Mobile tool retail franchise opportunity Mac Tools returns to The National Franchise Exhibition on October 1 and 2, at the NEC, Birmingham (Stand H50), after launching its new franchise status there last year.

Over the past 12 months, Mac Tools has moved away from its ‘distributor-based’ model and created a new infrastructure designed to provide more comprehensive support to franchise owners.

There are new and improved systems to help franchise owners plan their businesses more effectively as well as finance facilities, online training via MacAdemy, regular meetings and regional managers providing continuous support.

Mac Tools Recruitment Manager Paul Clegg said: “The feedback we receive from our franchise owners confirms they feel completely supported throughout the whole process. We leave no stone unturned and our training covers everything from the technical product side to administration, and sales and marketing.

“All our franchise owners are given an initial route plan, which they are ‘driven through’ during their first week by a Mac Tools Territory Manager. From there on in, we encourage them to take ownership of their route and change it as they see fit, to improve their efficiency and profitability or to expand into new sectors.

“We are looking for people with a passion to work for themselves.  It isn’t essential to have expert knowledge of tools, as we provide comprehensive training but you need to have the right attitude and the ability to build relationships. Personality is everything in our business.”

One of Mac Tools latest recruits, Spencer Pallett who has just set up Mac Tools Walsall, will be attending The National Franchise Exhibition to offer his insights to prospective franchise owners.

Pallett said: “Before Mac Tools, I had always worked for someone else so I understand what it’s like to move from being employed to being self-employed.  Mac Tools has given me all the training and support I need to confidently run my own business. Some people may worry that you have to be a ‘tool expert’ but I can assure them that it isn’t an issue because the training covers all the specialist product knowledge they need. I’m very excited about the future.”

An Ipswich Franchise Discovery Day is due to be held at the Ipswich Corn Exchange on the 10th November 2010.

The event, which will be hosted by Ipswich Borough Council and Suffolk Chamber of Commerce, will feature some of the county’s most important franchise brands.

The organisers are hoping that the Ipswich Franchise Discovery Day will encourage job creation, new business start-ups and bring important retail brands into Ipswich Town Centre.  There will also be vehicle-based, management and part-time franchises being launched following this event as franchisors find their new partners.

On the day there will be free seminars to help people from the region to clearly understand the steps that they need to take in order to evaluate a franchise opportunity and then how to check out the franchisor and opportunity being presented.  Plus seminars specifically designed for owners of successful businesses that would like to explore the franchise option.

Cllr Atkins said:  “Franchises can be home-based, part-time, vehicle-based, or require premises; they cover business accountancy to vending, with a wide range of areas and levels of investment.

“We believe that this exhibition will be a great source of information for prospective franchise owners in and around Ipswich and the Anglia region – as well as for owners of successful businesses considering expansion by franchising.  This hopefully will lead to more businesses starting up and flourishing in the town.”

Already in the region there are over 100 franchisors expanding their business and the Anglia Region has just been identified as the second most important territory for future establishment of new franchise start-ups*.

John Dugmore, Chief Executive of Suffolk Chamber, said:  “Franchising provides the opportunity for people to branch out on their own, with the support of a tried and tested business behind them.

“For anyone considering owning a franchise, help and advice will be available on the day and I would encourage them to come along to find out more about what franchise opportunities that are available, as well as arming themselves with the information that they need to know before proceeding to own and operate the franchise of their choice.”

*(Insight, an Industry review of Franchising in the UK – to be published 27 September).

Blockbuster Buckles Under Kiosk Growth
Since launching in the 80’s, Blockbuster has been synonymous with renting movies.  However, the company now finds itself on the brink of bankruptcy and may be forced to close stores across the globe as a result.  With debts of £635 million and a share price that has dropped to 32 cents per share, the company is struggling to cope with changes in technology.  So what has caused Blockbuster’s demise?

DVD Kiosks Are Shaping the Market
A newcomer to the market, DVD kiosks are quickly eating into Blockbusters share of the rental market.  Placed within existing retail stores the automated kiosks minimise premises and staffing costs, enabling these savings to be passed on to consumers, undercutting rental prices of traditional high street chains including Blockbuster.  In the USA, Redbox have set the pace with DVD kiosks and now have more than 22,000 kiosks in operation giving them a market share of 13% in 2009.  The kiosks offer rentals for $1 a night from many of the largest grocery stores in America.

Are There DVD Kiosks in the UK and Ireland?
In the UK, Blockbusters 630 stores are coming under threat from Movie Booth DVD kiosks.  The company has 50 kiosks in operation spread throughout many of the country’s most well known retail groups, with five new locations opening each month.  The company model is based on convenience and price of renting from kiosks leading to UK consumers embrace renting movies from DVD kiosks in the same way the US public has.

