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by Tony Maddock, General Manager,Franchise Selection.
Myself and the team at Australia’s largest franchisee recruiting company, Franchise Selection, have put our heads together and come up with our top five choices for franchise buyers this year. They are, in no particular order: AllSafe Energy Efficient Products; Coffee Club; Exclusive Collectables model cars; Crust Gourmet Pizza; and Matchbox homewares.
We see a buoyant 2010 economy boosting franchising across-the-board and believe these five franchisors are ready to take full advantage of increased consumer spending during the year.
We’re expecting strong short, medium and long term growth from the five franchisors we have named.
They all have excellent product and administrations/administrators, they all have first-rate marketing and development strategies, they all have proven track-records and they are all planning new outlets.
So we would recommend all of these franchisors to potential franchise buyers.
The food franchises on the list, - Crust gourmet pizza and Coffee Club provide great buying quality.
Crust franchise outlets specialise in delivered or take-away gourmet pizzas which are equal to, or better than, restaurant quality.
Crust currently has nearly 40 stores along the east coast of Australia. Its success can be seen by its growth figures which show that the number of outlets in New South Wales and Victoria jumped from 19 to 37 during 2009.
It is an extremely well-managed franchise - and obviously it has developed a very popular product.
Western Australia will strongly feature in Crust operations this year. Subiaco will host the company’s first Perth outlet and once the supply chain and operating conditions of the Perth market are ‘live’ tested franchised outlets will be released.
Potential food franchise buyers should make certain they check out coffee and food franchisors Coffee Club - which is one of the great success stories of independent food store franchising in Australia.
The Coffee Club franchise has been, is, and will continue to be highly successful. The company is highly energetic, forward-thinking and has great administration, marketing, systems and strategies.
There are now over 240 Coffee Club outlets across Australia selling high-quality coffee and food and the company is set to expand further this year.
Coffee Club’s growth is somewhat limited by the selection of A-grade locations. The company will not franchise without site selection criteria being met.
This can be frustrating for an applicant but the selection process means better performance in a new outlet.
Moving away from food franchises, Exclusive Collectables model cars are a fast-rising franchisor with a great short, medium and long-term future.
Exclusive Collectables manufactures, distributes and retails die cast model cars, sports figures statues and collectables publications among many other items.
This NSW-based franchisor produces high-quality, well –priced model cars which are incredibly popular with sporting enthusiasts-and there are a lot of them.
The company which began in 1996 is on the move. It is expanding sensibly and strategically across the country. Its product is excellent along with its internal systems and growth strategies.
With the development of the group, the buying power and brand presence will ensure a strong, enjoyable business for any franchisee.
The team at Franchise Selection is equally enthusiastic about the Matchbox homewares and kitchen accessories franchise.
Matchbox has 19 stores in Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia. It has detailed expansion plans to increase its outlets in those states and right across the country.
Its outlets sell cooking wares associated with the kitchen including baking wares, glass wares, table wares, appliances, knives and a myriad of other items.
It is taking full advantage of the world-wide television fad for cooking shows. A franchisee will typically be a passionate ‘cooking nut’.
Finally, we see great things ahead for the Brisbane–based All Safe Energy Efficient Products franchise.
All Safe has placed itself very well in supplying goods for the dramatic change to environmentally – safe housing.
It sells insulation, ventilation, solar power systems and solar gas and hot water systems.
These sorts of products have massive potential sales in an increasingly environmentally-concerned Australia.
The company is looking at cross-country expansion and it has relatively low investment rates for new franchisees.
It has an ease of operation that fits neatly with its systems and a local All Safe franchise quickly becomes the knowledge hub for consumers and trades people.
This is an emerging industry that will grow and grow for years. It is well placed to meet the changing needs of the customer and regulatory requirements. It is truly a new industry opportunity.
Summing up, we believe the top five franchises we have selected offer some of the best buying value and potential short, medium and long-term returns on investment that will be available in the franchise marketplace this year.
Tony Maddock is the General Manager of Franchise Selection. Suite 201, Level 2, 566 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Vic 3004. Phone: 1300 FRANCHISE (372 624). Web: www.franchiseselection.com.au.
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