Cover Story The single greatest challenge Sean says
he’s faced to date is finding good people to employ that share his vision of integrity and excellence. His dedication to building a great management team across his stores is now paying dividends with excellent team members and low staff turnover. “You may think that raising finance might be a challenge,” says Sean, “but our bankers, RBS, and our asset financers, Lombard, have always shared our vision of being part of Domino’s highly successful, proven business model and have supported us well in our growth.”
“Domino’s is opening stores at a rate of 60 per year and I’m keen to carry on growing my business by taking on more new stores in the region in the near future”
up and running. “This is probably the main difference between Domino’s Pizza and its competitors,” says Sean. “I received a very thorough Franchisee Development Programme at their head office in Milton Keynes and then two weeks’ on-site support from an experienced franchise consultant. Since then we’ve had access to, and great assistance from, all Domino’s departments in the UK. This includes regular training for staff and managers, IT and marketing support and regular liaison with commissary and supply, human resources and finance.”
Innovation Sean’s appetite for expansion has seen him take to the road with development of Domino’s first mobile unit. The innovative ‘store on wheels’ was launched in summer 2009 and has been touring festivals and outdoor events ever since. The unit, which can produce 240 pizzas per hour, set two new sales records during its first appearance at an outside event – the 2009 Download festival. In between festivals, the unit has also toured smaller Scottish towns to bring Domino’s to pizza lovers in more remote locations. Sean’s ambition and dedication to the company saw him awarded the title of ‘Mr Pizzanality’ at Domino’s 2011 franchise awards. The coveted title is awarded to one individual from Domino’s stores in the UK and Ireland who has shown pizzazz, passion and initiative in the true spirit of Domino’s. Sean has shown these qualities in spades since joining the business 10 years ago. What does the future with Domino’s hold for Sean? “I’m getting ready to open my 12th store in Scotland in the coming weeks,” he says. “Domino’s is opening stores at a rate of 60 per year and I’m keen to carry on growing my business by taking on more new stores in the region in the near future.” But Sean’s ambitions don’t just limit him to Scotland. In April 2011, Domino’s Pizza Group acquired a majority stake in the exclusive master franchise to own, operate and franchise Domino’s Pizza in Germany. Sean is one of a small number of UK franchisees who are already setting their sights on moving into this new territory. “When I heard there were new opportunities available in Germany, I jumped at the chance,” he says. “At the moment, I’m spending two or three days in Germany every fortnight, with a view to getting my first store open in Aachen, near the Belgian and Dutch borders, in the next eight weeks. I can’t wait to get started over there – Domino’s is a great brand, with a fantastic product and excellent customer
service so I’m really looking forward to getting my teeth into a new market.”
Success With 726 stores in the UK and Ireland and a commitment to opening 60 more each year, Domino’s remains one of the largest and most successful franchised businesses. The company is on the lookout for new franchisees and with one in every two franchisees owning businesses worth over £1 million, it’s an opportunity not to be missed. “We’re still actively recruiting franchisees,” explains Andy Hirst, head of franchise development at Domino’s. “We’ve produced year-on-year sales growth consistently since 1990 and have had a great start to the year, with system sales up nine per cent for the first quarter of 2012. In addition, we’re continuing to achieve strong online growth, with e-commerce sales accounting for 50.6 per cent of UK delivered sales. We constantly invest in developing new pizzas such as Domino’s Stuffed Crust and our Gourmet range to continue driving the business, as well as iPhone, iPad, Android and Windows Phone 7 ordering apps.” Domino’s is an award-winning franchisor
and provides all of its franchisees with the necessary training and support to help make their new venture a success. Franchisees are also backed by an experienced head- office team and successful Domino’s franchisees who have already started their own businesses are always on hand to share their knowledge. The company’s ongoing track record of success also means that Domino’s is a brand considered very favourably by lenders – ideal for applicants looking to secure additional funding.
Other notable benefits of choosing Domino’s include a central marketing fund worth over £20 million. This includes activities such as high-profile national TV sponsorships and advertising, which would be almost impossible for a start-up business to achieve.
Franchising with Domino’s provides excellent opportunities for growth and fast progression, not to mention fantastic rewards, for passionate, hardworking entrepreneurs. The cost to become a Domino’s franchisee is around £280,000 of which, approximately £120,000 must be liquid. n
DOMINOS
WEBSITE:
www.dominos.uk.com/franchising EMAIL:
dawn.power@dominos.co.uk PHONE: 01908 580 657 CLASSIFICATION: Pizza delivery and takeaway
June 2012 |
Businessfranchise.com | 25
Investment: £200-£300k
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 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124