Can I Become a DVD Kiosk Owner?
The Movie Booth is actively seeking investors that are interested in profiting from this exciting new technology.  Becoming a kiosk operator is simple:

• The Movie Booth identifies, negotiate and secure a prime retail site for your kiosk.
• A multitude of finance options make this investment affordable for the masses.
• We offer ongoing business support in all key areas of your operation.
• You can run this business alongside a full time job – it’s that easy.

What’s in This For Me?
By investing in this technology in its early stage of growth, you are able to purchase the kiosk at a price which will greatly increase in the coming months.  As more kiosks launch and more people become aware of the technology usage from end users – and demand from people looking to invest in the technology – will greatly increase.

If you decide to invest in a kiosk now, you’ll be able to pick the best available locations in your area, maximising your profitability.  This will also give you a zone of exclusivity which means you’ll have first choice to install further kiosks in your area once your business takes off.

For further information on this opportunity click here and complete the registration details. A member of The Movie Booth team will then be in touch to answer your questions.

As the winter Olympics progress in Canada in full swing, UK business Recognition Express is helping ice hockey teams with promotional clothing and merchandise. After the popular franchise rescued Invicta Dynamos, Division One leaders at the start of the season Recognition Express, Kent is now producing team training hoodies and other goods for the ice hockey club.

Recognition Express has also designed the youth teams’ new 2010 jerseys. Owners of the franchise, Paul Slack and Steve Randerson managed to save the Dynamos when their new strip was not yet ready for the English National Hockey League Division 1 opening. Playing the match without numbers on their jersey would result in an automatic 5-0 defeat forfeit.

Paul and Steve own a production facility in Rochester which allows them to personalise clothing and promotional items on the premise. Within 24 hours of a call from Martin Ryder, general manager of the Dynamos, the team was ready with numbered practice jerseys. The Dynamos won the match against the Oxford Stars 11-3.

Steve said that they knew it was a big challenge, but they also understood the seriousness of the situation for the team if they got penalised. So they had all their employees working relentlessly to meet the deadline. Martin Ryder said that he and the team are very impressed with the franchise’s willingness to get the jerseys ready and work ethic. For this reason, they have given Recognition Express more business as they are sure their production will not let the team down.

Investing in self-owned business is a good idea but most of the time, it is very risky. This is because it involves large amounts of money and there is no guarantee that the customers will buy newly launched products. This is not the case with franchising, as it involves less risk and there are more chances of success.

If you are planning to invest some money and want to earn quick profits then go for franchising. Once you have purchased a franchise outlet from the franchisor then you can proceed with the business activities under the franchisor’s trade name.

After paying fees to the franchisor, he/she will offer you with various benefits. This includes training for running the business smoothly. In addition to this, the franchisors also provide assistance with accounting, marketing strategies, customer base and other details about the company and products.

Why franchising is the right option

In the process of training, the franchisor will help you with all the important plans and business ideas. This will help you to make some more profit by increasing sales. One of the best things about franchising is that you do not have to spend on advertising, as the franchisor will take care of advertising campaigns.

In the case of self-owned businesses, you might take longer than two years to establish your brand name in the market. With franchising, the company is already known in the market.

Lastly, the franchisors also offer assistance in day-to-day business, as it will ultimately help the company to increase its market share to a great extent.

Prestige Nursing is one of the leading UK companies in the area of healthcare recruitment and homecare services. In 2009, seven new franchisees joined the network. This means that the total number of franchisees has reached 12.

Franchise manager of Prestige Nursing, Pam Feltham, said that their franchisees cover a range of healthcare sectors. They do not believe in having large numbers of franchisees but they do want quality people to work with them. In addition to this, they also provide a lot of support and training to the start the franchisees on the right road. This makes sure that the newly opened franchisees will be successful.

The company now needs to strengthen their franchise team, as the franchise network is growing every day. The company has appointed Jenny Evans as its franchise support manager.

Jenny says that she wants to start working with experienced and new franchisees, as it will help in developing the business. She also said that she is pleased to work with a highly reputable nursing and care agency.

In 2010, the company is expecting some growth which means that new franchisees will join the network. They are looking to take five new franchisees or possibly more.

Jani-King International, the world’s largest commercial cleaning franchisor, has climbed back into the list of the Top-10 franchise companies.  As ranked in Entrepreneur magazine’s January 2010 Franchise 500 issue, Jani-King takes over as the #8 Franchise Company among all franchisors, a notable jump forward from last year’s ranking in 15th spot. Other Top-10 Franchisors include McDonalds, 7 Eleven and Dunkin Donuts.

