exclusiveinterview
Top of
ComputerXplorers has been a huge success for Nigel
the game
Nigel Toplis – one of the most highly regarded figures in the
franchise industry – speaks to Alison Ledger on recruitment,
cutting fees and the importance of a Grand Marnier and a
Havana cigar…
Anyone who is anyone in the franchise
Why did you join
to bring to the UK, none of which I
industry will know Nigel Toplis is one
Recognition Express?
thought at the time were suitable.
of the core figures in the franchise
The challenge, the change, the fact
We piloted the franchise for about 18
industry. Previously Chairman of the
it was my own. I was approached by
months to two years, which I think is
British Franchise Association and, with
Recognition Express and it took 20
about the right length of time to run
experience across a range of franchises
minutes to make up my mind – and I
a pilot.
over the last 15 years, Nigel certainly
took a 40 per cent pay cut. Recognition
knows a thing or two about succeeding
Express had good franchisees, but not
At Recognition Express,
in franchising.
enough of them, and it needed to
what problems did you
expand its product range. I could see
face?
When did you get into
there was so much I could do with it.
I think the challenge was about
franchising? identifying the potential, and trying to
I spent 12 years at Allied Domecq and
And ComputerXplorers?
harness that potential for franchisees.
four years with Ladbrokes. I joined
I would love to say that we did 12
We expanded our product range
the franchising industry in 1994 and
months of intense market research,
significantly, which obviously involved
spent nine years with KallKwik, later
spoke to head teachers and pupils, and
a lot of operational issues such as
becoming managing director. I helped
evaluated the curriculum, but actually
sourcing suppliers, putting together
the merger of Prontaprint and Kall Kwik
we didn’t. We did the deal with the marketing collateral, explaining to the
to form On Demand Communications,
Americans over a Grand Marnier and franchisees what we were trying to do,
which was the first of its kind in the
a Havana cigar in about 10 minutes. I
etc. It also meant turning the franchise
UK. I joined Recognition Express in
had known the guys from the US for
from being a manufacturing-led
2003 and launched US franchise
about 15 years and we had looked
franchise to a marketing-led franchise,
ComputerXplorers in the UK in 2005.
at a number of different propositions
and that has taken some time.
4
Franchisor News | 13
FN_pg13-15_LEAD-INTER_WIN09.indd 1 21/09/2009 19:12
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48