Hello, November! A new month is the perfect time to celebrate new franchisees, and in this week’s Friday Franchising News we’re rounding up the new franchise openings that have happened and expansions that are being planned for some of the UK’s top franchises. Check them out below:
Love Brownies Celebrates Two Years of Expansion
Love Brownies started from an online brownie business ten years ago and has now expanded to an award-winning concept operating in Cheshire and across London. Owners of Love Brownies, Chantal and Lee Teal opened their first physical bakery location in Ilkley, West Yorkshire just two years ago. The retail bakery franchise is now expanding beyond the initial Yorkshire location to a new Cheshire store and also a new Greater London Southgate store. The London Islington store is due to open in early November and will be a takeaway drink and brownie outlet with brownie gifts. The Ilkley store is also expecting to expand in the coming months to become a larger café setting to accommodate more customers.
Marla Custom Blinds Welcomes New Franchisee
Mike McBryde launched his Marla Custom Blinds franchise in June 2018 and he has just made it through the launch phase of his new franchise, successfully creating over £60,000 of quotes and the potential to generate a gross profit of around £27,000. To prepare for his launch campaign, Mike started by researching potential marketing opportunities in his area, including local press, exhibition areas, and sponsorship opportunities. Next, Mike met with the Marla Custom Blinds franchise head office to review the results of his research and finalise the design of his personal franchise website and content for his online advertising campaigns. Then, Mike scheduled his advertising campaigns at the beginning of his initial training, ensuring that sales leads were already coming through by the time Mike had completed his course. Finally, the franchisor helped Mike monitor and optimise the effectiveness of his online campaigns. After his three month launch campaign, Mike simply has to take the reins himself.
New Signs Express for the City of Salisbury
Signs Express is growing at its fastest rate in more than 10 years. Recently, the franchise opened a new centre in Salisbury. This is the fourth new centre the sign and graphics franchise has opened this year for a total of 67 centres across the UK. The new owner of Signs Express (Salisbury) is Rod Clark, who brings with him a combination of skills from his time in project management, business operations, and photography. The new franchise is located in Sunrise Way Solstice Park. It features a purpose-built vehicle bay to service Salisbury, Andover, The New Forest and surrounding areas.
eDivert Welcomes Three New Franchisees
eDivert has recently had three new franchisees join their franchise network. Stephanie likes that as part of the eDivert team, she can both deliver and sell the services offered by the business. The flexibility allows her to work around her family and still be involved in a rewarding business. Charla enjoys the support from the franchisor and being able to work as a team. Memory brings 15 years of work experience to the eDivert network. eDivert allows Memory the security and support of an established and successful company with a proven track record.
Wok to Walk Focuses Expansion Efforts on the UK
Following its global success of recent years, Wok to Walk is now focusing on its UK expansion. The noodle bar franchise has signed contracts with groups such as Starboard Dining and Gerry Offshore to bring new locations to Reading, Liverpool, Leeds and Manchester. This brings the number of UK Wok to Walk locations to 13 and over 100 worldwide. All of Wok to Walk’s franchise owners in the UK are experiencing solid profitability. The brand is excited to continue its UK expansion. Areas such as South Coast, Newcastle, Scotland, and Ireland are still available, though the franchise expects they will be bought up soon.