Franchise Focus
Driving ahead
Thanks to an efficient business model and the dedication of the franchisees and their staff, Driver Hire Ayrshire and Dumfries has enjoyed a great deal of success
investMent level: £35,000
really helped in the last couple of years. In fact, non-driving recruitment work now accounts for almost 50 per cent of our business.” Donald adds: “Quality is at the core of
what we do, and being part of a network really helps. Our franchisor has the scale and expertise to make dealing with complex road transport or recruitment legislation quite straightforward. It also really helps to be able to share ideas, experiences and so on with your fellow franchisees.” In business for yourself, but never
by yourself The 50-strong head-office team provides
Gordon Hyslop, Driver Hire Ayrshire and Dumfries, and Driver Hire CEO Chris Chidley R
ichard Good and Donald McClymont are the owners of Driver Hire in Ayrshire and Dumfries. They bought their franchise in April 2005 and opened an office in Irvine. The
business grew quickly and they subsequently opened a second office in Dumfries in August the same year. They recruited Gordon Hyslop, now a co-director of the business, to run their second branch. Driver Hire, the UK’s largest specialist
provider of recruitment services to the logistics industry, places high-quality temporary and permanent staff with customers across a range of sectors and has a thriving nationwide network of almost 100 offices. The secret of success
So what is the secret of their success? As with any strong franchise, it’s a combination of the inherent strength of the Driver Hire model, combined with the talents, energy and dedication of the franchisees and their staff.
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Businessfranchise.com | March 2012 Richard says: “We focus on our customers
first. We listen to what they ask for, such as a genuine 24-hour service, and make sure we
“Quality is at the core of what we do, and being part of a network really helps”
deliver every time. We work with some really high-profile customers. These include DHL, Arla Foods, Scottish Water, Milk Link and the local authority, for whom we provide critical staff such as gritting teams in winter. “Our franchisor provides regular initiatives
to help us help our customers, and we have our own innovations too, such as gaining our own Gangmasters licence, which allows us to support the food-service industry. We were the first Driver Hire office to do this, and it’s
a vast range of support functions including: invoicing, payroll and other admin; a bespoke IT-operations system for legislative compliance; a national accounts team delivering centrally won business opportunities; a marketing team providing a steady stream of professional marketing resources; and a dedicated area- development manager. Follow the system and work hard, and a franchisee can build significant capital value in their business whilst taking home 10-12 per cent of turnover. Setting new records This is a business that has bucked the economic trend of the last few years, and sets new records on a regular basis. The year 2010/11 saw the franchise’s best twelve- month performance to date, 60 per cent up on the previous year, with sales totalling more than £1.5m. The turnover of the Ayshire and Dumfries franchise is twice the average annual turnover among Driver Hire franchisees, and more than four times the UK national average for a franchised business (£353k according to the latest NatWest/bfa survey). It’s thanks to this, and to the overall quality of their operation, that this franchise was named Driver Hire Franchisee of the Year for 2010/11. Staying power “People stick around in this network,” says Gordon Hyslop. “At my initial training course nearly seven years ago there were two new franchisees: David Quinn of Chelmsford and John Chambers from Nottingham. Both of them are still with Driver Hire, and both are now turning over more than £1m per year. “What’s more, Richard’s son Jonathan has
now bought his own Driver Hire franchise in Carlisle. “If you enjoy dealing with people, and
you have the energy to get out there selling, building up a successful business, you should take a close look at Driver Hire.” n
driver hire
Website:
www.driverhirefranchise.co.uk email:
franchise@driverhire.co.uk Phone: 01274 361073 classification: Recruitment
Investment: £20k-£50k
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