Dec 6, 2013 | Clients in the Media, News
Chris O’Halloran with his designers
Chris O’Halloran opened his Ripples showroom in Chelmsford in September 2010. His consistent hard work and high performance have meant that his business has enjoyed year-on-year growth. As a result of this success, Chris has been able to open a second showroom in Colchester much earlier than he had originally anticipated.
Having already been shortlisted for the Startups Franchisee of the Year award, celebrating the achievements of Britain’s most exciting and fast growth businesses aged three years and under, Chris’ business continues to go from strength to strength as proven by this expansion.
Ripples is the premier bathroom franchise, designing and supplying high-end bespoke bathrooms for both residential and commercial clients. Ripples pride themselves on the quality of their products and their exceptional customer service. Franchisees operate their own beautifully-appointed showrooms in the luxury retail market. There are currently 15 franchised showrooms in the UK and the network boasts over 50 industry awards to date.
Franchisees operate in a market predicted to be worth nearly £1 billion by 2016, making now an ideal time to invest with Ripples. Chris’ new showroom is expected to turnover £500k by year two and, with ten luxury bathroom settings, his new showroom will enable him to increase his sales to £1.5 million within his territory.
“Opening a second showroom had always been in my plan but to be able to do it so soon after buying my franchise is something I’m very proud of. It just goes to show that hard work and dedication to your business really does pay off,” says Chris.
It is not only Chris who will benefit from the success of his showrooms. The junior designer at his showroom in Chelmsford has been promoted and will now be the senior designer at the new showroom in Colchester. The success of Chris, his showroom and his team is testament to the training and support that is offered when you become part of the Ripples franchise family.
Ripples hands-on training and launch programme is designed to give new franchisees the experience and confidence to run and manage their own busy showrooms. Training is carried out by Ripples own expert team, as well as approved suppliers. Once trading, a member of the support team visits new showrooms weekly for two months to ensure franchisees are laying the foundations for success and the national PR and marketing campaigns help to drive clients through the door.
“The assistance and encouragement I’ve received from the whole team at head office has been brilliant from day one and I’m confident that they will continue to support me with the same care and attention during the running of my second showroom,” says Chris.
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Nov 30, 2013 | Clients in the Media, News
The shortlist for the Startups Awards 2013 has been announced and Ripples franchisee Chris O’Halloran is amongst the finalists.
Based in Chelmsford, Chris O’Halloran’s Ripples franchise is one of 29 companies from across the country that has been named as a finalist for the awards and is hoping to win one of the 12 trophies up for grabs at the glittering ceremony in London this December.
The Startups Awards, sponsored by Simply Business and organised by Startups.co.uk, celebrate the achievements of Britain’s most exciting and fast-growth businesses aged three years and under.
Chris has been shortlisted for the Franchisee of the Year award along with two other companies. He has only been operating his Ripples franchise since September 2010 but through his consistent hard work and high performance his business has enjoyed significant year-on-year growth. As a result, Chris is now expanding his franchise with the opening of a second showroom.
“The last few years have been a lot of hard work but the results speak for themselves really. My business continues to grow and to be able to expand so soon is obviously something we’re really proud of. To be shortlisted for this award after less than three years is a great honour and it just goes even further towards proving that starting my new business with Ripples was absolutely the right thing to do,” says Chris.
“We couldn’t be more pleased for, or proud of, Chris and his team. From the moment he first opened the doors on his showroom in Chelmsford, he has given 100% and it this just goes to show that with the right attitude and the drive to succeed, there’s no limit to where you can take your business,” adds Paul Crow, Managing Director at Ripples.
Ripples is the premier bathroom franchise, designing and supplying high-end bespoke bathrooms for both residential and commercial clients. Ripples pride themselves on the quality of their products and their exceptional customer service. Franchisees operate their own beautifully-appointed showrooms in the luxury retail market. There are currently 15 franchised showrooms in the UK and the network boasts over 50 industry awards to date.
This year’s judging panel is made up of some of the country’s most successful entrepreneurs and business experts such as Specsavers’ co-founder Dame Mary Perkins, Sarah Tremellen, founder of Bravissimo, and Julien Callède, co-founder of Young Startup of the Year 2012 Made.com.
David Lester, founder of Startups.co.uk, commented: “The final shortlist really is a fantastic example of the prosperous and highly successful start-up businesses we have here in the UK. Congratulations to all the companies who have made it this far and good luck for the Awards ceremony!”
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Nov 11, 2013 | Clients in the Media, News
Kate Kent has recently become the second female Mac Tools franchisee. Kate was working as a teaching assistant in a 
local school when she started helping out her fiancé, Adrian Griggs, who is already a Mac Man, during the school holidays. Kate enjoyed helping Adrian so much that she decided to open her own franchise.
