2013 signals record year for franchises

Results from the NatWest British Franchise Association (bfa) Franchise Survey shows that franchise businesses M&Co resized M&Co resizedacross the UK experienced a record year in 2013. And Martin & Co was no exception.

After listing on the Stock Exchange, launching a new website, and implementing a million pound sales service, Martin & Co has had both a busy and monumental year.

“What was particularly striking about Martin & Co in 2013, was the outstanding success of our franchisees,” commented Executive Head of Franchising, Penny Sanders.

“Our franchisees have great ambitions to further expand and grow their business and this has been extremely evident as a number of franchisees have outgrown their original premises, and have had to relocate into larger offices. And it’s not just relocation. Some franchisees’ ambitions have been so big that they have acquired additional offices. In 2013 alone three offices have expanded through acquisition and our four previous company shops have been bought by existing franchise owners.

“The network itself is growing too, and we’ve seen new offices launch around the country in 2013, including in Fulham and Falmouth. Along with this, the Martin & Co internal recruitment team has experienced a record-breaking year, as they placed 117 new recruits due to expansion.

“Even the network’s portfolio of properties has grown at an astounding rate. We now have 30,000 managed properties on our books, which to put it in context, equates to a town the size of Maidenhead in Berkshire!”

Martin & Co has been growing from strength to strength since it was first established in 1986, and with exciting future plans, you can expect to see even bigger things from Martin & Co in 2014.

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!

Total Clean shares its sales successes

3D_ TC Free Guide_bookcoverIt’s safe to say that 2013 was a great year for Total Clean with the launch of their franchise opportunity in March and an influx of new franchise partners building the foundations of their franchise network. With even more packed into the first half of this year, 2014 looks set to be a sparkling year for Total Clean.

Pilot franchise excels

It’s been a successful first year for Simon Youngs, Total Clean’s pilot franchise. Simon became the first Total Clean franchise partner in April 2013 and his success has certainly set the standard for future franchise partners.

“Having been instrumental in shaping the franchise model and with my previous professional training and business development experience, it made the most sense for me to operate a territory on a pilot basis. This gives me a more complete understanding of the operation of the business; allowing me to provide better guidance and training to new franchise partners as they come on board,” says Simon.

Simon opened for business in April 2013 and he hasn’t looked back since. The Total Clean franchise package provided Simon with a complete turnkey business that included everything he needed to operate his business in the first year; one which can be easily operated from home to keep overheads low. Winning annual cleaning contracts worth in excess of £125,000 in just his first 10 months of trading, the pilot is thriving despite the continued economic downturn and it only looks set to improve following a record recent three months’ sales.

More new franchise partners for 2014

Total Clean has plans for further expansion in the first quarter of 2014, with three new franchise partners due to launch in the first quarter of this year. Who knows what lays in store for the Total Clean franchise network in 2014?

“2013 was more successful than we could have hoped with the launch of our franchise opportunity. I’m pleased to see that the values on which Total Clean was founded 25 years ago have resonated with a significant number of franchise candidates – an unrelenting commitment to service excellence and an obsessive attention to detail,” explains Carlos Garcia, Total Clean’s Managing Director.

Sharing expertise

Sales is an important part of any business and the tips for success in securing client contracts in 2013 have been formalised in a FREE Quick Guide to Sales written by Total Clean’s pilot franchise partner Simon Youngs. In this free PDF guide Simon gives some great advice on handling the key steps of the sales appointment.

The guide offers five steps towards business generation and the skills you can draw on to bring in sales. It also gives some tops tips on generating sales for your business and how you should manage the initial client meeting for best results.

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!

Four more Mac men join the team!

As 2013 draws in, Mac Tools are laying the foundations for a successful 2014 already. Mac Tools are proud to welcome new vans-014four new Mac men to the team this month. Alan Myers Jow, Stephen Hindmarch, Daniel Briggs-Price and Andrew Goodall have all set out on the road in their brand new Mac Tools vans.

