Franchise News – Issue 2#1

This article appeared in Issue 2#1 (Nov/Dec 2007) of Business Franchise Australia & New Zealand 

7-ELEVEN CELEBRATES 30 YEARS

7-Eleven celebrated 30 years in Australia this year.

The first Australian 7-Eleven store opened in Oakleigh, Victoria, on 24th August 1977 and 7-Eleven has pioneered convenience retailing, growing the business through franchising, innovative products – such as the frozen carbonated beverage Slurpee, and logistic initiatives.

“For 30 years, we have worked closely with, and continue to work closely with, suppliers such as Coca-Cola, Cadbury, Phillip Morris and Dairy Farmers to provide unique, timely and convenient product offerings for our customers,” said chairman, Russell Withers.

“Through our partnership with Swire Cold Storage 7-Eleven has recently been able to launch a successful daily fresh food range, munch. This logistics solution which is unique in convenience allows us to deliver fresh food to every store 7 days a week. The munch range meets the growing demand from customers for tasty food that’s easy to grab and eat on the go.”

7-Eleven is developing a new store design to create a fresher, easier and more appealing environment for customers.

BB’S CAFÉ ADVISES VOLUNTEER ORGANISATIONS

Leading coffee and gourmet bread franchise bb’s café has partnered with the nationwide network of Volunteer Centres to launch a nationwide Community Futures program that offers professional support and guidance to not-for-profit volunteer organisations.

bb’s café brand manager Brooke Ryan said there had been a boom in people wanting to do volunteer work in recent years with the Australian Bureau of Statistics estimating more than 5.4 million Australians now do volunteer work.

“But while people are keen to volunteer, often volunteer organisations struggle with managing their volunteer programs,” Ryan said.

“The bb’s café Community Futures program gives volunteer groups advice and guidance so they can operate to their full potential. As an extra bonus, community organisations can also organise to get ten per cent discount on coffee at their local bb’s café,” she said.

The Kidney Support Network is one of the first community organisations to take advantage of bb’s cafe Community Futures program.

ECOWASH FLEET OFFSETS THEIR CARBON

Waterless car washing and detailing franchise Ecowash Mobile has joined forces with carbon offsetting organisation Greenfleet to further reduce its impact on the environment.

Greenfleet, a not-for-profit organisation, will plant an average of 263 native trees every year to offset the 72 tonnes of greenhouse gases generated annually by the fleet of cars operated by Ecowash Mobile franchisees.

Ecowash Mobile co-founders Jim Cornish and Stewart Nicholls said that through this initiative they are providing their customers with an even more environmentally-friendly car washing service.

“We want to be part of the solution and offer car owners a greener alternative. What we’re really working on is to take car washing to the next level – we don’t use any water, our 2-in-1 wash and polish is biodegradable and now we’re also offsetting the emissions from our fleet of cars,” Jim said.

Ecowash Mobile was recently listed by BRW magazine as one of Australia’s 2007 Top 100 Fast Starters.

75TH FERNWOOD CLUB OPENS IN MELBOURNE

Fernwood Women’s Health Club’s has opened its 75th club in Australia in the site of the old Polo Club Hotel in Moonee Ponds, Melbourne.

It is a mixed use development, with the club forming part of the ground and first floors, with residential apartments also located on the first floor and shops at ground level. The new club is owned by Gary Harley who also owns Fernwood clubs in Sydenham and Tullamarine.

Fernwood founder and executive chairman Diana Williams says the opening of the 75th club in Australia brings the group one step closer to the aim of having 85 clubs by 2008.

“This club is also our 25th club in Victoria and we’re planning to open another new club in Victoria in October,” Diana said.

Fernwood Woman’s Health Clubs is the largest fitness and wellness franchise in Australia, with over 80,000 members, more than 2,000 employees and an annual turnover of $72 million.

NEW DEMENTIA CARE TRAINING FOR HOME INSTEAD CAREGIVERS

Home Instead Senior Care is providing its caregivers with dementia care training in partnership with Alzheimer’s Australia.

Home Instead Senior Care director Martin Warner said many of their clients have dementia and it is important to provide them with appropriate support and care.

“No one knows dementia as well as Alzheimer’s Australia and we recognise the expertise and the value they can add to our organisation,” he said.

“This training program will not only develop the skills of our caregivers, but clients’ families will have peace of mind knowing that their loved ones are receiving trusted care in the safety and security of their own home.”

According to National Dementia, more than 240,000 people will be living with dementia by 2010, and 730,000 people by 2050. There are currently more than 1,000 cases of dementia diagnosed each week.

