Jun 10, 2014 | Clients in the Media, News
Martin & Co has been recognised for its outstanding customer service by the largest award 
scheme in the UK residential property industry. Martin & Co fought off stiff competition from both large and corporate letting agents and was awarded Bronze for Best Large Letting Chain at the Estate and Letting Agent Awards (ESTAS) 2014.
The ESTAS determine the best agents in the industry through research carried out amongst customers, who are asked a series of questions about the service they receive from their agent. This year, the competition saw 32,000 votes cast by landlords across the country.
Since they first entered the awards in 2009, Martin & Co have scooped eight national and 30 regional awards and this year, 11 Martin & Co offices were shortlisted for regional awards. The Yeovil office, owned and managed by Emma Higgins was shortlisted in the South West region category, which is a fantastic achievement considering that the office has only been open for two years! To be recognised as leaders in their local areas is great news and continues to spread awareness of the brand across the country and gives a real boost to the whole franchise network.
Martin & Co have been consistently recognised by clients for its award winning service and have previously won Gold for Best Large Letting Chain at the ESTAS in 2009 and 2012, as well as Silver in 2010, 2011 & 2013 and of course, Bronze this year.
“We are thrilled to have not only been nominated for this award for the sixth year running but to have taken a place on the winner’s podium again! The ESTAS are particularly significant because it is the landlords who use our services who determine the award winners,” explains Penny Sanders, Executive Head of Franchising at Martin & Co.
“It is also important to recognise all of the offices that were shortlisted, as this contributed to our national award win. We are extremely proud that so many of our offices were shortlisted in their regional categories and it just goes to show that the hard work they put into maintaining the standard of their customer service really pays off.”
TV expert Phil Spencer hosted the 11th annual ESTAS 2014 in London earlier this month. Along with Martin & Co, 700 of the UK’s top estate and letting agents attended the ceremony.
Martin & Co is one of the only property agency franchises that offer lettings and estate agency with UK-wide recognition. With a network of just under 200 franchise offices, they are the largest property franchise business in the UK. With a strong online and high street presence, the secret of Martin & Co’s franchise owner’s success is that they can provide local property knowledge whilst being backed by a national brand.
Martin & Co’s franchise owners take market share in their dedicated franchise territories using their support, sales training and understanding of best practice in the property industry. On lettings income alone, on average Martin & Co’s franchise owners who are high-street based turnover £245k in year 3 and you can expect to build your business value to in excess of £380k in just 5 years.
You can find out more about the Martin & Co franchise opportunity by visiting www.propertyfranchise.co.uk
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
Jun 10, 2014 | Coconut in the Media, News
The NatWest EWIF Awards 2014 ceremony took place in Central London on Thursday 22nd
May in front of over 100 guests from the world of franchising including sponsors Bartercard, Coconut Creatives, McDonald’s, Merry Maids and The Franchise Show.
EWIF (Encouraging Women into Franchising) is a not-for-profit organisation that aims to encourage women to buy a franchise business, to franchise their existing business or to help existing franchise operations to attract more female franchisees and they run regular meetings across the UK. This year, the awards event was even bigger and better thanks to the hard work of all their volunteers from the franchise industry.
Coconut Creatives was proud to sponsor the prestigious Franchisor of the Year award. We had a tough decision to make and, after weighing up the finalists, we presented the award to Lisa Suswain, Managing Director at Wagging Tails, for her dedication to the franchise industry. Lisa’s passion for her business shone through and it is clear that she is doing something she loves.
Lisa set up Wagging Tails after an injury forced her to retire as a professional ballet dancer. She wanted to do something she was passionate about and so decided to follow a career in the pet care industry. Wagging Tails provides a home from home for dogs whilst their owners are a way on holiday and offers something a little different to the traditional kennels.
“Lisa is clearly passionate about her business and she is really working hard towards being an ambassador for her industry at all levels. All the candidates gave strong entries but Lisa demonstrated a deep understanding of her business, forging the way not only in the franchising arena but in her industry as a whole. Lisa has shown an unrelenting level of professionalism and pursuit of excellence in every area of her business showing that she clearly values her franchisees’ success as much as her own,” explains Sarah Carlile, Director of Coconut Creatives.
“It was a tough decision and the competition was high quality but Lisa definitely stood out in the category. Lisa is a true entrepreneur and has built the business up to be the successful franchise it is today. We hope that Lisa is as proud to add this award to her collection as we were to present her with it,” adds Sally Anne Butters, Director of Media at Coconut Creatives.
The ceremony was a massive success, commenting on the day Louise Harris, Co-chair of EWIF said:
“It’s great to know that we have honoured some of the best in the industry, both upcoming and established women franchising. We hope it will inspire women everywhere to take a closer look at franchising as an option, either buying into one of the many women friendly businesses available or franchising their own business.”
