Exclusive Interview
“Wiltshire Farm Foods’ environment, sustainability and care values felt very close to my heart”
Mark Appleton, franchise partner for Stourbridge
What did you do before you became a Wiltshire Farm Foods franchise partner? I worked at PwC and KPMG as a management consultant for 20 years, spending four of those years in Saudi Arabia. Then, I felt like a career change, that I’d like to have my own business. I looked at franchises – take an existing business and not have to set up from scratch. I also had the support of the brand, so I wasn’t trying to learn everything right from the beginning. It was a big enough curve to get up to speed learning finance, payroll, tax, pensions, all of that.
And why Wiltshire Farm Foods? I did my research from a point of view of investment and returns. I was looking for the right fit, the scale of the business that suited me, as well as my financial aspirations and skillset.
Wiltshire Farm Foods appealed to
me for a number of reasons and one in particular was that I wouldn’t be taken out by technology – people need to eat! It’s a growing market, particularly with
60 | The Franchise Magazine 2020
the older population – and ethically it appealed to me. The environment and sustainability issues felt very close to my heart in terms of their values and also who they’re catering for – dementia- related care, pureed foods, people with difficulties, so yes, a perfect fit!
How did Wiltshire Farm Foods prepare you, and what kind of training or onboarding is there? I had a lot of phone conversations, then meetings and then there was the whole business case presentation, working out the numbers, etc. The process was rigorous and they gave me the time to really work out what I was going to have to do in terms of investment, such as buying vehicles and setting up the freezer. My advice is give yourself long enough to take all this into consideration. Originally, I’m an industrial engineer, so I had worked in a manufacturing environment, I understood how businesses worked and I’d run quite a large factory before. Wiltshire Farm Foods’ induction was great in the sense of getting you going, the manual, and so on; it’s so informative. It was a steep learning
curve; I was really lucky as staff joined from the existing business and that took a lot of the pain of a startup away. But the support was there overall.
How did brand awareness of Wiltshire Farm Foods help? It’s huge – when we go out and market there’s certainly people ready to become customers with us. With the TV campaigns and the historical branding, it makes that conversation easier when you’re talking about the product and service. One of the main benefits of having
that brand and being a franchise is that you’re not actually trying to learn the business, you’re growing it. For me, as a late career changer, it’s a case of coming in and taking the brand and franchise on – it’s all there already.
How has life changed since you became a Wiltshire Farm Foods franchise partner? I’ve got a lot more time with the family – I’m not travelling as much from a business perspective, my days are a lot more predictable and I get time to pick my daughter up from school. My wife works in the business, it’s a nice balance!
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