Special Feature
How were the early days and how is business going today? We’ve been open 10 years, which is a fantastic milestone to hit. In the initial years the turnover growth was really strong and we were in a position to purchase our second Subway store. Then the country’s economy crashed in 2008, which had a signifi cant impact on every business in the city centre. It was a tough time and we had to put the brakes on our second site. In the last 18 months, however, we’ve seen the market stabilise and our trade has started to grow again, which is brilliant as it puts us in a position to hire more staff and meet the renewed customer demand.
Subway Eamonn Duggan
Eamonn Duggan runs his Subway in Cork in the Republic of Ireland, where, before becoming a franchisee, he worked for the family business, Duggan’s Bakery, a fi fth- generation bakery based in Cork.
Why did you decide to invest in a franchise? Due to new regulations it was becoming more challenging to keep the family bakery running as we were facing increasing limitations on the way we could run our business. We reached a crossroads and decided to close the bakery, but it was a key goal for me to stay within the food industry. That’s when I started to look into opening a franchise.
Why did you choose a franchise in this sector and why with Subway in particular?
Becoming a Subway franchisee was a natural choice due to my background in the food business. I’ve been in this sector my whole life, so I was confi dent the Subway brand would be a great choice. The Subway franchise also provides
great opportunities to support the local community, which really stood out to me – we’ve recently sponsored the Football Association of Ireland, which is giving children the chance to learn and play the sport. Our store is just around the corner from a football pitch so it’s brilliant to know we’re making a diff erence so close to home.
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BusinessFranchise.com | February 2017
How did you fi nd out about the Subway franchise? There was a Subway store located just down the road from our bakery and I saw that it was becoming more and more popular. I became a customer there myself and loved the product, which gave me the inspiration to set up my own.
“The Subway franchise also provides great opportunities to support the local community... It’s brilliant to know we’re making a difference so close to home”
What training and support did you receive and continue to receive? The support and training programme provided by Subway is really thorough. I fi rst spent two weeks at a training boot camp in Milford, Connecticut, and then went to work at a couple of city- centre locations in Ireland to build up my experience. This was great as it gave me the opportunity to experience every role at the store, which I think is key to being able to successfully manage your own business – you have to know it from the bottom up.
Describe a typical day We’re open seven days a week and my day-to-day activities really vary depending on how busy it is. Sometimes I’m on the shop fl oor or behind the scenes; I’ll base myself wherever my staff need me. The fi rst thing I always do each day is turn everything on, bake the bread and start up the coff ee machine – you can’t beat the smell of freshly baked bread and coff ee in the morning!
How has life changed since you opened your franchise?
By far the biggest change we’ve gone through is the economy crash in Ireland – this had a huge impact on business across the country but we learnt a great deal too, which I believe has enabled us to create a more stable trading future. We can now start looking at a second Subway store again, which we’re really excited about. Running a store that has a national presence also impacts your local profi le as you become recognised alongside the brand, but it’s great to have that reputation behind you.
What plans do you have for the future? Our eyes are fi rmly on the future and we’re determined to get our second store up and running. I’m currently investing time in fi nding the right location as this is key to any store’s success. Hopefully we’ll fi nd the right spot in early 2017 and plans can progress from there.
Any advice for potential franchisees? My main piece of advice for any budding franchisee is to do as much research as you possibly can. The more information you have the better equipped you will be to make strategic decisions. I also found it invaluable talking to people who had experience within the business – you can learn from their highlights but also their mistakes!
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