Last year was a fantastic year for CeX (Complete entertainment eXchange), the revolutionary recycling retailer, whose global store count now tops 169 across three continents. With 20 years of experience, CeX has built a trusted brand that buys and sells a focused yet complimentary range of second hand digital electronics and entertainment products. CeX’s unique approach to the sector has recently been reported as the best place to sell your goods in independent surveys by the Consumers’ Association, Which?, ITV and the BBC.

CeX grew from 126 stores in the UK to 144 in 2011 with franchise stores leaping from 66 to 81 by the end of the year. 2012 looks to be the best year yet with 50 UK stores due to open and strong interest from prospective franchise owners keen to join the success.

CeX also saw considerable expansion internationally, with Spanish operations doubling their store count from five to ten stores, including the region’s first franchise store. US operations also opened new outlets on the East and West Coast, including two in San Francisco.

CeX has also rolled the brand out to new regions with its first Master Franchise in Ireland, which opened in April, and late 2011 saw CeX enter Asia with four stores opening across India. With continued expansion planned for both established and new regions, 2012 is looking to be the busiest year ever for CeX.

Cube has now arranged up to 100 per cent funding for the purchase of their franchise offer. This facility is available from one of the big four banks, and payments are spread over five years at a very attractive APR. Stuart Levin, Chairman of Cube said: “This is quite a coup for us and will help prospective franchisees who are short of cash for the purchase of an area. It will also help applicants who wish to purchase more than one territory, but only have the liquid funds for one.”
This offer is subject to status.

Jamie Williamson has purchased the Portsmouth franchise of leading transport and logistics recruiter, Driver Hire.

Jamie, brings 20 years’ of financial and business experience to his franchise. He worked for DHL Express and, more recently, Rentokil Initial Washrooms and Textiles Division. For the latter he was Chief of Staff to their European CEO and was based in Belgium with responsibility for managing change across 16 businesses throughout Europe. He also has previous experience of franchising which, by way of recommendation, brought him to Driver Hire.

“I was looking for a new challenge and this opportunity with Driver Hire came along,” says Jamie. To ensure he gets away to a flying start Jamie has completed an in-depth two-week training course to learn the basics of his new business. He’ll be working alongside experienced colleagues Mike St John Mosse, Roy Lovatt and Debbie Booker.

“Our focus will be on client retention and delivering added value to our market-leading service,” Jamie concludes.

Out of hours Jamie loves football and golf. Much of his spare time is taken up as the Chairman of Evo Stick Division One team, Fleet Town FC.

The UK’s largest specialist supplier, Driver Hire provides temporary and permanent drivers and other logistics staff to local and national organisations in both the public and private sector. If they’re short of staff – perhaps because of illness, holidays or seasonal demand – Driver Hire will supply them with a suitable replacement.

Why not make 2012 the year to start your own business or grow your existing business with the advantage of the Century 21 brand name.

The Merseyside Franchise Show is being held at Aintree Racecourse, Liverpool, on Saturday January 28, from 9:30am until 4:00pm. If you would like to find out more about being an estate and letting agency with Century 21 UK please come along.

Click here to read more about Century 21 franchises, available throughout the UK.

McDonald’s UK has today announced it is creating at least 2,500 new jobs across the UK this year. This will take McDonald’s UK workforce to 90,000.

The announcement will be welcomed by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who was visiting McDonald’s UK training centre in East Finchley, London, on Tuesday January 24.

As part of McDonald’s commitment to supporting young people, an estimated 30% of the new jobs will go to first-time workers, helping them gain a valuable first foothold in the world of work. More than half of the 2,500 jobs are expected to go to young people under the age of 25.

The new jobs build on the 13,500 jobs McDonald’s has created over the last three years and come as a result of a continued period of sustained investment and growth driven by:

• New restaurants and extended opening hours
• Major restaurant refurbishment programme and roll-out of new technology
• Constant menu innovation and new menu options

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: “It is fantastic news that McDonald’s is creating 2,500 new jobs in the UK – and that over half of these posts will go to young people.

“McDonald’s has an excellent reputation for developing its staff with training and apprenticeship programmes. This invests valuable time and resources to help young people, with little or no experience in the world of work, to develop their skills and confidence. In the end, that gives young people a terrific opportunity to move up within the company, or use their experience and training to move into other jobs. It’s a telling fact that half of McDonald’s current board have progressed from the shop floor to the top floor, having started their careers serving customers in the restaurant.”