You can find out more about EWIF and the valuable work it does within the franchise community plus more about this year’s award winners by visiting www.ewif.org
May 30, 2014 | Clients in the Media, News
Three new franchise partners have finished their training and opened their doors for business with Total Clean. Duncan Whitehead, David Grant
and Eric White have joined the team and are ready and raring to go.
Eric and Duncan have only been trading for a couple of weeks but they have already managed to secure their first cleaning contracts. Total Clean’s support and training helps franchise partners get off to the best start possible and the results are clear to see.
“For me, taking a franchise on was both a daunting and exciting experience and I looked at the training as the first step on my big journey. The training provided was just like every other step of the process, quite simply fantastic. Carlos, Simon and the team did everything possible to explain every step of the sales process and describe in detail the business model that makes Total Clean the stand out choice for anyone interested in getting involved in a commercial cleaning franchise. At the end of my training I felt thoroughly prepared to start the next step of my journey running my own commercial cleaning business,” explains Duncan, Total Clean Blackpool.
The Total Clean management model is a complete turnkey business opportunity. The franchise package provides franchise partners like Duncan, Eric and David with everything they require to hit the ground running and power their new business.
“I left my previous role in order to take more control of my career. I chose Total Clean because I wanted to benefit from a proven business model and guidance from people who have done it before and know what they are talking about. I didn’t consider any other franchises apart from Total Clean – the decision just felt right to me and knowing that I would save on overheads because you do not need any premises was another deciding factor for me,” adds Eric, Total Clean Manchester.
“We give our franchise partners all the tools they need to replicate the success of our business; operating within a similar size territory to our core business and receiving a complete turnkey management franchise opportunity. The model is very practical, very workable and provides franchise partners with the opportunity to grow as quickly as they wish in order to meet their business and life goals,” explains Carlos Garcia, Group Managing Director at Total Clean.
Total Clean has operated in the commercial cleaning sector for 25 years, with a success that is based on an unrelenting commitment to service excellence and an obsessive attention to detail. They proudly boast an enviable 95% client retention rate; in fact, among our many longstanding clients, we have the privilege of still servicing one client from the very first week of operation.
If you would like to find out more about the Total Clean franchise opportunity then visit www.totalcleanfranchise.co.uk or call 0207 935 5089.
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
May 28, 2014 | Coconut in the Media, News
Coconut Creatives’ Director of Media, Sally Anne Butters, received her latest accolade as Woman Service Provider of the Year at the 2014 NatWest EWIF Awards yesterday. This is the fifth time the awards have been held and, interestingly, this award was won by Coconut’s founding director Sarah Carlile back in 2010.
EWIF (Encouraging Women Into Franchising) is a not-for-profit organisation that aims to encourage women to get involved in franchising, whether buying one or developing their existing business into a franchise opportunity, running regular meetings across the UK. This year, their awards event was even bigger and better thanks to the hard work of all their volunteers from the franchise industry.
Commenting on the day Louise Bruce, co-chair of EWIF, said, “As ever, a wonderful day, positive in both theme and spirit. Every year our judges struggle to choose between the worthy entrants who make it through to the finals and this year was no different.”
Louise Harris, co-chair of EWIF, concurred, “It’s great to know we have honoured some of the best in the industry, both upcoming and established women in franchising. We hope it will inspire women everywhere to take a closer look at franchising an as option, either buying into one of the many women-friendly businesses available or franchising their own business.”
Marcelle Ingrouille, Head of Franchise Recruitment, at Merry Maids who sponsored the Woman Service Provider of the Year award explained that Sally had been chosen as the winner due not only to the significant growth in her own business but also the great results for her clients showing a real return on investment from their franchise recruitment marketing activities.
Sally realised she was the winner when Marcelle mentioned her latest fundraising attempt with the Three Peaks Challenge, “At that point, I realised it must be me they were talking about. How many other people in the room could have been mad enough to try such a challenge on the hottest day of last summer?!”
“In all seriousness, it is a real honour to receive the award and it’s great to be recognised for a job well done. EWIF is a great organisation be part of and we’d like to thank the Louises for the tremendous developments they have led over the last two years as co-chairs.”
Graeme Jones, Head of Franchising at NatWest said, “Franchising has proven itself once again to be a great way to get into business. EWIF provide a tremendous source of support and we are delighted to celebrate these awards.”
If you would like to encourage more women into your franchise network, why not contact us!
