Discover rewarding management franchise opportunities with one of the UK's leading drain care and maintenance companies.
Drainage in the UK is a multi-billion pound, highly profitable sector with demand 365 days of the year, 24 hours a day.
Investing in a Metro Rod franchise means you can build from an established customer base, with ongoing revenue, a fleet of vehicles, associated equipment and trained staff.
We are in high demand for our services nationwide and currently have 43 franchise locations, servicing our clients across the whole of the UK. We are looking for ambitious, hard-working, commercially aware individuals that are looking to run their own business via our franchise model to help us keep up with this demand. A focus of Metro Rod is to provide an emergency response service to customers through its operating model of National Accounts and local customers. We are able to do this because of the large support centre team we have in place, as one of our franchisees you will have a team to assist you with marketing, IT, Sales, quotes, tenders, handling enquiries to invoicing and payment collection. Our support centre team handles more than 15,000 calls and 8,000 emails per month serving customers and providing work for our network of franchisees.
Resale Opportunities
We have a selection of resales across the Country - See full list below for locations.
The areas are:
Gloucestershire £50k
Exeter £75k
Aberdeen £50k
Edinburgh £350k
Bristol £995K
North East £1.3million
Full Resale List
Location
Price
Gloucester
£50k (Territory only)
Exeter
£75k (Territory only)
Aberdeen
£50k (Territory only)
Edinburgh
£350k (Including Assets & fully staffed)
Bristol
£995K (Including Assets & fully staffed)
North East
£1.3million (including assets and fully staffed)
Our excellent reputation and long list of satisfied clients are strong indicators of our attention to detail, clear communication, honesty and integrity.
Metro Rod’s and soon to be your specialist services include:
Drain clearance and maintenance.
High pressure water jetting.
CCTV surveys.
Drain or sewer lining.
Excavation.
Electro mechanical cleaning and fat and grease management.
Benefits of being a Metro Rod Franchisee
No prior experience of drainage necessary. Our highly experienced technical team will provide full training to get you started and stay with you using our tried and tested support programme.
Sales and marketing support – websites, advertising and a full brand pack of promotional materials continue to build the brand and secure more national account work year on year through our dedicated national accounts team.
Being part of Franchise Brands means that Metro Rod franchisees can also benefit from a dedicated support team that work closely with franchisees to help raise the brand profile and drive customer enquiries.
Our support centre handles the invoicing and credit control function dealing with invoicing, payment collection and debtors on your behalf, so that you can focus on growing your business.
In-house call centre team working 24/7 365 days a year processing enquiries and preparing quotations.
Last year Metro Rod completed over £70 million pounds worth of jobs, a 24% growth increase despite of covid. As a franchisee not only will you benefit from all the work, we channel through to you, we are adding new services and introducing new revenue streams all the time. You will also be able to build local relationships and create your own portfolio of customers, giving you complete ownership of how big you wish to grow your business.
Costs & Earning Potential
Metro Rod offer several ways that you can join the business the minimum investment for a Metro Rod franchise is approx. £100k if you can invest £30k we have relationships with some of the major banks with our proven track record and financial supporting data loans of 70% LTV are possible. Resales of existing businesses start from £150k+ VAT.
We also have other opportunities with our Metro Plumb franchise business which carries a minimum investment value of £10k.
For hard working and dedicated franchisees, the Metro Rod franchise model can generate a fantastic earning potential. A large proportion of our franchisee’s turnover in excess of £1m per year.
The Metro Rod franchise model is a proven success that has remained resilient against recession. Our emergency repair services and regular drain maintenance contracts have kept Metro Rod franchisees busy, regardless of the state of the economy.
Metro Rod is the ideal franchise opportunity for committed individuals who have management or small business operation experience; you don’t need to be a drainage expert, as we provide you with all the training you need to run your own successful drain care business.
We have been members of the British Franchising Association (BFA) since 1997 and have won a number of national awards with them. As well as winning Franchisor of the Year in 2003, in 2016, two of our franchisees were named Young Franchise of the Year and Female Franchisee of the Year.
Interested?
