Franchise Focus
whether they are taking over an established area or are starting a new branch from scratch: “We provide a recognisable and well- trusted brand together with a comprehensive range of support services; it is this, together with the calibre of our franchisees, that has taken us to the position where nearly a fifth of our branches have an annual turnover of over £1 million, some employing as many as 200 people.”
Minster Cleaning Services has been Kevin McLoughlin and Mike Parker Shared T
wo of Minster Cleaning Services’ franchisees – Kevin McLoughlin in Staffordshire and Gordon Sandilands in Edinburgh – had long careers in brewery management
before taking on franchises with the thriving commercial cleaning company. Minster’s franchisees come from diverse backgrounds including accountancy, transport, telecoms, publishing, the forces and banking but all share common attributes such as people- management skills, commitment and resilience.
Kevin, who joined Minster Cleaning Services in 1999, was runner-up in their 2011 Franchisee of the Year awards with his branch increasing turnover by over 20 per cent. He says that he intends to go one better this year: “The size of Minster’s territories gives us plenty of scope for expansion; we have recently opened a satellite office in Whitchurch to deal with new business that we have picked up in that area. We are also getting more and more work from existing client
Knowledge
The benefits of a network are clear to Minster Cleaning Services franchisees sharing know-how and experiences between them
INVESTMENT LEVEL: £28,225
referrals – particularly in the healthcare sector where our expertise in helping practices prepare for Care Quality Commission registration has proved to be invaluable. “We have found that by concentrating on quality of service rather than price, we are not only able to retain clients, we are also developing our business with them by suggesting extra services and refinements to their cleaning schedules.”
Regional co-operation between franchisees has also benefited the Staffordshire branch in the form of shared contracts where customers have premises in more than one franchise area. But Kevin says that this is not the only advantage of being a part of a national franchise network: “The ability to share knowledge and to talk freely to other business owners who are not in competition is priceless – if ever a problem arises, there is always someone else who has had the same experience and has come up with a solution.” Minster Cleaning Services managing
director, Mike Parker is well aware of the importance of attracting the right people
providing commercial cleaning services since 1982 and is one of the country’s most successful franchises and a leading force in office cleaning. It has been a bfa full member since 1992; annual turnover is £30 million and average sales per branch are over £700,000. Office cleaning is an essential commercial service which attracts clients from a broad range of sectors. Prospective franchisees can look forward to a safe and secure future and the opportunity to create a large business and a genuinely valuable asset; market research company Key Note estimated the annual UK contract cleaning market at £6.42 billion in 2010 and predicts that it will reach £7.13 billion by 2015. Training and support covers operational
“The ability to share knowledge and to talk freely to other business owners who are not in competition is priceless”
management, administration, bookkeeping, IT, marketing and the complex fields of employment law, health & safety and environmental legislation.
New franchise opportunities include Cambridge, Durham, Leicester, London, Middlesex, Guildford, Peterborough and Swansea.
Initial start up cost is £28,225 + VAT which covers licence, training, computer software and hardware, stationery, machinery, equipment and materials. In addition, between £40,000 and £60,000 working capital will be needed – finance is available from leading banks subject to status. Also, there are currently established franchises available for resale in Surrey, South Wales and Dundee. n
MINSTER
WEBSITE:
www.minsterfranchise.co.uk EMAIL:
minster@minsterfranchise.co.uk PHONE: 0121 386 1722 CLASSIFICATION: Cleaning services
July/August 2012 |
Businessfranchise.com | 57
Investment: £20k-£50k
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