Ringing endorsement as former employee opens second territory

Marc and Carol Griffiths

Marc and Carol Griffiths

Coconut Creatives’ new client Ringtons starts May with exciting news. Their former employee Marc Griffiths is expanding his Exeter franchise with the opening of a second territory this month. As part of the expansion, Marc is welcoming his wife Carol into the business; a cause for double the celebration as Carol also becomes Ringtons first female franchisee.

Having worked for Ringtons since he was 16 years old, Marc was introduced to the idea of franchising by his assistant manager at the time. He purchased his Exeter franchise in 2010 and hasn’t looked back since.

“When the opportunity arose for me to purchase a franchise I jumped at it. I wouldn’t have chosen anything else; I didn’t even consider any other franchises. Carol has always supported me with the business, it just made great sense for her to come on board as a franchisee as well to enable us to grow the business through a second territory,” explains Marc.

“I’m excited to have officially joined the Ringtons team, I’ve always been involved helping Marc but the opportunity to develop the business by me taking on a second territory was just too good to miss. We already know support from head office is great but even so, Chris and the whole team have pulled out the stops to make sure we have a successful launch. I’m quite surprised that I’m the first female franchisee but I’m sure there’ll be more of us before long!” adds Carol.

And the plans for expansion don’t stop with territory number two; Marc and Carol plan to continue to develop and grow their franchise throughout the South West.

On average, over 165 million cups of tea and 70 million cups of coffee are consumed every day in the UK. This equates to 66% of the population drinking at least one cup of tea per day (UK Tea Council).

“I’ve just spent the week out and about on the van with Carol helping her launch her new rounds and we’ve had some brilliant days already. The canvassing team did a great job prior to the new territory going live and the orders have been pouring in!” says Chris Clarke, National Franchise Manager.

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. Ringtons is expanding with unique customer-ready franchises in Dorset and Hampshire.

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 caddy 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!

 

LABOUR PARTY VOTES FOR TOTAL CLEAN

Total Clean

Carlos Garcia

Coconut Creatives’ client Total Clean has beaten the competition and won the vote of the Labour Party’s commercial cleaning contract. They are now looking after the Labour Party headquarters in London, using the latest techniques and products, whilst always incorporating a very personal touch.

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.  It proudly boasts a 95% client retention rate.  Among its many longstanding clients, it has the privilege of enjoying one client from the very first week of operation.

When Carlos took on the business from his parents in 1995 they insisted he continued the culture of outstanding client service that won them this first client, Wolf Olins, and their parting words still ring in Carlos’ ears today: “Whatever you do, don’t let Mr. Wally Ollins down!”

Total Clean’s presentation to the Labour Party, was centred on their requirements; the very same aspects of the Total Clean service that have been key to its major growth and consistent client satisfaction ratings over its 25 years in business.

“We had strong competition for the contract and we are tremendously excited to have won the work with The Labour Party. The decision came down to our track record of service of over 25 years and our very high client and staff retention rates. Being The Labour Party, it was naturally very important that we took our environmental responsibilities very seriously and our range of own-brand eco-friendly cleaning products was also a factor in their decision,” comments Carlos Garcia, Managing Director at Total Clean.

Total Clean’s core business has achieved exceptional growth year-on-year operating within a similar size territory to the franchise territories they are now offering. The franchise package is a complete turn-key opportunity providing franchisees with everything they need to operate the business in the first year and it can easily be operated from home to keep overheads low.

“Our structured approach to awarding franchises ensures that you are not only right for Total Clean, but also that you are certain that our opportunity is the best choice for you. You can be assured that we operate the franchise with the same level of integrity as our core business.  We seek to partner with similarly ethical individuals in order to grow our UK-wide network,” adds Franchise Development Manager, Fiona Steels.

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!

 

Trio set out in shiny new Mac Tools vans

Andy Davies, Neil Dulson and Steve Marchant

Mac Tools, client of Coconut Creatives, welcomes a further three new franchisees to their UK network. Neil Dulson, Andy Davies, and Steve Marchant are the latest additions to join the network of over 115 trusted Mac Tools UK distributors.

Mac Tools are part of Stanley Black & Decker, a £7 billion organisation employing over 30,000 people worldwide. They are also the owner of the world famous Facom, Britool Expert and DeWalt brands. Over the last three years Mac Tools have achieved 25% year-on-year growth in what is considered to be a flat market.

Steve has had a varied career as a qualified, highly-skilled health and safety and ergonomics consultant with experience of working in a wide range of industries and environments before deciding to join Mac Tools. He is also a trained mechanic and was in the merchant navy directly after leaving school. So he is now embarking on another adventure and is taking to the helm of his new Mac Tools business in Northampton.

“After initial approaches and investigations, I thought I could see an opportunity, at 55 years old, to improve my standard of living, improve my job satisfaction, improve my retirement outlook and hopefully build a business that can be kept in the family. After days out with other franchisees I saw what can be achieved after 1 year, 10 years and 12 years. The rewards, job enjoyment and satisfaction were obvious and lead to an easy decision to pursue the chance of becoming a Mac-man.”

The Mac Tools line consists of over 18,000 professional tools including ratchets, wrenches, and assorted air tools, as well as its own toolboxes. This is something that particularly appealed to Neil, who is a great vehicle enthusiast. He is collecting army vehicles and is a member of the Military Vehicle Trust. Neil likes nothing more than looking back at a job well done and is now applying his dedication to his Mac Tools territory in Chester.

“I wanted to start my own business following redundancy and, after examining the competition and other options, I decided my skills and knowledge were best suited to a Mac Tools franchise. It has been hard work so far but it has also been very rewarding and the support of Keith, my franchise development manager, has been great,” adds Neil.