The Deputy Prime Minister will attend a scheduled training course for restaurant managers and meet a number of crew members, many of whom are completing nationally recognised qualifications like apprenticeships while they work. For a significant number of these young people, their jobs at McDonald’s are the first step in their careers.

Prime Minister David Cameron also praised the news, stating, “I am delighted to welcome McDonald’s announcement of new jobs. McDonald’s has a great record in investing in the UK and providing excellent training, apprenticeships and opportunities for its staff.”

Jill McDonald, CEO, McDonald’s UK, said: “Despite these difficult economic conditions our continued emphasis on good quality food at affordable prices and improving the experience for our customers and our people, has meant that we are able to continue to invest in the business and create jobs.

“Today’s job market is particularly tough for young people so it remains vital that these jobs continue to offer great training programmes that teach the valued, transferable skills that will give them a solid footing on the career ladder and help them to progress their careers with us or other employers.”

McDonald’s has awarded almost 35,000 qualifications from maths and English certificates to Foundation Degrees in the past five years. It will build on this figure significantly in 2012 to support the growing number of employees who choose to study whilst working at McDonald’s.

The lifelong dreams of 82 children have been realised as a result of the hard work and fundraising efforts by staff at Cash Converters. The UK’s number one retailer of pre-owned goods has announced that it has raised £150,000 for national children’s charity, Dreams Come True since its partnership began in 2007.

More than 200 staff across the Cash Converters network of 208 stores have helped raise money for the worthwhile charity. Some staff have cycled more than 300 miles from London to Paris, some have taken part in the London Marathon, running 26.2 miles around the capital city, while some enjoyed a leisurely but competitive round of golf helping to raise thousands of pounds for children across the UK.

Carl Murray, managing director of 26 stores in and around London, has participated in a number of fundraising events and holds the charity very close to his heart. He said: “Raising money for such a meaningful charity really helps make the gruelling fundraising challenges feel like a walk in the park. Knowing that I, personally, am helping to make the dream of a young person come true makes all the hard work worthwhile.”

Aside from the large scale events held on a regular basis by Dreams Come True the network of 208 stores have helped contribute to the overall sum by hosting a range of in-store charity days, raffles and competitions. These events, coupled with the public’s awareness of the cause, have helped secure media interest for the charity across the UK.

“Since our partnership began with Dreams Come True, Cash Converters franchisees and staff have put in a tremendous amount of effort to hit their fundraising targets and it’s very rewarding knowing that we have helped such a fantastic charity,” said chief executive David Patrick.

Dreams Come True helps children with both life threatening and long-term illness. They help liaise, coordinate, organise, fund and often accompany the Dream child – to ensure that each child has an unforgettable experience fulfilling their dream, with wonderful memories to share with loved ones and friends.

Each dream is unique. Some children want to meet their celebrity hero or favourite Disney character while others want to visit their grandparents abroad, ride a unicorn, swim with dolphins or work on a fashion magazine. Many want help with their everyday lives and Dreams Come True is delighted to provide vital sensory equipment, wheelchairs or specially adapted bicycles as well.

Peter Newman, chief executive of Dreams Come True said: “Cash Converters is a renowned and popular national retailer, we really value the relationship that has been established over the last four years.

“The result of the Cash Converters partnership has made all the difference to help bring happiness and joy to the lives of some very special and brave children. We really appreciate the help and support of everyone who has got involved with the fundraising events over the years.”

Cartridge Green has announced they are opening their first UK-based store in the South East. Cartridge Green is Ireland’s leading franchised supplier of printer cartridges and printing solutions for home and business users.

Cartridge Green’s co-founder and Director of Franchising Nik Healy said: “We are delighted to be entering the UK as all along the Cartridge Green franchise model has been developed, tested and perfected with the UK market in mind.

“The potential for the Cartridge Green franchise model in the UK is huge because of higher urban population densities and lower levels of competition when compared to Ireland. All the best territories are still available for single or multi-unit franchises so if you are looking for something new, exciting and highly profitable then you should talk to us.

