenses per branch, and the inventory history shows adjustments with their reasons.
Where StockỌja fits
- ProductRetail & branch management Several stores, staff roles and permissions, suppliers and purchase orders, transfers and an activity log.
- ProductInventory management Stock levels per branch, low-stock alerts, variants, transfers and a full history behind every number.
- ProductExpense tracking Rent, salaries, transport and other running costs by category and branch, next to your sales.
- GuideHow to track stock in a small business A practical routine for knowing what you have, stopping stock from going missing and doing it from your phone.
- SolutionFor businesses in Nigeria Naira pricing, cash, transfer and POS-terminal payments, WhatsApp-led selling, Paystack and multi-branch shops.
- ProductPricing Start free with one store. Paid plans add branches, staff, products and reports.