As a provider of home care services, Home Instead Senior Care supports its clients to live an independent lifestyle in their own home for as long as possible.

FIRST FRANCHISEE FOR TRAVEL COUNSELLORS

Claudia Silk of Pakenham in Victoria is the first signing by Travel Counsellors. Claudia joins over 800 other travel counsellors located in the UK, Europe, the USA and South Africa.

“I researched the business extensively, I talked with travel counsellors in the UK and without question they were enthusiastic about the company,” she said.

“Claudia is absolutely correct to do her research carefully,” said managing director Peter Watson. “Moving from a salary environment to home based commission-only is a big step and I would encourage any agent, including those already working from home, to compare the different companies and look at what Travel Counsellors offer.

“At Travel Counsellors, everything is transparent, no ifs no buts, with one commission level and one monthly fee. There are no additional/hidden fees or charges and we offer the best commission levels and technology in the business. Travel Counsellors is independent, we don’t compete with our own agents and all of our efforts are focused on our home based agents. That’s integrity and that’s why we are the best at what we do.”

JANI-KING HELPS VARIETY CLUB TO HELP KIDS

Jani-King was one of the sponsors of the 2007 Variety 4WD Bash which raises funds and awareness of Variety Club.

In 2006, Variety provided more than $1.1 million in equipment and services to children in Western Australia, including wheelchairs, paediatric medical equipment, communication devices, scholarships and recreational equipment.

“It’s great to be a part of such an important initiative in our community,” said Geoff Samuels Jani-King Regional Manager.

“Variety does fantastic work for children in Western Australia so we jumped at the chance to help in any way we could. We have rallied franchisees together as well as clients and staff to dig deep and help us raise funds.

“We sponsored the car and our contribution has gone towards fuel and food for the drivers. It’s easy to forget just how lucky we are and it’s exciting to know you’re a part of enhancing the lives of children in need. Next year I even might venture into the drivers seat.”

HOWARDS STORAGE WORLD MOVES INTO IRELAND AND THE PHILIPPINES

The international expansion continues with successful Australian retailer, Howards Storage World® signing up Master Franchises in Ireland and the Philippines.

“Howards Storage World offers consumers around the world innovative solutions for storage and organisation around the home. The universal issue of ‘lack of space’ has driven our international growth. We assist people in finding a place for everything,” said director, Dirk Spence.

The Master Franchisee for Ireland – Olive Donovan – first saw a store when visiting her sister in Perth, Western Australia. With a merchant banking background, Olive saw the market potential for Howards in Ireland.

The Australian concept has been tightly packaged to maintain brand integrity and consistency across markets, whilst adapting to local market nuances.

Howards Storage World® currently has nine stores in New Zealand, Singapore, the Middle East and Spain, and a further nine stores are due to open by the end of 2008. Australia currently has a strong base of over 50 stores with more opening.

LASERQUIT OFFERS NEW ADDICTION TREATMENT

Sydney-based LaserQuit offers a drug and needle free solution to smoking addiction and the company has just opened its first franchise in Toowoomba, Queensland.

Degree qualified acupuncture therapists administer the treatment which uses a cold low level laser to target acupressure points on the body, making it an accurate, hygienic and quick treatment. The treatment stimulates the body’s endorphins or natural painkillers, to ease the physical cravings and anxiety related to giving up nicotine and it involves no hypnotherapy or nicotine substitutes.

LaserQuit started in Sydney three years ago and has the Australian and New Zealand rights to the laser equipment they use. More franchises are opening soon and the company is planning national and international expansion.

There is a clear demand to be in every state, says managing director, Manuel Dovellos, as LaserQuit receives emails and phone calls daily from people all around Australia who are desperate to stop smoking but have not found an effective way to do so.

SUBWAY HOPES TO OVERTAKE McDONALDS

The SUBWAY chain has now opened over 1,000 stores in the UK and Ireland and has plans to open another 1,000 stores by 2010.

The chain, which already has more stores than KFC, Pizza Hut and Burger King, is currently opening an average of six stores a week. It is anticipated that they will overtake McDonald’s in terms of store count by mid 2008. The rapid expansion of the SUBWAY chain is set to continue with a further 300+ franchises waiting to be developed.

The SUBWAY chain’s flexibility and adaptable approach to the physical layout of its outlets has enabled it to open in a wide range of locations including large shopping centres, smaller town centres, retail parks, universities and convenience stores. With no need for grills and fryers, a SUBWAY franchise is able to open in many properties where other food operators are not able to operate.

The SUBWAY chain is the world’s largest submarine sandwich franchise, with more than 27,800 locations in over 86 countries.