Mac Tools franchisees are the trusted tool specialists for professional technicians in the automotive industry. Mac Tools is part of Stanley Black & Decker, a £7+ billion global organisation and owner of world-famous brands such as DeWALT, Facom and Britool Expert. Over the last three years Mac Tools have achieved 25% year-on-year growth in what is considered to be a flat market.
“I caught the Mac Tools bug whilst I was helping Adrian out on his van. I love being part of Mac Tools, it feels like one big family and everyone’s passion for the business shines through – it’s infectious. Initially, the training was the most petrifying thing I’ve ever done, I was taken way past my comfort zone in every way possible but it helped my confidence grow so much. The support from the team was great, it made a difficult situation so much easier. You leave the training believing in yourself and it really helped my character to develop in a huge way.”
“The ongoing support from Mac Tools has also been fantastic, it doesn’t stop with the initial training. I had support on the road with me for two weeks and the franchise team, customer services and other franchisees are always on the other end of the phone if you ever need any help. Everyone’s got time to help and no-one thinks your question is too silly!”
Being one of only two female franchisees in a male dominated industry could be seen as challenging but Kate has found it quite the opposite.
“I haven’t found the experience uncomfortable at all, even though I thought it would be when I walked in to my first automotive repair shop. Prior to joining Mac Tools I was a teaching assistant in a local primary school specialising in maths intervention and I didn’t even know the difference between a flat head screwdriver and a Philips – it just goes to show you’re never too old to learn. Many new franchisees have to learn about the huge range of over 18,000 tools that we have to sell and I think I get a better reception as being a woman in this business is a novelty to my customers; sometimes they even make me a cup of tea!”
“My fiancé Adrian has also been extremely supportive throughout the whole process. He will always help me if I have a question or if I need advice. He will even quiz me on the products for ‘tote and promote’ in the evenings when he gets in from work!”
“My best achievement to date has been beating Adrian in one week’s sales. I’m very competitive so it was a good moment for me!”
This press release has created wide spread coverage on franchise related websites and social media. It will also be included in upcoming print publications. To find out how Coconut Creatives can help you generate great PR why not contact us!
Nov 7, 2013 | Clients in the Media
Martin & Co, the UK’s largest single brand residential lettings business, is pleased to announce that it will start trading on AIM before the end of the year. This Bournemouth-based company that has successfully expanded through the franchise model hopes that this move will see them take advantage of a “fragmented” but growing rental market. Martin & Co hope to raise £15-£17m from the flotation, and expects to be valued at about £30-£35m. With anticipated end-of-year pre-tax profits of £1.92m, the company would be trading at an earnings multiple of just over 15.
Martin & Co will release shares worth up to 50 per cent of its value. The company is 95 per cent owned by its two founding partners – Richard Martin and Kathryn Martin while chief executive Ian Wilson owns 5 per cent. The flotation represents a part exit for the two founders, although all owners will retain a holding in the company after flotation, which is to be managed by broker Panmure Gordon.
Martin & Co has a 1.7 per cent share of the overall letting market in the UK. Although this figure is small, it is the largest business in the sector, underlining how fragmented the market is. Mr Wilson said the company was likely to pursue acquisitions of smaller rivals. “In a fragmented marketplace there’s always someone who can come in and consolidate.”
Privately-rented households in the UK have increased by 50 per cent over the 10 years to 2011, according to Census data. In 2013, Rightmove and Savills Rental Britain predicted that the number of such households would rise by 1m by 2016. “Even for people within the industry, it’s surprising the extent to which letting has mushroomed,” Mr Wilson said.
Martin & Co operates through a franchise model that offers property sales, letting and investment products where franchise owners, on lettings income alone, on average turnover £275k in year 3 and can expect to build a business value to in excess of £450k in just 5 years. Franchise owners then pay 9 per cent of revenues to the company which provides them with extensive support from the franchisor’s team at head office.
The letting market has changed over recent years with the rise of websites such as Zoopla and Rightmove. About 85 per cent of Martin & Co’s revenue comes through websites,“I think there will be consolidation in the market – it’s getting more sophisticated, you need proper training, you need digital and social media expertise,” he said. “It’s no longer enough to stick an advert in the local paper.”
Richard Martin, one of Martin & Co’s founders, is naturally very positive about the move. “This is an entirely positive development for the Martin & Co Group and all of its franchise owners and employees. A public listing will provide a platform to raise new capital which will be used to further expand and develop our franchise owners businesses through a programme of acquisitions. We may also use the funds to enable us to expand our footprint into new territories by assisting with the re-branding of competitor businesses, who may wish to develop with the backing of the biggest property franchise brand in the UK.”
