DECEMBER/JANUARY 2012
It could be you!
iGranite app
Name: Catharine and Mike Chalton
launched
A new iPad app has been launched by kitchen and bathrooms franchise Granite Transformations to increase sales for its franchisees. The iGranite app allows customers to photograph their kitchen and then manipulate the image to try out different colour and material combinations. Available as a free download from the
iTunes App Store, iGranite is a sales aid that is already being used by franchisees and their staff.
“Innovations like iGranite are amongst the benefits of being part of a worldwide franchise organisation, especially as the six-figure application development budget
would be beyond a regular standalone business,” says Danny Hanlon, Chief Operating Officer.
“Ideas such as this, plus our recent
replacement door programme, help to add value to our franchisees’ businesses, enabling them to generate increased revenue and, should they eventually choose to sell the franchise on, realise a greater return on their initial investment.” Granite Transformations is a global kitchen worktops franchise, with around 170 showrooms across four continents, and is looking to continue expanding its UK retail network.
McDonald’s franchisee raises £100,000 for charity
David said: “In my past roles as a
restaurant manager I was always looking for fun new ways to raise money in the store, from selling branded key rings to fancy dress days.
In the last nine years, McDonald’s franchisee David Wynne has raised more than £100,000 for charity. In 2002 David left McDonald’s as an employee but stayed within the McDonald’s system as a franchisee, progressing from owning one restaurant to 11 in the space of nine years. The money he has raised during this time through various fundraising events has been donated to the Ronald McDonald House Charities. The charity provides accommodation for families of sick children and since1974 it has been the McDonald’s charity of choice.
“I see it as my way of giving something back to society. I have done all sorts to raise money, from cycling across South Africa, walking the Inca Trail in Peru, to biking it up the Vietnamese mountains.” David also encourages his staff to get involved with fundraising activities for charity. He adds: “Like many of our franchisees, I have elected to contribute a percentage of my profits to the McDonald’s charity of choice. What that means in simple terms is that in addition to all the fundraising work we do, the money we collect from customers and the funds I raise in a personal capacity, the charity will always be guaranteed to share in the success of my businesses.” For more on McDonald’s visit
www.businessfranchise.com
Franchise: Home Instead
Senior Care
Husband and wife team, Catharine and Mike Chalton, recently picked up gold at The British Franchise Association/HSBC Franchise of the Year awards for running a Home Instead Senior Care franchise in the Wirral, offering home care to the elderly.
Started out: “Before joining the care sector, I was working as a specialist nurse and Mike was working in pharmaceutical sales and marketing. With Home Instead, we liked the idea of a more personal and people-focused business and also knew we would get a lot of support from the franchisor. We found it good to combine our skills and knowledge and this really helped us when we set up in January 2007.”
Today:
Mike and Catharine’s work has been recognised with a number of awards, including the NHS North West Dignity in Care award. They have also been awarded three stars by the CQC (Care Quality Commission), the highest rating available. “We now employ 140 members
of staff and have more than 150 clients across the whole of the Wirral. On a day-to-day basis, Mike is the company’s business director and I am director of care. Our success is down to three factors: drive and passion, a desire to provide the best possible service and the fact that our business is based on an operating model that is tried and tested and has been refined over 16 years of continuous growth.”
December/January 2012 |
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