Councillor Avril Slipper Toasts Franchisees and Welcomes Local Investment in London Borough

As the nation’s largest retail kitchen facelift franchise, Dream Doors now boasts a network of more than 30 showrooms. Spanning the country from Exeter to Lancaster and from Bolton to Bath, Dream Doors has grown from its humble beginnings as a single outfit in Gosport.

Last week, Dream Doors franchisees, Lorna and Roy Easthope opened the company’s latest showroom in the London Borough of Croydon. Joining friends, family and customers of the Easthope’s were Dream Doors Managing Director, Troy Tappenden – who started the franchised business over a decade ago – and the Mayor of Croydon, Councillor Avril Slipper.

“I’m delighted to see such an exciting new business open in Croydon,” said Councillor Slipper. “It really is a super shop, with a strong brand behind it. And replacing kitchen doors is such a simple idea, no wonder Dream Doors is growing in this climate when others have sadly failed.”

After cutting the ribbon, Councillor Slipper joined the guests in raising a glass of champagne to toast the Easthope’s new venture. She went on to say: “It’s so important to have variety in these smaller local shopping parades. In the past few years the only businesses that seem to open are takeaways and charity shops. People want to shop locally, where they can get to know and trust the business owners. This is great news for Croydon, and I know Lorna and Roy will make a success of their franchise.”

Prominently located beside a pedestrian crossing on the busy Shirley Road, the showroom benefits from good passing trade. “Cars are slowing down and stopping outside all day long,” says Roy. “The busiest time is between four and five in the afternoon, where hundreds of cars must see our shop front. Local awareness is steadily building, and we’ve had plenty of people knocking on the showroom door before we even opened. Soon, Dream Doors will be as well known here in Croydon as it is in Gosport, and in all those areas that have had shops for six or seven years. Dream Doors is a big name nationally, and that’s one of the reasons I bought into the brand. I know that Dream Doors Croydon will have more kudos than Roy’s Kitchens ever could!”

He continues: “We’ve been building up to this weekend for months, working long hours project managing the showroom fit-out as well as going out on appointments. It has been hard work, but we’ve had lots of help from friends and family. And we get great support from head office – in particular Bryn Jones, Dream Doors’ Southern Franchise Manager.”

Six months after joining the franchise, Roy is relishing being his own boss and running a family business in a sector that, pre-Dream Doors, he had no direct experience in. “I’ve worked in sales and in retail for all of my career, but never in the kitchen industry,” he says. “I’d got disheartened with corporate life and was fed up of going through the motions in soulless meetings. So when I moved on from a senior position at Woolworths, I knew I couldn’t face that life any more. This is what I left the corporate arena for. I’m more excited about Dream Doors than anything I’ve done before. It is a steep learning curve, but I enjoy the pressure. And what’s more, I get to work alongside my wife, and see much more of my family.”

Cash Converters International Ltd has announced 2010 as its most successful financial year in the company’s 24 year history, largely thanks to the growth of its UK operations, Cash Converters UK Ltd.

The Australian based, second hand goods and financial services provider has reported a record profit result of AUD$21.6 million for the year ended 30 June, up 34.2% on the previous year. Cash Converters UK Ltd has seen store numbers increase by a record 21 to 157 during this period.

The Company owned store strategy has gained momentum with the acquisition this year of 13 franchised stores, four in the UK and nine in Australia. In addition five new Company owned stores were opened in the UK, taking total corporate store numbers to 58. At least 12 new Company owned stores are planned for the UK in 2011.

David Patrick, chief executive of Cash Converters UK, said: “Our continued store growth reflects the popularity of the range of services, from financial services, pawnbroking and laybys, to buybacks, that Cash Converters is able to provide.

“As traditional forms of borrowing are becoming less widely available, people from all walks of life are realising the benefits of the various services offered by Cash Converters to meet short term financial requirements. The extension of our financial service offering, with the launch of cash advance and personal loans products in the UK in October 2009 has been a strong factor in these results, alongside store openings and acquisitions. We are currently implementing a franchisee recruitment drive to ensure continued store growth with plans for 200 stores open by June 2011.”

Cash Converters is the UK’s number one retailer buying and selling pre-owned goods and a financial services provider.

Affordable and flexible franchise packages that give a great work life balance

Snack-in-the-Box (SITB) has developed a creative solution for potential franchisees with insufficient funds. “We have looked at a number of ways to reduce our franchise start-up costs without cutting back on the crucial support that each new franchisee needs” says Sales Director Matt O’Neil.

“Subject to qualification, we are now able to arrange deferred payments for high calibre candidates who need a little extra financial help at the outset. However, the circumstances must be right for both Snack-in-the-Box and the new franchisee. Prospective franchisees must have the right financial profile, a positive attitude, and ability to succeed. If we feel they will make a success of their business, then we will help them. We wouldn’t do that if we didn’t believe in them, or in our business.”

Snack-in-the-Box is now able to create a franchise package that suits the aspirations, earnings potential and pocket of each franchise owner.

The Self Service Box Franchise is typically a full time business opportunity for the majority of our Franchise owners. However SITB has a growing number of “Working Mums” who want to run their own business whilst still maintaining family commitments. This business suits two people who want to work part time. By sharing the operation of the franchise, typically dedicating 2 or 3 days a week each to the business, many have been able to achieve this goal of a work life balance.

The Compact Vending Franchise is now also available as a part-time business opportunity with fewer machines. This is well suited to mature franchise owners who only want to work 2 or 3 days a week and top up their pensions. However the Compact Vending Franchise also suits the serious business minded individual who wants a Full time business as “man & Van” or even a multi-van business.