Mac Tools is part of Stanley Black & Decker, a £7+ billion global organisation employing over 30,000 people worldwide and owner of the 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 was feeling a bit dismayed with the role I was in previously and I wanted to work for myself and do something slightly different whilst still remaining in the motor trade, something I enjoy being part of. I looked around at a few options, including Mac Tools’ competitors, but I liked the whole set up and the way they run things at Mac. The enthusiasm of the management team really shines through. The support I have received from my Regional Franchise Manager since my launch has been very good,” explains Stephen.

Mac Tools franchisees are the trusted tool specialists for the professional technician at car dealerships, automotive repair shops, manufacturing units, and engineering companies. The brand is well-known in the automotive world and has quite often already made an impression on prospective franchisees and forms part of the reason of why they decide to invest with Mac Tools.

“I had been looking into franchising for quite a while before I chose Mac Tools, but I had used Mac Tools as a customer whilst I was working as a mechanic and I had been impressed with their service. It was a brand I was already familiar with and so it made perfect sense to invest in one of their franchises. Their new franchise package made it much easier for me to invest so it just made sense to go with them,” says Alan.

Training and support are key to the Mac Tools success. Their new development and training programme in Sheffield ensures that not only Mac Tools’ franchisees but also their support staff at the Mac Tools headquarters in Sheffield, receive continuous training that allows them to fully utilise their skills-sets.

“The training programme was excellent and I loved every minute of it! I enjoyed the training so much, I’d do it again tomorrow if I was given the chance. The excellent support has also continued now that I have launched my business. There’s always someone on the end of the phone if I ever need anything,” says Daniel.

“I became a Mac Tools franchisee because I wanted to enable myself to grow as a person and to achieve a better family life. I wanted to run my own business and the training and support from Mac Tools has allowed me to do so under the support of a great team of people who know exactly what they are doing,” adds Andrew.

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!

Ringing in the New Year with three new franchisees

Ringtons are laying the foundations for a successful 2014 as they proudly welcome three new franchisees this month. Martin Martin LawlerLawler, Jamie Lawrence and Steven Hook all join the Ringtons franchise family and will take to the roads in their brand new VW caddy vans.

Ringtons, a mobile tea and coffee business, doesn’t just deliver first-class products with exceptional service, it’s now one of the most exciting new business opportunities available! 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.

“After being made redundant, I was assessing my options in terms of jobs and future career. I already knew about Ringtons so was looking at their website thinking about jobs when I saw the ‘Join our Franchise Family’ button and I thought, ‘this is more like it!’. There wasn’t just one thing in particular that drew me to Ringtons, it was the whole package. The support team are great, they are always there for you, the products are so well known and all the franchisees and the head office team are so friendly, it’s just brilliant!” explains Steve.

“I chose franchising over starting a business for myself because I wanted the security of a proven system and more importantly a well-established and experienced company. I chose Ringtons because it ticked all those boxes, the company is 107 years old, they are financially backing their choice of franchisees and have a proven formula and business history in a market which they dominate and continue to try and improve upon,” adds Martin.

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 over four years.

“After almost 30 years in the insurance industry I had completely lost interest in my role. I desperately wanted a change and what I really wanted was to own my own business. I liked the idea of having that support from Ringtons to establish my business and after speaking to, and meeting, key members of the team, I was convinced that this could be a success for me,” says Jamie.

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. Ringtons team of expert door-to-door canvassers visit a franchisee’s territory two weeks prior to their launch to spread the good word and secure the new orders. This ensures new franchisees get off to the best possible start with income and often repeat business from their very first day of trading. The package also includes an exclusive territory, in-depth training programme, £3k of stock, a 3-month deposit on a VW caddy van plus all the equipment needed to successfully launch and run the business.

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

Ringtons Vintage Extravaganza

1505005_10153608915980440_1632880352_nHusband and wife franchise team Marc and Carol Griffiths embraced all things vintage this December as they sponsored the 4th Exmouth Velo Vintage bike ride, newly rebranded as the ‘Ringtons Velo Vintage’ in honour of their contribution and participation!

