BF April 2010 Issue

116
Franchises from £20,000 to £50,000
GreenThubm
Investment level:
s
£28,500 plus VAT
f
o
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u
Website:
www.greenthumb.co.uk
Email:
franchise@greenthumb.co.uk
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e

Phone:
f
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01745 586 041
classification:
Lawn care
Andy, 39, says: “Speaking to existing
franchisees, everyone said it was the best
thing they have ever done. That’s what
convinced me.
“If I’d stayed in the print business I don’t
think I would have moved forward in any
way, but with GreenThumb I have a better
opportunity in ﬁ ve years time to be in
a much stronger position ﬁ nancially and
have a better way of life.”
One of the franchisees both Adrian and
Andy consulted before taking the plunge
with GreenThumb was Chris Ducker, who
with his wife Joanne, founded the nearby
Green green grass
Wharfedale franchise, based in Ilkley in
November 2008.
Joanne was a superintendent
Don’t miss your chance to run one of the fastest
radiographer in the NHS while Chris,
her husband of 11 years, had enjoyed
growing lawn-care franchises GreenThumb
a successful career with a series of
international blue chip companies. Now
B
RITAIN’S BIGGEST lawn care Two of the new trainee franchisees
“We’d both
they treat more than 500 lawns from
franchise has experienced a are brothers Adrian and Andy Stott,
had enough
The Dales down to the borders of
record start to the year with more who have bought adjoining franchises
of working
Leeds, including Grassington, Menston,
franchisees than ever joining the company’s in Cleckheaton and Wakeﬁ eld in west Horsforth and Ilkley and anticipate further
highly respected training courses in January Yorkshire. Adrian, 37, was made redundant
long hours,
“signiﬁ cant” growth in 2010.
and February. from his job as a printer in January 2009
commuting
And to cope with the demand, they
In fact, so many new GreenThumb when the company he worked for laid off and having will be recruiting more staff, including sales
franchises are being started in 2010 that the 52 workers.
little quality
staff to help the business keep growing
company has only 30 virgin territories left, It was his father, Robert, a GreenThumb
time for each
strongly. Joanne says: “We’re delighted with
starting at £28,500 plus VAT. The increasing customer in Selby, who suggested
other...”
the way the business has grown. We’d
popularity of this company that has GreenThumb. Adrian says: “I’d looked both had enough of working long hours,
continued to defy the economic downturn at franchising in the past but nothing commuting and having little quality time
means that whole areas of the country are had really interested me, but I spoke to for each other and our two children. I
now being snapped up. a few franchisees and they were very really enjoy working with Chris – I work in
One such area is Yorkshire, where in the encouraging. I think more than anything the ofﬁ ce while he treats the lawns. It’s a
last year alone, six new franchisees have set it was GreenThumb’s reputation that great partnership!” ■
up business in the area, including Harrogate, attracted me.”
Leeds, Doncaster and Bradford. After a series of meetings with
With more than 25 years’ experience, GreenThumb, father-of-two Adrian
GreenThumb is a tried-and-trusted franchise and his wife Sarah, a former graphic
model specialising in keeping more than half designer, invested in the virgin
a million lawns in the UK looking healthy and Cleckheaton territory, which includes
weed-free. The company grew by around parts of Leeds, Wakefield and Bradford
15 per cent and some franchises reported along the M62 corridor.
growth of well above 30 per cent. But while they were negotiating with
With sustained expansion in a period that GreenThumb, Adrian’s elder brother
the UK economy was ofﬁ cially in recession, Andy – a director in a small printing ﬁ rm
GreenThumb has been inundated with – was selling his business after 15 years
enquiries from people keen to become and he, too, decided to look at franchising
franchisees and now boasts a network of with GreenThumb and bought the
more than 200. neighbouring vacant franchise in Wakeﬁ eld.
April 2010 www.businessfranchise.com
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