Franchise Focus A Fair Share
A long and illustrious history in lawn care has established GreenThumb as one of the UK’s leading and most ethical franchise systems
INVESTMENT LEVEL: FROM £31,700
remain in charge, employing others to carry out the treatments and drive the vans. What’s perhaps surprising is that over
the past 26 years there has never been another lawn treatment company able to pose a challenge to GreenThumb – like all the best franchise systems, GreenThumb has stuck firmly to its original principles; provide a top-class, low-cost service and ensure that as many people are aware of it as possible. GreenThumb’s competitors focus on
attracting as many customers, with as wide a range of services, as one man and his van can handle. Some have even offered unsustainable pricing structures or strategies. Meanwhile, GreenThumb remains doing what it has always done – its franchisees operate a scalable, management franchise which enables them to concentrate on strategy. Given that GreenThumb pioneered
lawn care in the British Isles, the cycle of treatments, devised all those years ago, has been much imitated. But in Flintshire, for example, close to the company’s head office, market share is greater than any franchise territory in the country and the rate of growth is still one of the strongest throughout the UK. Peter Bloor, the Flintshire franchisee
confirms: “Competitors in our area come and go; but they don’t have the brand reputation and economies of scale that GreenThumb can boast.” Jez Field, the GreenThumb Honiton
Jez Field
the same could be said for GreenThumb. Whilst all those years ago, Britain’s best- known lawn treatment company was in its infancy, in 2012 the company mission is still the same; providing customers with lush, green, weed-free lawns for less than it would cost to do it themselves. Around 450,000 customers will testify that the service works better than ever. GreenThumb’s growth and continued
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dominance has been a masterclass in consistency. Stephen Waring, the company’s founder, is today the CEO and
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Businessfranchise.com | June 2012
n 1986 Alex Ferguson was Manchester United’s manager, most teenagers had ridiculous haircuts and unemployment hovered at around 3,000,000. Some things never change and in many respects
“My decision has been justified as no rival has remained in business for more than two years down here”
still very much the driving force behind the business. The days of treating lawns from the back of his Ford Sierra may have been exchanged for arriving at head office in his Aston Martin, but underneath it all the same enthusiasm remains. Indeed many franchisees have followed a similar path from working hard in a business to working smart over the business. They ultimately
franchisee in Devon says: “I originally looked at a number of franchisors before choosing GreenThumb because of the high level support they offered. My decision has been justified as no rival has remained in business for more than two years down here. There are sometimes surges of new customers joining other companies, but none have the weight of history and experience to draw upon, along with a reputation for ethical franchising and trading.” GreenThumb holds a considerable
presence in lawn care and is prominent in the world of franchising – and few would deny the company what is a deserved position. Its franchisees are neither guinea pigs for spurious business models or pale imitators of a highly professional company. It has, therefore, a fair share of the lawn- care management franchise market. n
GREENTHUMB
WEBSITE:
www.greenthumb.co.uk/franchising EMAIL:
franchise@greenthumb.co.uk PHONE: 01745 586 041 CLASSIFICATION: Lawn care
Investment: £20k-£50k
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