Franchise Focus


Bapandar Singh with a colleague and the company mascot


New World


Bapander Singh is a new generation of franchisee building a business with Cartridge World


INVESTMENT LEVEL: £29,950


Singh Khanej – Cartridge World franchisee for High Wycombe – did in January 2011. The ‘life-long dream’ description is stretching things a little however, as Bapander is only 20 – making him Cartridge World’s youngest franchisee. Since the age of 17, Bapander had his


F


eye on a Cartridge World franchise but sensibly decided to develop his business experience before investing. So, after completing BTECs in travel and tourism studies and business and finance at Uxbridge College, Bapander set up his own convenience store. The venture was successful, with an impressive increase in sales over the first 18 months of trading and he then needed a new challenge. Bapander singled out Cartridge


World for a number of reasons. “I love technology and I like making things. So the re-manufacturing side of the business was perfect. I looked at other franchises, but many of them had limited growth prospects, Cartridge World still had bags of potential. “And of course, research shows a 95 per cent success rate for new franchise


94 | Businessfranchise.com | June 2012


or many people the start of a year is the time to think about making a fresh start; perhaps fulfilling a life-long dream of becoming their own boss. That’s exactly what Bapander


start-ups – a much higher figure than independent businesses,” he says. Cartridge World is a truly global


business with 1,600 stores worldwide in 60 countries. Its UK network has in excess of 200 stores, with the first opening 10 years ago. Using specifically formulated


“Research shows a 95 per cent success rate for new franchise start-ups – a much higher figure than independent businesses”


inks and toners Cartridge World supply their own brand of low-cost, high-quality cartridges for all major brands of inkjet and laser printer. Its high quality products offer customers substantial savings on the cost of an original – and their recycling processes provide an environmentally friendly alternative to sending cartridges to landfill. Following his initial enquiries online,


Bapander met Paula Spriggs from Cartridge World’s franchise support team. He was invited to a franchise discovery day at their head office in North Yorkshire. Along with other potential franchisees,


Bapander met the support team and attended informal presentations from different heads of department. “Paula has contacts with franchise


finance experts at all the high-street banks. This helped me find appropriate finance.” Bapander continues: “Her input in selecting the best premises for my new store was invaluable.” Before opening, Bapander underwent a


month’s training. This kicked off with two weeks’ technical training, one week on business training and a week’s hands-on experience working in a Cartridge World store. Support did not stop there. “Members


of the technical support team came to High Wycombe and spent the first few days following the opening with me. This was really useful. I’ve also had a meeting with James, my business development manager. I now have a plan in place for the first months of my new business. He clearly cares about its success – it’s like having a business partner working alongside me. James talked to me about marketing to other local businesses, as a key part of my business plan. Cartridge World provides all marketing material, which is a real plus point when it comes to visiting potential new business clients.” Whilst it’s early days so far, Bapander


has no regrets. “I’m really enjoying the challenge. Cartridge World is such a strong brand; we’ve been overwhelmed with customers. It’s so busy, the days just fly by.” n


CARTRIDGE WORLD


WEBSITE: www.cartridgeworld.co.uk EMAIL: franchise@cartridgeworld.co.uk PHONE: 0800 21 55 990 CLASSIFICATION: Business services


Investment: £20k-£50k


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