Andy Atkinson had made the same journey to work for 30 years as the franchisee of his KFC stores in the Blackpool area. Then one day he got an offer for the business from a potential buyer that he and his two co-directors couldn’t refuse.
Atkinson, who was on the KFC Council, a member of its Advertising Board, and secretary of the KFC Franchisee Association, decided to sell. It wasn’t an easy choice as he had firm roots in the fast food business – his uncle was a pioneer having opened Britain’s first KFC in 1965 at Preston.
What does someone like Atkinson with all his experience turn to when he has sold his business?
“I had a few options, but the most interesting came from an unexpected source,” he recalls. “I had used a company to print and deliver KFC leaflets for about eight years and the response was way beyond anything I had achieved by traditional means.
“The company was Voucher Packs and what made it unique was the way it packaged its product and used Royal Mail to deliver it. This method plus a few other trade secrets produced exceptional levels of response.
“We had returns approaching 20 per cent, which was incredibly high. This was much higher than typical mailings.
“So when Andrew Wareing, the managing director, told me about his plans to expand his business by franchising, and his new website I was very interested.
“He has made good progress in developing a successful franchise model in a market that has real potential. This is a great business idea so I decided to take his Blackpool franchise.”
Atkinson, having achieved great results for his KFC business – one in five households used the vouchers – sets out the reasons why he believes the Voucher Packs formula works so well as a franchise.
- It delivers by Royal Mail.
- Good quality packaging.
- Easy-to-follow business model for franchisees.
- Quality training on leaflet design with easy access to a team of designers.
- Simple procedures.
- It’s an established, very profitable franchise.
“I found that the support offered by Voucher Packs is as good or even better than that of KFC,” he enthuses.
“Andrew has an easy job on his hands. All he needs do is tell potential franchisees what he does and they should be queuing at his door. People looking for a great idea should take a Voucher Packs franchise.”
Repeat business
“I have spoken to a fellow franchisee and found his experience was similar to mine. He is earning over £40,000 a year from a franchise he started only a couple of years ago in Chorley. Most importantly many of his customers from his start-up days are still with him two years later. They include many leading names, such as Dominos and KFC as well as leading local businesses.
“This gave me more reason to sit down with Andrew, who I had grown to trust through his handling of our leaflets at KFC.
“When we first met, I gave him 10 minutes to tell me about how he would promote my KFC businesses. I was so impressed the meeting lasted an hour.
“The media landscape has changed completely over the last 20 years. I have seen most things and tried them all. I found that Voucher Packs achieves results – it really works.
“After I had seen the success of my first mailing I told Andrew that our meeting had been the best time I had spent, and that remains true10 years later. The new owners of my KFC business still use Voucher Packs to drive sales, and other franchisees use it wherever Andrew offers a mailing service.
“Now I have taken his Blackpool franchise, I spend my time using my experience and knowledge to help small businesses market themselves more effectively and grow their customer base. I couldn’t have a better or more fulfilling job.”
For further information, please complete and send the form below.