“We will be working extremely closely with our new franchise owners to assist them in achieving their goals in the shortest possible timeframe as well as continuing to attract ambitious business people to share Cartridge Green’s success in other parts of the UK.

“The key driver of Cartridge Green’s success has been innovation in how we deliver our products and services and our strong attention to brand identity and consistency. Cartridge Green isn’t your typical, dark, back street printer cartridge refill store. We have specifically designed products that offer great value and service for both home and business users and most importantly excellent profits for the franchise owne.”

2012 is going to be a great year for Cartridge Green with the first of five stores opening shortly in the South East.

At the end of 2011, intensive theory and practical driving school, 5DAY, opened its second training school in Manchester, which has already proven to be very popular with course bookings almost doubling on a weekly basis. Following the success of the newly launched 5DAY branch, company founders Richard and Jo Minkler are more eager than ever to continue its national expansion through franchising.

It’s the unique approach to the teaching of both the theory and practical elements of driving that puts 5DAY streets ahead of the competition.

When the time comes to begin thinking about Christmas, interest is always generated in The Christmas Decorators franchise. Yet, given the nature of the business, it is difficult to plan meetings for potential franchise owners during the run up to Christmas.

Last September, we started planning an Open Day, which was held on Tuesday, 20th December 2011. Six potential franchise owners from very different parts of the United Kingdom were able to attend. They took the opportunity to discuss ideas with like-minded guests and ask questions about the business.

Nick Bolton, the owner of The Christmas Decorators, with his Franchise Managers, Ged Comerford and Maurice Kelleher, spoke about the business and gave an insight into what new franchise owners could expect from it. Presentations were made by Tony Urwin, Director of FDS North, and Anna Beaumont, from Kenyon Fraser, the PR group acting for The Christmas Decorators.

Later in the afternoon, as darkness fell, the guests were taken on a walking tour of Liverpool city centre to see Christmas displays installed at various locations, including the Philharmonic Hall.

The whole event was extremely successful – from feedback given on the day it was clear the guests thought it was a great way to learn all about the business in a relaxed and informal way. In particular, they all considered that it was an excellent opportunity to be able to see some existing displays and discover more about the fitting of Christmas lights and decorations. It is likely that several new franchise owners will join Christmas Decorators as a result of the Open Day.

Discussions will be held with The Christmas Decorators soon as to the potential of organising another, similar event in the spring of 2012 for those interested people who couldn’t attend last December.

Laurence Fitch was the General Manager of a family company importing ceramic tiles throughout the South East. He left early in 2008 due to the downturn in the economic climate. His wife, Ruth, had spent the last 10 years working for an international investment bank in the City. She had the opportunity to take redundancy from the bank in August 2008.

Laurence recalls: “Both Ruth and I knew that we wanted to run our own business but could not decide what we wanted to do. We felt that franchising gave us the ideal balance of choosing our own business with the support of an established organisation. I visited The British and International Franchise Exhibition at Olympia while Ruth was abroad and found that having a full range of franchises under one roof was extremely beneficial. I came across Auditel and was immediately impressed with their business model and how well it suited the current economic situation. Having spent several months researching, we joined their network in September 2008.”

Ruth adds: “I do not recall experiencing a recruitment ‘process’ with Auditel. My experience was a two-way, open exploration of the business opportunity – open, honest, professional and caring. The values, principles and culture of the organisation were strongly evident. I felt confident that the decision was mine and it was the right path for us.”

They both agreed that the training was outstanding, quickly allowing them to develop their skills so that they could push their business forward. Laurence comments: “The benefits we have received from having the support of our mentors and the Auditel network of over 200 consultants has been outstanding – even the most obscure problem we have faced has been explained quickly by somebody who has experienced something similar!”

Laurence and Ruth have become well established within the marketplace of cost management. They have succeeded in growing a comprehensive client base, many of whom offer glowing testimonials. Their growing reputation, both in the business community and the Auditel network has been fully recognised. Laurence and Ruth were the ‘Rising Stars of the Year’ in 2009 and ‘Franchise of the Year’ in 2010. Ruth has become a member of the Auditel Franchise Advisory Council and Laurence, a Regional Principal for the NW London Group.

Franchising has evidently been very good for Laurence and Ruth. They declare: “This end result is from one of the best business decisions of our lives!”