Franchise Focus
the bank to raise the capital, but you have to caveat that with the fact that you don’t have to build up the business from scratch and it’s already a proven model,” says Haley. “Since we’ve taken over we’ve changed some things logistically with the vans and the rounds, which has helped streamline distribution, and have focused money and time on local marketing to secure new customers. We’re also engaging with existing customers more effectively, which has helped with retention and increased order values; overall, we’ve made the business more financially viable.”
Family focus Ex-city slicker
Less than two years ago, public sector consultant, and new mum, Haley Dwyer, 37, exchanged her power suit for a T-shirt and her briefcase for boxes of organic food for a Riverford Organic Vegetables franchise
Investment level: £18,500 PlUS VAT T
he decision Haley Dwyer made to invest in a Riverford Organic franchise – just as the new coalition government was about to cut public sector budgets – now
seems prescient. Today with husband Andy, a former restaurateur, the Dwyers are discovering freedom through their new veg box delivery venture, and more time with young son, Jack. Haley says: “With the government’s new
programme of austerity, I could foresee the need for my consultancy role in the public sector quickly evaporating. So Andy and I looked into buying a business. An article given to me by a friend said that the founder of Riverford Organic, Guy Watson, was looking for entrepreneurial mums – which is what I am. I phoned Riverford and was put in touch with the franchise manager, who told us about the veg box delivery franchise. As it happened, the Guildford territory, which is very close to where we live in Cobham, was up for sale as a going concern. “It took more than a year from expressing
our interest to actually becoming the new owners,” says Haley. “During the first six
months we had to spend most of our time taking care of the existing staff members and talking to the customers to ensure everybody felt comfortable with the change of ownership.
“At the time there were seven part-time drivers and three part-time admin staff, and the changes were as much an adjustment for them as they were for us. In addition, even though we’d had comprehensive training, we still needed to get to grips with the day-to- day running of a food distribution business with more than 800 weekly deliveries.”
£1 million enterprise
“On the plus side, we’d invested in something that had a ready-made income stream,” continues Haley. “Plus an annual turnover of around £1 million – one of the highest in the network. Our job since then has been to build on and improve that turnover. To do that, we started marketing more aggressively, and we’re now on track for close to two per cent growth – which is excellent in the current economic climate. “We bought the business with £120k, which included the vans. It was a huge amount for us to invest, and we had to go to
Haley continues: “Ultimately, Riverford is an ethical company, which is one of the main reasons we decided to invest in it. But it’s also given us more time together as a family, which is something we wanted. Right now, our son Jack is just four-years old, and he loves coming to the county and farm shows we attend to promote Riverford.
“We invested in something that had a ready-made income stream, and an annual turnover of around £1 million”
“Jack is actually better at selling than me, because he has no inhibitions. He loves being around people, and the experience has been great for his learning and confidence. The knock-on effect running the business has had on Jack’s development has been something of a surprise perk that we’d never considered when we bought the franchise. “Overall, for us, Riverford has become more than just a business: it’s become a lifestyle, and an opportunity to help create a sense of community wherever we go. And we no longer have to worry about childcare either.”
Investment information The total investment required for a new territory can range from £18,500 to £30,000. Resale territory values can range upwards of £25,000. Investment is now training fee exempt on selected territories, saving new franchisees approximately £6,000. n
rIverforD
Website:
www.riverford.co.uk/franchise email:
franchise@riverford.co.uk Phone: 01803 762 015 classification: Organic veg delivery
December/January 2012 |
Businessfranchise.com | 47
Investment: £10k-£20k
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