At the heart of Mac Tools’ success is the comprehensive training offered to its franchisees. Andy has now taken to the road in Cheltenham after completing his initial training alongside Neil and Steve. They received in-depth product, sales and business training and ongoing support from a dedicated business development manager. Andy is so convinced of the business model that he has also brought his partner Judi on board, who now looks after his bookkeeping and the administrative side of his franchise.

“The training and support network make such a difference. They want me to succeed and, even though I have a sales background and no motor trade background, I feel very much at home at Mac Tools. My first month has been a learning curve and hard work but I have already sold my first toolbox, which was definitely my favourite moment so far,” explains Andy.

“I have been made redundant 3 times in the last 18 months and decided that I needed to be master of my own destiny now. I looked at various franchises and Mac Tools seemed to fit my sales background more than most. I am used to selling high-quality products and Mac Tools fits right in there. I believe that people buy from people, so customer rapport and service are key to long-term success,” adds Andy.

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!

SPEAKERS SET TO INSPIRE SUCCESS THIS SPRING AND SUMMER

Clive Woodward

Clive Woodward

Being your own boss has never been more popular – the number of people running their own business has risen by 367,000 since the start of the economic downturn in 2008.[i] For those people looking to be their own boss, yet enjoy the support of a well-known brand and support network, buying a franchise in a fast-expanding industry like business coaching is a tempting proposition.

ActionCOACH is the world’s leading business coaching firm and their coaches use their training, experience and skills to motivate other business owners and help them achieve success.

But who motivates the coaches? Who can they turn to for guidance and inspiration?

ActionCOACH see this issue as extremely important and so their franchise partners benefit from having access to a wide range of inspirational speakers. ActionCOACH regularly invites its franchise partners to events where they can hear success stories from high-powered entrepreneurs or take part in workshops with experts in everything from improving information retention to change management.

Already, in February, the ActionCOACH conference held in Portugal welcomed not only ActionCOACH Founder and Chairman Brad Sugars but also Sir Clive Woodward. Sir Clive is one of the most successful British sports coaches of recent times leading the England Rugby team to World Cup Victory in 2003 and playing a key role in delivering the most successful British performance in an Olympic Games as the Director of Elite Performance for the British Olympic Association for the 2012 Games. His talk on “Creating Champions” transfers his experience in the sporting arena to the world of business to help business owners reach their potential.

ActionCOACH has an exciting programme of speakers lined up for Spring and Summer 2013. Action Coaches are also encouraged to invite their coaching clients to take advantage of learning from inspiring speakers including:

  •   The UK’s leading speed reading trainer Alex Garcez, who explains how to quickly absorb and retain information
  •   Michelle Clarke, the UK’s leading expert on Talent Dynamics Pathway,
  •  Andy Hemming, of ActionCOACH, sharing his insights on keeping an ActionCOACH franchise simple and profitable and how to build a team of coaches in the West Midlands
  •  The fascinating story of William Kendal, founder of The New Covent Garden Soup Company, speaking about the trials and successes of growing his business before selling up to buy Green & Black’s, which he and his colleagues then sold to Cadbury’s in 2005
  • Damian Hughes lecturing on change management, he has written books including: “How to Change Absolutely Anything”, “Liquid Leadership”, “Liquid Thinking”, “Change Inspiration” and “The Survival Guide to Change”
  • Adrian Webster will offer his expertise during a workshop on team building and customer service. He is also well-published, having written “Polar Bear Pirates and Their Quest to Reach Fat City” and “Polar Bear Pirates and Their Quest to Engage Sleep Walkers”.
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!

OPC wins National Costcutter Supplier Award

Kim Richardson (OPC) and Sir Michael Bibby (Costcutter)

National supermarket group Costcutter has awarded Silver for the National Direct to Store Supplier Award to Coconut Creatives’ client The Original Poster Company (OPC) at its annual Supplier of the Year ceremony.

The awards ceremony in Harrogate was attended by over one hundred top suppliers from across the United Kingdom. The Costcutter Supplier of the Year awards recognise suppliers who have been dedicated and supportive in helping Costcutter retailers increase sales. At the awards ceremony suppliers in 11 different categories including national direct to store suppliers were rewarded for their hard work. Costcutter deals with 350 direct to store suppliers, both regional and national across a variety of products, so this was a great honour for OPC, having only been supplying the group with greetings cards for 6 years.

Established in 1991, OPC is the world’s leading greeting card distribution franchise, operating in an industry worth over £1.4 billion just in the UK. OPC’s franchise network has had complete UK coverage for over 20 years and is a full member of the British Franchise Association.

Kim Richardson, National Account Manager for OPC, pictured here with Sir Michael Bibby, Managing Director of Costcutter’s owner Bibby Line Group Ltd, at the awards ceremony, says:

“All of us at OPC are extremely proud and honoured to receive this award for great service, product and increasing sales within the Costcutter group. This is due to a combined effort from our franchisees, OPC support office and sales team, and the Costcutter buying and sales team.”

Over 90% of OPC’s franchisees surveyed agree that their home-based franchise system gives them the flexibility to enjoy their family life. Some franchisees are now selling their existing territories as they retire or move on to new business opportunities, creating huge potential for new owners to step in! These franchise resale territories are already established, so you start with an existing profitable business, including stock, cash flow and customers.

All new franchise owners follow an initial comprehensive training programme with regular ongoing field support from a dedicated Business Development Manager. This provides you with all the support you need to grow your sales and keep overheads low, whilst achieving great profit margins.

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!