If this sounds like the type of brand you would like to be associated with, request more information today or speak with our team directly about the available options and for more information. Take the plunge to a brand-new future
We are delighted to announce the addition of two exceptional franchisees to the Metro Rod and Franchise Brands plc family, marking a significant milestone in our ongoing expansion and commitment to delivering top-tier drainage solutions across the UK.
1. Can you tell me a bit about yourself and what you were doing prior to buying a franchise business?
Clive was working in construction and I ran my own business doing sewing alterations. Clive was working away from home quite a bit and we weren’t having the quality time together that we had hoped for. we were fast approaching 50 so decided that we would look for something new that hopefully we could work on together.
2. Why did you go down the franchise route? What made you choose this industry?
Clive's brother ran a drainage business in bath which he wanted to expand, so asked us if we would be interested in joining him. we decided we would, then his brother saw the advert for Metro Rod and mentioned it to us. He/we thought that would be a better option as we had two sons whom we thought might be interested in joining the business at some stage in the future
3. What made you decide to go ahead with the franchise?
We went for an interview in Macclesfield, everything was explained to us so well and the support offered for what would be to us, a new venture, was excellent. when we went through the contract with our solicitor, he could not believe that everything had been explained to us in such detail. It seemed like a really good opportunity with a really professional company.
4. What have you learned from running a Metro Rod business?
We knew nothing about running a business when we started, the support and training we received was incredible. There was always someone at the end of the phone to help with any situation, we never felt that we were “going it alone”
5. What makes Metro Rod a great business to be in?
We knew nothing about the “world of drainage” and over the years we have learned that Metro Rod are professional, honest, want to be the best that they can be and expect that from each and every one of their franchises.
6. What sets your business apart from competitors?
Professionalism, health and safety record, quality of works and knowledge, good prices, staff who are polite and courteous and go the extra mile.
7. In your opinion, what makes a successful franchisee?
I think you need to be prepared to work hard, preferably from starting at the bottom and working to the top, so that you have first hand knowledge of what the job entails. Then and only then, can you have the respect of your employees and expect them to work to the same standard. the responsibility is there 24/7 365 days a year.
8. How would you describe your day to day role as a franchisee?
We now leave the day to day running of the business to our sons and office manager. We give our final agreement on investments etc. Our roles are now in the background so very different from when we started where we did everything. We are lucky in that the staff who run the business on our behalf do it to our standard.
9. What would you say to other people considering joining the network?
Go for it! Don’t wait until you reach 50 like we did, decide, commit, invest and believe in what you are doing. You won’t regret it.
10. Training and support - did you receive initially and what is the ongoing support like?
Clive had training at one of the depots for 2 weeks then a dedicated trainer came downto the are for two weeks to go out on the road with him to boost his confidence and show him things in situ. I had 2 weeks training at head office then a a dedicated trainer for 2 weeks when we went live. At the end of the first month someone came down from head office to go through the end of month paperwork with me (in those days 22 years ago, everything was done by hand, no computer!) the ongoing support was and still is excellent.
It has only got better over the years.
11. How has becoming a franchisee changed your life, if so how?
Metro Rod has been our life for 22 years, in the early days it was all consuming we ate drank and slept it. We have 2 sons who have joined us and so it has become a real family business, we have been lucky enough to find and retain some excellent members of our team and we all work together very well.
12. What is the most invaluable piece of advice you could give someone looking to buy their first franchise?
Totally commit and work with the franchisor to get the best out of the business and be prepared to work around the clock.
Metro Rod Ltd Testimonials
Tracey was my first contact when I enquired about a Metro Rod resale opportunity. She obviously knew her stuff, was easy to talk to and made what was a huge personal decision so much easier as a result. I always felt Tracey made every effort to make the process & negotiations as transparent as possible and was great help when coordinating the all the parties involved in the sale.
Daniel Rhodes, Managing Director,
Metro Rod Ltd
The best thing we ever did was invest in tankers. It has opened so much work: septic tanks, soakaways, interceptors, jetting and crawlering which then leads to adoption work with the water authorities.
Adrian Taylor Metro Rod Franchise Owner,
Metro Rod Ltd
I came to Metro Rod with no experience in drainage back in 2014, but I learned everything I needed from the team and, combined with lots of on-the-job experience, I am now a qualified engineer. I love working with the team here at Mid Wales; we’re like a family. We work hard, always do that little bit extra for the customer and above all else, I know my work is valued.
