Sales per square metre
Sales per square metre is net sales excluding VAT for a period divided by the store's selling area; it is the productivity measure that shows how much sales the space generates.
Also calledsales density, sales per sq m, space productivity, store space productivity, sales per square foot
Formula
Net sales (excl. VAT) ÷ Selling area (m²)- Net sales
- Sales in the period after returns, discounts and VAT.
- Selling area
- The space customers walk and products are displayed in; stockroom, office and staff areas excluded.
- Period
- Monthly and annual values are reported separately; the annual value is the sum of twelve months.
Calculator
Enter your own figures and the result updates instantly. The defaults are the figures from the worked example below.
Result20.000 ₺/m²
Worked example
How to read it, and what good looks like
Sales per square metre strips store size out of the sales figure: a store that sells twice as much while using three times the space is less productive. Read it together with the occupancy cost ratio, because high space productivity can carry a high rent. According to the AYD-Akademetre Shopping Centre Index (AYD is Turkey's shopping-centre owners' association), sales per square metre in shopping centres in July 2026 were ₺19,707 across Turkey, ₺22,598 in Istanbul and ₺17,780 in Anatolia. The index covers every category in the centre; bring period and scope onto the same basis before comparing your own store with it. At grocery-chain scale, Migros's 2025 figures give annual revenue divided by year-end selling area of about ₺197,600 per m² (₺412.8 billion ÷ 2,088,659 m², TMS 29); because it includes online and wholesale sales, it is a measure of scale, not branch productivity.
Under inflation, nominal growth is not productivity growth. In the same index, space productivity rose 25.2% in nominal terms in July 2026; with annual CPI at 31.75%, it fell by around 5% in real terms. That is why space productivity is tracked, like LFL, in real terms and on the same store set.
The target is derived from the store's own cost structure rather than a sector average: break-even sales per square metre = monthly fixed costs (rent, service charge, staff) ÷ gross margin rate ÷ selling area. A store below that level changes its space or category allocation, or opens a rent negotiation. In Mindpera, Mind Space calculates sales per square metre and margin per shelf metre by category, and shows the estimated revenue and margin effect of an allocation change next to the current plan.
| Context | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Shopping-centre average, Turkey, July 2026 (AYD-Akademetre) | ₺19,707/m² | All categories; Istanbul ₺22,598, Anatolia ₺17,780. |
| Migros, 2025, annual revenue ÷ year-end selling area | ≈ ₺197,600/m² (annual) | Calculation: ₺412.8 billion (TMS 29) ÷ 2,088,659 m². Includes online and wholesale sales; a measure of scale. |
Where it misleads
- Gross and selling area get mixed: if stockroom, office and staff areas enter the denominator, the same store looks less productive; in the worked example, productivity on gross area comes out 22% lower.
- Periods get mixed: a monthly figure is set against an annual one, a 28-day month against a 31-day month; state the period and day count in the report.
- Using a single area figure for a store that opened or changed size during the year distorts productivity; use the period-weighted average area.
- Booking online orders handed over in store as store sales inflates space productivity; set the channel rule up front.
Data you need
- Store selling area and gross area, with change dates
- Net sales excluding VAT by store and day
- Category space allocation and shelf metres (for category productivity)
- Rent, service charge and staff cost (for the break-even calculation)
Mindpera products that calculate this KPI
Mind Space
Maximise revenue by managing branch floor space and shelf metres flexibly against customer demand, with profitability as the measure.
Mind Ops
Run audits and performance across your grocery branches from one place, with a set of more than 100 KPIs. Audits, reporting and camera event tracking meet on the same screen.
Frequently asked questions
- How do you calculate sales per square metre?
- Divide net sales excluding VAT by the store's selling area. A 250 m² store with monthly net sales of ₺5,000,000 generates 5,000,000 ÷ 250 = ₺20,000/m². Stockroom, office and staff areas are excluded. For a store whose area changed during the year, use the period-weighted average area, and state whether the result is monthly or annual.
- What is a good sales per square metre figure?
- The right value varies by format, category and location; derive the target from the store's cost structure. Break-even space productivity is monthly fixed costs divided by the gross margin rate and the selling area. For context, AYD-Akademetre data put shopping-centre sales per square metre at ₺19,707 across Turkey in July 2026, a figure covering all categories.
- Which area should be used in the calculation?
- Use selling area: the space customers walk and products are displayed in. Stockroom, office, staff and technical areas are left out. Calculating on gross area makes the same store look less productive; listed grocery chains also give selling area in their annual reports. State in the report which area was used and apply the same definition to every store.