Click here to read further details about the two options available for Snack-in-the-Box franchise owners.

Franchising is great for single businessmen and women who want to get ahead, but it can also be a great opportunity for family members to work together.

That’s exactly what mother and daughter team Jan and Emma Stewart have done with the help of the Molly Maid franchise network.

Jan and Emma were looking for franchise opportunities when they were immediately attracted to the professional services and the established brand that Molly Maid could offer.

So the pair set about starting up their Molly Maid franchise in Swansea and were immediately impressed with the business model that was in operation at the franchise network.

The reason that the mother and daughter team chose Molly Maid was because of the reputation that the franchise has for excellent quality and for being a reliable business.

So Jan and Emma began the training programme to learn all about the network and how they would fit in with it.

The thing that they really relished was that they could start to build a loyal customer base and could also create some great job opportunities.

As more and more people decide to get help with their household chores, the mother and daughter team are really hoping to create a hugely successful franchise.

When you enter the world of franchising, you benefit from being involved in a brand that is already established. The brand will already have a proven business model that will have been tried across the network and it will have strengthened itself along the way.

Cash Generator has found a new way to strengthen its brand and that is through its online presence. The website and online presence is currently being developed to make the franchise network more visible and to ensure that it becomes even more of a recognised brand.

Once the work is complete, Cash Generator should be easier to find on the internet when consumers are looking for products and also when franchisees are looking for franchise opportunities.

Cash Generator will be enlisting the help of McCann Manchester who specialise in social media. Stuart Owens who is Director of Digital Marketing for Cash Generator said:

‘With ambitious objectives for the Cash Generator site, I am confident that the appointment of McCann Manchester will ensure we deliver these, further enhancing the brand and our products online.’

It is hoped that with the help of McCann Manchester, Cash Generator will flourish even more as a strong franchise.

You may have always dreamt of owning your own business, but you might now have the knowledge to be able to start it from scratch.

An excellent alternative is to get involved in franchising. This is viewed as a much more secure way of owning your own business. You run the business to a proven business model that is overlooked by the franchisor.

With franchising, you are not simply left to fend for yourself; you have the support and backing of the franchisor. If something goes wrong or you need help and advice at any point of your venture, you can rely on the franchisor to offer it.

The great thing about franchising is that there is a lot less risk involved than if you start a business from scratch. Before you invest in a franchise, you can see it at work and you can already see how successful it is. The franchisor takes the stress of arranging a business model and simply leaves you to get on with the managing, promoting and marketing of the business.

Always having the support and backing of a franchisor can really put your mind at rest. So if you’ve always wanted your very own business, then franchising could be the key.

The recession is still claiming victims right across the country. And being made redundant is a really frightening and stressful experience.

But what a lot of people don’t realise is that it can actually be beneficial in the long run because redundancy can force you to find your real calling in life.

It may be that you were stuck in a job that you didn’t enjoy without even realising it. And now that you have been made redundant, you have the chance to start again and try something new. Perhaps you could try something that you were always curious about. And a great way of doing this is through franchising.

This is because, in order to be a franchisee, you don’t need to be an expert in the industry that it is involved in. So long as you are willing to learn and that you have the management skills to manage your team, you will be able to take on any challenge that you wish in the franchise sector.

Being made redundant is a terrible experience, but it could be the beginning of something new and exciting and a career that you will be really happy with.

In this day and age, it’s difficult enough to juggle all of your responsibilities as well as home life and work. But this situation is made much worse if you are a single parent.

If you have young children that you care for alone, trying to work and balance the rest of your responsibilities can be a nightmare. This is why so many businessmen and women who are single parents are choosing franchising as their business option.

What makes franchising stand out as a viable option for single parents is that it can be a lot more flexible than working in a normal independent business.

With a franchise, you can often decide to work around your family life. So if you have to look after your children at certain times of the day, or if you need to pick them up from school or nursery, you can continue doing this and arrange your working day around it.

When you take on a franchise, it’s up to you to put the work in to get it started. You will of course have the backing of the franchisor but it’s a very flexible way of working and much more suitable than an independent business, if you have young children to look after.

Franchises seem to grow at a much faster pace than normal businesses. And that is normally down to the fact that they are already established and successful and have a strong team to support the franchisees as they take on a new franchise within the network.

Signs Express is an example of a franchise that seems to be growing at a fast pace and this franchise network is now looking for new franchise owners to set themselves up in the Leicester area.

The franchise has singled out this area because there isn’t much competition there at the moment, so it would be a great place for a strong franchise to establish itself.

Franchising is a much more secure way of carrying out business than launching an independent venture. Fewer than seven our off ten independent businesses last more than three years, but there are an estimated 75,000 businesses surviving through franchise networks due to the fact that they operate to a proven business model and have the support behind them.

Signs Express is well established and a highly successful franchise, so there will be plenty of people who will want to get involved in the franchise opportunities offered in the Leicester area.

If there’s one franchise network that allows its employees to thrive, it’s McDonalds. And the news has been announced that a Brit has become a key player over in America.

It has been announced that Steve Easterbrook will be the new global brand supremo. Having worked on the UK side of the franchise for the last four years, this is a big step for him to take.

Steve will be based in Chicago and in this role, he will be one of the eight top bosses of the Franchise and will be crowned the highest ranked person in the Franchise ever, to have come from Britain.

His next logical step would be to take over from the chief executive when he retires, but for now, Steve is simply pleased to be taking on the new role. In fact, he played down the speculation that he might take the top job, simply saying: ‘This is a massive role and what will be will be’.

The high flyer is credited with completely transforming the franchise in England by introducing salads and sliced apples to the fast food chain. It remains to be seen what he has planned for the American market.