Even more impressive is Jani-King’s firm hold on the top spot in the commercial cleaning franchise category.  For the 23rd year, Jani-King has been rated the #1 Commercial Cleaning Franchise Company by Entrepreneur magazine. Jani-King has also retained its title for 2010 as the #1 Home based Franchise. In addition, Jani-King is ranked #2 in the Low-Cost Investment category against comparable brands.

“These rankings further validate the efforts put forth every day by our regional offices and franchise owners,” said Jerry Crawford, President of Jani-King.  “To be recognised as the #1 Commercial Cleaning Franchise Company for the 23rd year is a remarkable testament to Jani-King’s program and the commitment of our corporate headquarters and regional offices to support our franchise owners.”

The Franchise 500, which is promoted as the world’s first, best and most comprehensive franchise ranking, is published in the January issue of Entrepreneur magazine each year.  Entrepreneur judges all companies by the same criteria; objective, quantifiable measures of a franchise operation. The most important factors include financial strength and stability, growth rate and size of the system.

About Jani-King
Jani-King is the world’s largest commercial cleaning franchise company with over 13,000 franchise owners worldwide. Founded in 1969, the company has 120 regional offices in 16 countries. Through a network of franchise owners, Jani-King contracts commercial cleaning services for many different facilities including office, hotel/resort, healthcare, manufacturing, restaurant, sporting venues and more. The company has consistently ranked as the top performer among commercial cleaning franchise businesses.

For 2010, Entrepreneur magazine has ranked Jani-King as the;
#1 Commercial Cleaning Franchise (23 out of last 24 years)
#1 Homebased Franchise
#2 Low-Cost Franchise
#8 Overall Franchise
#7 Global Franchise

For more information on Jani-King please click here.

UK’s leading franchise for carpets, United Carpets, is presently looking to employ franchisees in the West Midlands and North West.

Carpets, floor covering and beds are essential to most homeowners worldwide. United Carpets are searching for more franchisees to take their business ahead in a successful manner. It is an exciting, profitable and unique franchise opportunity for anyone on the lookout out for a chance.

Both these regions are dynamically targeted as the main key areas for United Carpets. They will be operating open days to let potential franchisees to take advantage of the opportunity.

The days it will be running open on are: the 1st of December at Warrington, Cheshire and on 2nd December in Birmingham, West Midlands.

There is a particular format for these 2 days:

Prospective franchises will be invited to drop in from between 2pm and 6pm and have an informal chat with the key head office staff about United Carpets. And from 6pm to 7pm an informal presentation will be made by Paul Davies, the franchise development manager. Thereafter, they will have a question and answer session. If anyone wishes to speak further with United Carpets, they will get an opportunity to have an appointment for a one-to-one meeting.

It is indeed a wise decision if you have decided to conduct business via the franchising method. However, you should ask several business-related questions to the franchisor before beginning with the business.

The chances of a possible success rate are much higher in a franchise business. It is necessary to understand the franchisor before entering into an agreement with the concerned organisation. You should thus obtain the solutions to the doubts before beginning with the business.

Some of the questions are as follows:

Support and Territories

You should clearly understand the type of support that will be provided to you by the franchisor. This will eliminate any future doubts or conflicts between the two business organisations. Ensure that the service provided by the franchisor meets your requirements and expectations. If you are not satisfied with the services provided, you should move on to another franchising opportunity. You should also understand the territorial restrictions set up by the franchisor. Other factors such as the exact size of the territory should be finalised before the proposed deal.

Arrangements and Time Invested

Several franchisors offer product supply provisions to the franchisee. The franchisor usually has a pre assigned vendor who will supply you the required products or goods.
The total amount of time that you will require to put into the business should also be defined before reaching an agreement. For instance, certain franchisors will require you to invest up to 75 hours per week. Make sure that you are comfortable with the assigned work schedule.

It is advisable to discuss the aforementioned points before taking on the franchise business.

Choosing the right kind of franchise option in the UK can be a very daunting task. However, with a little research and a good deal of introspection you can arrive at a small yet respectable list of valid franchise opportunities. However if you do not know what criteria to look at when making a choice about franchise here is a quick read to help you make your decision.

Choose a franchise that brings out the best in you

When you choose a valid franchise option, choose the one that you know you are good at. You will be good at something that you know you do best. Given that franchising is the only kind of business option that will allow you to start on an unchartered territory, you need to give it your very best. Also you need to decide the kind of scope that you want to cover with this opportunity. This means that you need to know whether you want a single unit franchise or an entire network that may be specific to the area or region.

Your franchise will depend on the location most importantly. When you think of beginning a franchise, the first piece of advice that anybody will give you is to select the location carefully. This means basically where you intend to begin and whether there will be a good deal of demand in the location you have chosen. Secondly, your hard and soft skills matter. While franchising may be a flexible business it requires skill to run and therefore you must choose the one that is most compatible to your skill set.