Franchise Case Studies

United Carpets - Donacster

Joanne and John see themselves, very much, as a Husband & Wife team, “team” being the emphasis.
Joanne was previously working in the Hotel Industry and John was a chauffeur having previously worked as a miner. With no particular carpet background and with steady secure jobs they were concerned about taking the leap to a United Carpets franchise. Says Joanne: “After I analysed it, I realised it was only the product I didn’t know about and that product can be learned. It was the drive and ambition we had which spurred us on. We sat down and worked out certain issues we would have to overcome to be happy about going forward.  We wanted to ensure we could address the following with a positive outcome”:

•    Achieve a work/family balance.
•    We wanted a better standard of living.
•    We needed strong support from United Carpets.
•    An excellent return on our investment.
•    We wanted to enjoy the experience.

Says Joanne “after 7 years in the business we both know, hand on heart, that all our initial anxieties and concerns have been met and surpassed. We were given excellent operational support and even now, just one phone call is always met by first class support throughout the company. When I first started it was a very male dominated environment and I was worried I’d need to carry heavy carpets about –NOT SO! I employ staff who do this and it has never materialised as a problem. You don’t need brute strength, just people skills to overcome any problem. Every day is different and I would certainly do it all over again, it still gives me the buzz it first did.

I have recommended this to several family members; I got my brother Paul into the business and he owns and runs the Chesterfield store while John’s sister is the franchisee for the Lincoln store. My sister has owned and run the Sheffield store since March 2007 and is doing very well indeed as are the others. It was a great decision for us and our family and we continue to reap the rewards with a real ‘winning company’”.

United Carpets -  Bolton, Rochdale & Preston

Graham Charnock and Naveed Khan are business partners, owning and operating 3 branches of United Carpets stores at Bolton, Rochdale and Preston.
Both came from well paid jobs within the carpet sector; a point Graham says made his decision difficult at the time. ‘’When you have a steady, secure job with very good pay and bonuses it does make you think long and hard about giving it up to strike out on your own. It is a decision both Nav and I took very carefully but, if asked, would you do it again knowing what you know now, the answer would be an absolute YES. “The hard work has yielded financial returns in excess of our expectations plus the lifestyle of being our own boss, whilst still benefiting from the strong ongoing support we receive from United Carpets’’
Graham and Nav started with the Rochdale and Preston stores and 6 months later had decided to expand to take on the Bolton store.
Graham adds; “one worrying factor concerning us, was whether we would be able to get a monthly salary from day 1, as occurs in an employed situation, and one we were very used to. This proved to be a false worry as we found we were cash flow positive from day 1. As long as a franchisee is prepared to put the hours in and the hard work that Nav and I have, then the rewards are there’’
United do a great job of helping us market the stores both locally and by means of ever increasing TV advertising, both of which have seen our sales grow substantially’’

United Carpets -  Northfield

Andy and Diane work as a team and emphasise to customers the family business aspect. Diane only started working in the shop two years ago but it gives her the flexibility to work around the demands of having a daughter at school with a busy after school life.

Andy worked as an Area Manager for a national joinery and kitchen company and was looking to start his own business. Diane came from an Import/Export background working in an office, therefore had no retail experience but had good customer service skills.

Diane says “working in our family business with my husband obviously means I see a lot more of him than ever before, but so far it seems to work. I now do not worry if I have to leave early or if our daughter has a day off school as I have the flexibility to be there for her.  I started by doing the administration but soon started selling as a lot of the more mature customers seem to be more comfortable dealing with a female”
Andy says” I was looking to start my own business in retail but the only premises I could rent were small shops, I realised that if I wanted a larger retail business from day one then franchising was the answer.  
I  took on the franchise in Northfield which opened in March 2005. Despite early setbacks such as, the Rover car factory, less than a mile away, closing down shortly after we opened and a couple of weeks later road works starting, to build a relief road around the high street which lasted 2 years and has only just finished. Even with this adversity we broke even in year one and grew the business so at the end of year two we have achieved sales 54% higher than year one.

We are now in year three at Northfield and the sales continue to grow as we build a reputation in the area for value for money and excellent customer service.  I can honestly say that I have never had any regrets about taking on the franchise.  I am in control of my own business with a support network of other stores in the area as well as head office.  We have excellent products with great group buying power from our suppliers which means we can sell at extremely competitive prices.

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