This press release was featured on a variety of franchise related websites and also generated social media coverage. To find out how Coconut Creatives can help you generate great PR why not contact us!
Nov 2, 2013 | Clients in the Media, News, Uncategorized
With the worst winter for decades predicted for 2013, you might think that ice cream sales are likely to fall throughout the winter 
months. However, the new range of Hot Treats at Baskin-Robbins, now available all year round, mean that you can continue to enjoy ice cream without feeling too chilly. The Hot Treats range consists of a variety of hot desserts accompanied by your favourite ice cream flavours.
In preparation for this winter, Baskin-Robbins have added two brand new treats to the range. Buttermilk brownies and sticky toffee pudding will be joining the existing range which already includes:
- Brownie
- Waffle
- Chocolate fondant
- Rockslide brownie.
For 65 years Baskin-Robbins has been creating irresistible treats to make you smile and feel good. The Baskin-Robbins franchise opportunity offers rewarding potential. Since their foundation in 1945 they have introduced over 1,000 unique, fun and much-loved ice cream recipes, frozen drinks and ice-cream cakes. To make sure that their customers keep coming back and can discover new flavours to suit their personality on a regular basis they employ a dedicated team of chefs who explore new flavour trends and create new recipes as well as innovative new products for the ice cream market.
“The Baskin-Robbins ice cream parlour concept is fun and unique, I love the fact that there are 31 different flavours of ice cream, including fat free, sugar free and yogurt varieties available, so there is something for everyone – even those on a diet!” explains Franchisee Prem Gotru.
Baskin-Robbins are constantly updating their products to keep them interesting and more appealing than their competitors’ products. In a market with such strong competition as the ice cream market, incremental product innovation is key to establish and maintain a substantial competitive advantage. Additionally, incremental innovation, if executed properly, offers distinct advantages to franchise businesses as changes can be operationalised quickly by franchisees.
Baskin-Robbins employ a dedicated teams of chefs who explore new flavour trends and create new recipes as well as innovative new products for the ice cream market such as fondue and crepes. These new recipes and products are then tested using focus groups in the US whilst also being evaluated by franchisees in the UK.
As a result of their excellent process of incremental product innovation, Baskin-Robbins is at the forefront of offering a variety of products that meet various consumer needs across all seasons.
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Nov 1, 2013 | Clients in the Media
Ringtons taste tester at work
Mobile tea and coffee business Ringtons pride themselves on delivering top quality products to their customers. As a testament to this, their highly popular Scottish Strawberry Preserve was awarded an outstanding two star rating in the prestigious Great Taste 2013 awards.
The Great Taste awards is widely regarded as the world’s largest and most rigorous food awards. Great Taste judges blind taste over 9,700 entrants to find the very best food and drink, so it is a huge honour for businesses to be recognised by the awards.
“We’re absolutely thrilled that our constant strive to produce the best quality products has been recognised in this way. Our delicious Scottish Strawberry Preserve wowed the judges in the scheme! We sell over 80,000 jars every year so we know our customers love it and Great Taste clearly agree,” says Jon Malton, Brand Director of Ringtons.
Ringtons franchisees deliver first-class products with exceptional service and a personal and friendly touch to over 260,000 UK households. Founded in 1907, the business has a rich heritage of which it is immensely proud and the core business is still family owned to this day.
Joining Ringtons as a franchisee has never been easier or more attractive. Ringtons are so confident in their franchise model that they are now offering an unprecedented level of financial support for new franchisees. The new fee structure opens the franchise opportunity up to a significantly wider audience with the initial franchise cost being just £5,000. Ringtons will then fund the remaining £10,000 which franchisees can repay through an increased monthly Management Service Fee (MSF) over four years.
From award-winning food and drink to unique heritage collectables, the team at Ringtons head office continues to increase product range and quality to ensure their franchisees are able to offer the very latest and finest items to their ever expanding base of loyal customers.
“What we offer new franchisees is totally unique. We provide financial assistance for them to own a business which guarantees income from day one. We want our franchisees to hit the ground running with everything they need not only to operate their business successfully but with the skills and confidence to deliver exceptional customer service. We’re looking to partner with people who are passionate about starting and growing their business and being part of, and continuing, the proud Ringtons tradition,” explains Chris Clarke, Franchise Manager at Ringtons.
As part of the fully comprehensive training and launch package, new franchisees are guaranteed a minimum of 1,800 new customer orders from day one. The package also includes an exclusive territory, in-depth training programme, £3k of stock, a 3-month deposit on a VW caddie van plus all the equipment needed to successfully launch and run the business.
This press release was featured on a variety of franchise related websites and also generated social media coverage. To find out how Coconut Creatives can help you generate great PR why not
contact us!
