REAL STORIES
Complete Entertainment eXchange (CeX) takes the buy-and-sell
concept and updates it by trading mobile phones, games, electronics, computers, movies and TV shows directly with the public
opened up a huge market for second-hand electronics and for older models, which still have great specs and features for the majority of the population. CeX’s premise is the trading of something you don’t want for something you do, plus its two-year warranty really distinguishes the brand and provides consumer confi dence.
owns and runs three CeX stores
JONNY BARROW
What prompted your change of career? I previously worked in the food retail sector, specifi cally fast food, which could be extremely challenging, demanding and non-stop, so I decided to look into doing something diff erent, but still related to retail.
Why did you look into franchising? It’s a less risky investment and expansion is a realistic goal with the help of franchisor support and a proven model. Having worked in a franchise before, I knew what to expect. For me, my weak point was marketing but CeX provides a lot of guidance alongside its own focused central marketing campaigns.
What appealed most about CeX? Technology is, without a doubt, a growing sector. Big brands are continuously releasing new products every year and this has
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BusinessFranchise.com | March 2018
Tell us about the training and support I trained from sales assistant to manager level in a large local store. I worked in Portsmouth with a fantastic team who took me under their wing and showed me every aspect of how to run a store. As for support, CeX run a turnkey operation, which makes the experience a lot less stressful as there are no project management responsibilities during fi t-out. When stock arrives, they provide a full ‘build’ team to help with stock and display for opening plus a support manager for the fi rst three weeks to train the new team. My franchise manager is also present should I require any assistance. I felt guided and supported throughout the whole process.
Has becoming a franchisee met with your expectations? It’s exceeded my expectations! I’ve really enjoyed working with the franchise team and have a brilliant and supportive franchise manager. CeX feels like a big family – everyone’s supportive to each other and they know how to have fun along the way!
What did you fi nd most benefi cial? The turnkey operation. The most daunting part of starting a new business for me was the idea of sourcing suppliers, designers and reliable contractors. With my franchise I was able to focus on what I felt my strengths were while CeX managed everything else using reliable and trusted contractors they work very closely with.
Are you set to meet your targets? My fi rst store hit its year three sales target in year one, which fi lled me with a lot of confi dence going into store two. Similarly, store two beat its year one target by nearly 20 per cent but, more importantly, I have a great team that I really enjoy working with, so we continue to beat our targets.
Has CeX has fulfi lled its obligations? I’ve had a really positive experience with the brand and am happy with my work- life balance. I sat down with my franchise manager to set realistic targets, so that the store met its fi nancial obligations. We also stress-tested each store based on diff erent outcomes and that helped settle any reservations I had. Looking back now, I think it was a case of ‘under-promise and over-deliver’, as I’ve been pleasantly surprised with each store’s performance.
What are your future plans? When I opened the fi rst store, I thought that three would be a good number, but in the back of my mind I wanted to aim for fi ve stores. I have a really strong team growing the business with me and I think this is now achievable. CeX is backing the expansion and is willing to take on more responsibility so that we can achieve the goal together.
Who would suit a CeX franchise? The ability to get behind, follow and develop a proven model is essential and is the most eff ective way to succeed in a franchise. As with any new venture, hard work and commitment is a must, but anyone who is keen for a challenge, willing to learn and wants to be part of fun and exciting brand would fi t in well.
CeX
Act now to fi nd out more and secure your location:
www.webuy.com/franchising
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