Tom Emberton Metro Rod Engineer,
Metro Rod Ltd
I’ve been with Metro Rod for 4 years as the Operations Manager. Everything we do here is a team effort, and whether it is in the office or out in the field, our customer service always comes first. The thing I like most is that we’re a close-knit team, and we’re flexible, so try to ensure everyone has a happy work-life balance.
Daley Jones Operations Manager,
Metro Rod Ltd
My wife and I have been running Metro Rod (Norwich) since 2001, and over that time have built up a strong and loyal client base.
Shaun O’Brian,
Metro Rod Ltd
I love what I do and am proud of what I have achieved – I am thankful to my team and Metro Rod for the support that they have given to me. Although I do a great deal of local marketing, I get guaranteed work from Metro Rod with their National Accounts. Metro Rod also looks after all my invoicing and I have a very low level of debt due to their credit control service and my personal efforts. The support of a franchisor and franchise network would be difficult to match on my own!
Tricia Craig, Metro Rod franchisee for the North East,
Metro Rod Ltd
Metro Rod Ltd Videos
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Metro Rod | Franchisee - Graeme Tulloch
Metro Rod Guildford franchisee Graeme, talks about the process to join Metro Rod and his plans for the future.
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Paul Davies, a Metro Rod Franchisee in Northern Ireland talks about his entry into the business and why he decided to become a franchisee with Metro Rod.
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Paul Davies, a Metro Rod Franchisee in Northern Ireland talks about his entry into the business and why he decided to become a franchisee with Metro Rod.
Metro Rod | Franchise Brands continue seeking acquisition deals after underlying profits hit record levels
Franchise Brands PLC (AIM:FRAN) Stephen Hemsley joins Proactive to talk about their performance over the last three months.
He explains how this period has been driven by its commercial drainage business Metro Rod where sales jumped 32%.
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Added to the list
Franchise Brands PLC (AIM:FRAN) Stephen Hemsley joins Proactive to talk about their performance over the last three months.
He explains how this period has been driven by its commercial drainage business Metro Rod where sales jumped 32%.
Metro Rod | Franchise Brands announce record profits and an ambitious acquisition strategy
After a strong recovery across the entire business, Stephen Hemsley, executive chairman of Franchise Brands (LON:FRAN) tells Proactive London "We are confident that the full year performance will be ahead of current consensus market expectations."
The company is an international multi-brand franchisor and Hemsley put the strong performance of commercial drainage specialist Metro Rod down to the 21% increase in system sales and tight cost control, and he expects an acceleration in H2 sales for pump supply, installation and servicing business Willow Pumps as the hospitality sector in particular fully reopens.
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Added to the list
After a strong recovery across the entire business, Stephen Hemsley, executive chairman of Franchise Brands (LON:FRAN) tells Proactive London "We are confident that the full year performance will be ahead of current consensus market expectations."
The company is an international multi-brand franchisor and Hemsley put the strong performance of commercial drainage specialist Metro Rod down to the 21% increase in system sales and tight cost control, and he expects an acceleration in H2 sales for pump supply, installation and servicing business Willow Pumps as the hospitality sector in particular fully reopens.
Metro Rod | Franchise Brands drove bottom line by 'learning lessons of the lockdown'
Executive Chairman of Franchise Brands, Stephen Hemsley, talks to Proactive London's Katie Pilbeam after making a strong start to the year as underlying earnings (EBITDA) increased 24% to £2mln in the first three months of 2021.
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Executive Chairman of Franchise Brands, Stephen Hemsley, talks to Proactive London's Katie Pilbeam after making a strong start to the year as underlying earnings (EBITDA) increased 24% to £2mln in the first three months of 2021.
Metro Rod | Connect Customer Portal - User Journey
Are you frustrated not knowing what's happened to the jobs you book with suppliers? Metro Rod's Connect portal gives you full visibility and instant access to all jobs, from checking to job status to seeing the description of work and cost details.
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Are you frustrated not knowing what's happened to the jobs you book with suppliers? Metro Rod's Connect portal gives you full visibility and instant access to all jobs, from checking to job status to seeing the description of work and cost details.