Franchise Focus
Zip to success
The ZipYard is a recently established garment alteration franchise network and its growing success across Ireland, and increasingly the UK, is largely down to the fact that its service is not economy driven, making it a safe investment for franchisees
INVESTMENT LEVEL: £32,000
network of hard-working franchise owners. The market potential is huge and all
centres are expected to be profi table in the fi rst year. Interestingly, the clothing- alteration business is not economy driven. When times are good more and more people can afford to buy new clothes that need altering and when not-so-good they will have their garments altered or repaired to last that little bit longer. The public at
“The market potential is huge and all centres are expected to be profi table in the fi rst year”
large, however, no longer has the time or skills to tackle even the simplest of hems, let alone risk damaging a favourite or expensive item. These are contributing factors to The ZipYard’s refreshingly different approach to the garment- alteration business. Highly visible, strong, bold branding
Juliet O’Connell T
he ZipYard is the most successful and fastest growing garment alteration franchise in the UK and Ireland where growth has been built on the back of
quality, speed, convenience, unequalled service and value – together with a
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separates The ZipYard from its competitors and helps to dominate the high street. All centres are fi nished to the highest of standards and include state-of-the-art machinery, computer systems and, in most cases, the seamstresses work in full view of the public so customers can see for themselves the high standards of workmanship. The ZipYard business model has
been created, tested and developed to ensure franchise owners have the very best opportunity to be successful in the shortest period of time.
The ZipYard delivers a fully operational
and fully supported business with trained staff and comprehensive marketing from day one. In addition, all ZipYard centres are fi nished to a distinctive specifi cation, one that is customer friendly, highly branded and very visible. Former marine engineer and ex-navy
serviceman Garry Millington gave up a life on the ocean wave to settle down in Llandudno and launch his ZipYard centre in May 2011. He says: “There comes a time when
you have to take stock of your life and think about the future and, for me, the opportunity to buy The ZipYard franchise for the Llandudno area came just at the right time. I like the concept and can see how in today’s modern times people either don’t have the time or the knowledge to do their own alterations. “I’ve enjoyed going all over the world
and being part of the whole yatching scene; working for people who demand the very best in life. They expect nothing but the highest quality of service and I bring this to my [new] customers.” Juliet O’Connell opened her ZipYard
franchise in November 2009 in Dublin and now employs three full-time tailors and one part-time front-of-house staff member. She says: “The training was excellent
and very hands-on. You work in an existing ZipYard franchise, learning all the processes and systems so you understand every aspect of the business. Then when you’re ready to open your own shop, the training manager stays with you until you’re confi dent to manage alone.” To open a ZipYard franchise there
is a one-off licence fee of £15,000 plus a fee for training and project management of £5,000. The internal fi t out and merchandising costs are £12,000. Therefore total costs are £32,000 plus the shop-fi t, which will vary depending on size, structure and condition of the unit. The ZipYard is on the lookout for
prospective franchisees who are dedicated, passionate, focused and hard working. They do not need to be familiar with repairs or alterations. Successful franchise owners will be ambitious to run their own business, customer driven, well organised and keen to follow a proven business system.
THE ZIP YARD
WEBSITE:
www.thezipyard.com EMAIL:
info@thezipyard.co.uk
PHONE: 01530 513 307 CLASSIFICATION: Retail
Investment: £20k-£50k
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