The Ringtons Velo Vintage saw in excess of 100 riders take to the roads in their best 1940’s fancy dress for a journey back in time and culminated in the centre of Exmouth for a grand award ceremony and charity prize draw. Marc and Carol provided refreshments on the day including a variety of vintage Ringtons teas and famous biscuits. Keen to fully immerse themselves in the day, Marc and Carol also sponsored the best dressed military lady and gent award, donated a prize for the raffle and sent all riders home with a Ringtons goody bag; wrapped in vintage brown ration paper of course.

“We’re so thrilled to be such a big part of the Velo Vintage, we really feel like it’s the perfect partnership! Our brands just fit so well together and everyone has commented on how much they love Rintgons, not just the taste of the tea but the brand and its heritage. We’ve definitely got lots of new customers and made some great friends so we couldn’t be happier,” says Carol.

Steeped in a rich heritage and tradition, the event organisers found Ringtons to be the perfect partner for their treasured event. Marc and Carol first became involved in the Velo Vintage in the summer of 2013 and so well received were the products, and Marc and Carol themselves, they were invited back as headline sponsors.

“There’s no denying the quality of the products offered by Marc and Carol to their customers. Everything about Ringtons aligns with us so well; getting them back for a second time was just great for us because our riders really are passionate about all things vintage! That’s not just things like packaging and quality but real values and customer service which Ringtons have by the bucket load!” explains Alistair Cope, Velo Vintage organiser.

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 lustrous heritage of which it is immensely proud and the core business is still family owned to this day.

“Business is going really well for us and that’s why we’re able to be involved with projects like the Velo Vintage. We recently expanded our business and took on a second territory which Carol now manages so the Ringtons Velo Vintage is something we’re really proud of. It’s great that we’re able to invest in brand awareness exercises like this and I think it’s a testament to how much our hard work is paying off that we were able to contribute as we have,” adds Marc

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.

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 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!

UK businesses to ramp up investment in IT skills

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A new survey from Accenture has revealed that many businesses will be investing significantly more money into IT training for their employees throughout 2014, putting innovative training companies like New Horizons in an even greater position.

In today’s society, it is not uncommon for workers to have to use a computer or other mobile device at least once a week, if not once a day. However, recent surveys have revealed a massive skills gap across industries which is only getting wider as technology advances at a rapid rate. These skill gaps mean potential losses for companies whose employees are simply not as up to speed with technology as their competitors’ employees are.

The latest survey follows news that the UK economy has just seen its third consecutive quarter of growth. Earlier this month, the International Monetary Fund upgraded its growth forecasts for the UK by more than any other advanced economy. Britain is now expected to outpace many of its European peers in terms of growth for the next five years and businesses are responding by kick-starting investment in-house in order to maximise the value and efficiency of their own workforces.

New Horizons franchisees provide essential IT training to those who are struggling to keep up with the demands of modern technology and are now offering exclusive territories in the UK. Over the last 30 years, more than 30+ million people have been made more valuable through their services.New Horizons is the world’s largest independent IT training company. With a network of over 300 training centres in 60 countries, they are Microsoft’s largest training provider, delivering more than 40% of all authorised Microsoft training worldwide.

Many training and mentoring services are often seen as a luxury and, as such, are the first to be cut when budgets are tight. However, New Horizons has witnessed a number of varying business cycles over the years and with the increased usage of virtual classroom training (New Horizons Online LIVE®) and flexible classroom training (Mentored Learning®). Franchisees enjoy a dynamic business model that allows for more consistent student demand for their services as technology continues to change and develop at a phenomenal pace. In short, New Horizons training methodologies and business strategies allow franchisees to be minimally, if at all, affected by any future downward fluctuations in the economy.

Along with an award-winning training programme and comprehensive support package, new franchisees are offered an exclusive territory in a major city along with training programmes for all employees. In addition, the package includes ongoing training events and annual conferences, a wide variety of live online events, self-paced e-learning resources and a wealth of tools that franchisees can use to train their employees.

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!