Self-Count
How to cut the cost of your stocktakes in half
Traditional independent stocktaking has a price problem: done properly, it costs enough that plenty of well-run venues simply go without. Here is the model we built to fix that.
10 September 2026 · Craig Haugh, Apex Stocktaking
Why traditional stocktaking costs what it does
Most of the fee for a traditional stocktake is the stocktaker's time on site — travelling to you, spending three to four hours counting every bar, cellar and store, then travelling back. The counting is essential, but it is the one part of the job your own team can genuinely do as well as we can, because they walk past the stock every day.
How Self-Count works
We set up your full product list and prices, and we do the opening stocktake on site with your team so everyone learns the ropes. After that, your staff count on our app on their own phones or a venue tablet. Several people can count different areas at the same time on the one login — one on the bar, one in the keg room, one in the kitchen — and every entry syncs live.
From the office we manage your cost and sell prices, enter your purchase invoices week by week, and check every count as it comes in. First-draft reports are ready the moment the count finishes.
What you still get
Everything. The same GP and variance reports, purchase audits, run-rate and usage prediction, true labour cost reporting and end-of-month valuations — plus your own client portal with every past report and count sheet, downloadable as PDF or Excel. Run-rate and labour reports are included at no extra charge.
Who it suits
Self-Count suits any venue with a manager or senior staff member willing to own the count. If you would rather never think about it, our managed service puts a stocktaker on site as normal. And if you want the best of both, the hybrid model lets you self-count monthly with an independent Apex audit each quarter to stress-test the numbers.
Want this handled for you?
Apex takes stock in bars and kitchens across Ireland — managed stocktakes, or our lower-cost Self-Count model — with the full report in your hands the same day.