Setting Up Multiple Stores and Warehouses
IsleBooks supports businesses operating from multiple physical locations. Depending on your business, you may create:
Stores (Business Locations) – Locations where purchases, sales, POS, invoices and customers are handled.
Warehouses – Storage-only locations used for inventory management.
Not every business requires warehouses. Many businesses operate entirely using one or more stores.
Stores (Business Locations)
A Store represents a physical business location.
Examples:
Main Shop
Hulhumalé Branch
Airport Outlet
Restaurant
Hotel
Pharmacy
Each store has its own:
Sales
POS registers
Purchases
Customers
Invoice numbering
Payment accounts
Restaurant/Hotel settings
Inventory
Reports
Adding a Store
Go to:
Settings → Stores
Click Add Store.
Fill in the required information such as:
Store name
Address
Contact information
Tax activity number (if applicable)
Default payment accounts
Invoice layouts
Invoice schemes
POS settings
If you have enabled the Restaurant or Hotel modules, additional options will also appear for that store.
Click Save.
Warehouses
A Warehouse is a storage location only.
Unlike stores, warehouses:
Cannot make sales
Cannot open POS registers
Cannot issue invoices
Cannot receive customers
Warehouses are primarily used for inventory storage and stock distribution.
Examples:
Central Warehouse
Cold Storage
Spare Parts Warehouse
Go to:
Settings → Warehouses
Click Add Warehouse and complete the required details.
When should I create a Warehouse?
Create a warehouse if you:
Receive stock into a central warehouse before distributing it to stores.
Keep inventory in a storage facility separate from your retail outlet.
Need better visibility of stock across multiple storage locations.
If your business receives stock directly into your shop and sells from there, a warehouse is usually not required.
Stock Transfers
Inventory can be transferred between:
Store → Store
Store → Warehouse
Warehouse → Store
Warehouse → Warehouse
This allows businesses to replenish stores from central warehouses or move inventory between branches as needed.
See the Stock Transfers guide for detailed instructions.
Receiving Purchases into a Warehouse
When creating a purchase, IsleBooks allows you to choose where the inventory should be received.
You can:
Receive stock directly into the purchasing store.
Receive stock into one of your warehouses instead.
This is useful when suppliers deliver goods to a central warehouse before they are distributed to branches.
Businesses without warehouses can simply receive stock into the purchasing store.
Choosing the Right Setup
Single shop
1 Store
No Warehouse
Recommended for most small businesses.
Multiple branches
Multiple Stores
Optional Warehouse
Each branch has its own inventory and POS.
Central warehouse with branches
Multiple Stores
One or more Warehouses
Stock is received into warehouses first, then transferred to stores as needed.
Recommendation
Only create warehouses if your business actually stores inventory separately from where it is sold.
For most retailers, supermarkets, cafés and small businesses, using one or more Stores without warehouses is the simplest and recommended configuration.