May 28, 2014 | Clients in the Media, News
Baskin-Robbins have announced this month that they have scored a victory over one of its biggest ice cream shop rivals after securing a franchise deal to replace Ben & Jerry’s at Cineworld cinemas across Britain. This expanded deal also includes any future Cineworld sites which is brilliant news for the Baskin-Robbins franchise network because it will provide the brand with much greater exposure across the UK.
Under this new agreement, Baskin-Robbins kiosks have been added to 42 Cineworld cinemas across the UK and Ireland. This adds to the existing 18 at Cineworld units, taking the total to 60 out of the 80 Cineworld cinemas in the UK.
“The target market for Cineworld and the target market for us is almost identical. It’s young people and young families treating themselves to a blockbuster and, at the same time, treating themselves to a Baskin-Robbins ice cream. It works brilliantly for us,” explains Jim Johnstone, General UK Manager at Baskin-Robbins.
The Cineworld agreement is part of a much larger campaign to open more Baskin-Robbins stores and kiosks in the UK. They are hoping to secure a further 80 high-street locations across the UK over the next five years.
“We’ve opened around 12 new high street stores in the last 18 months. We are opening more of these this year and we are looking at actively recruiting franchisees for them right across the country. On top of that we are also looking for markets similar to Cineworld – not competing but other captive environments where we could do a similar offer.”
“The beauty of the Cineworld deal is it puts the Baskin-Robbins brand into cities and towns all over the country. Because one’s a captive market and one’s a high street, they don’t steal trade from each other. These kinds of deals are brilliant for both our existing and future franchisees. Existing franchisees benefit from the brand exposure and bring in more business and future franchisees will have a demand and awareness of their stores before they’ve even opened,” explains Jim.
Baskin-Robbins is the world’s largest chain of ice cream speciality stores operating in a market worth $1.8 billion. Since 1945, Baskin-Robbins have introduced over 1,000 unique, fun and much-loved ice cream recipes and frozen drinks including our famous ice-cream cakes. Baskin-Robbins stores continue to be popular as their products are an affordable treat for families and they sell in excess of 300 million scoops of ice cream each year across 7,300 stores in 50 countries.
Baskin-Robbins already has 150 stores in the UK and is now offering single store opportunities for new franchisees. Single store investments require a minimum £60k liquid capital for a minimum total launch cost of £120k, of which 50% will normally be funded by a high street bank. A typical franchise portfolio containing 5 stores has the potential to turnover £1 million in the first full year of trading with EBITDA of 10-15%.
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
May 5, 2014 | Clients in the Media, News
With the financial year coming to an end recently, many businesses will now be facing large fines for not having their tax returns in on time. This year, HMRC estimated that 710,000 returns still hadn’t been completed and, so, many people will be facing fines which, although they start at just £100, can often build up to several hundreds of pounds if forms are not submitted promptly and tax remains unpaid.
With bookkeeping firmly in the front of business owners’ minds, now couldn’t be a better time to become a Rosemary Bookkeeping franchise partner. As thousands now face fines of, on average, £500, many will be looking to employ reliable bookkeepers so that they can avoid the unwelcome stress and financial penalties next year. Rosemary Bookkeeping’s head office team help their franchise partners tap into this lucrative market and provide their services to those who are in need.
With over 4 MILLION businesses in the UK that NEED this service, the demand for quality bookkeeping is endless. Rosemary Bookkeeping franchise partners take the hassle out of a business’ bookkeeping throughout the year so that last minute scrabbles to get returns in become a thing of the past. The result is a stress free solution to a very real business issue. Business owners can have the confidence that their books are fully compliant and well organised.
“Becoming a franchise partner at this time of year is always a great move because there are so many businesses who simply did not get their bookkeeping sorted in time and are facing massive fines. The financial pain is very real, especially for SMEs who actively search for a solution. This provides our franchise partners with an influx of clients who will remain with them for a number of years. Whether you’re someone looking to start out on their own for the first time or an existing bookkeeper who wants the prestige and support of a recognised and trusted brand, now is a great time to invest,” explains Lisa Curteis, Franchise Recruitment Director.
Rosemary Bookkeeping delivers intelligent bookkeeping services to SMEs, accountants and franchisors ensuring a consistency of delivery and high-quality work. Their practical, down-to-earth and friendly approach provides clients with information that enables them to understand and make decisions on their business, gives peace of mind that HMRC will be happy, whilst charges are fair and reasonable.
The Rosemary Bookkeeping franchise is based on a business concept that has been established and refined since 2002. The business offers a unique bookkeeping system within a fully-supported franchise package focused on providing flexibility to its owner with superb work-life balance potential.
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
scheme in the UK residential property industry. Martin & Co fought off stiff competition from both large and corporate letting agents and was awarded Bronze for Best Large Letting Chain at the Estate and Letting Agent Awards (ESTAS) 2014.
