Wimbeldon Molly Maid named UK's top franchisee

A married mother of one from South West London was named Gold Winner of the 2009 British Franchise Association’s (bfa)/HSBC Franchisee of the Year Awards at a prestigious black-tie dinner, held at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Birmingham last night (Thursday 1 October).   The Awards, sponsored by HSBC Bank and Express Newspapers, celebrate the UK’s best performing franchisees in an industry now worth an annual £11.4 billion to the economy.   Sandra Redmond, who has held the Wimbledon Molly Maid franchise for over 14 years, impressed the judging panel by demonstrating how she has achieved ‘Success in Challenging Times’ – the theme of this year’s Awards.   She has driven the business to impressive heights, continuing to increase sales and profits over the past two years in spite of the economic downturn.   Combining her own expertise with her franchisor’s 25 years of business experience, she has succeeded in strengthening her performance with a focussed plan of action and a new office line up to enhance sales, customer service and training skills.   At a time when many customers might have been tempted to switch to cheaper suppliers, Sandra ensured her cleaning teams offered a heightened level of service to retain the loyalty of existing customers. Regular quality checks were implemented to make sure standards were maintained.      Faster responses and alternative solutions were offered to wavering customers as people, understandably, tried to reduce their household expenses.   At the same time Sandra boosted her marketing activities, promoting the strengths of the company through leafleting, advertising, the use of branded vehicles and some high profile promotions.   New markets were also identified and exploited. These included end of tenancy cleans for local letting agents, which provided an additional source of revenue and a lead to new business with rental tenants, and a commercial cleaning opportunity which resulted in a lucrative annual contract.   In a departure from conventional Molly Maid systems, Sandra also targeted her competitors by providing short term cleaning cover during holiday periods when many independent suppliers are short of staff and by reorganising her own teams to include more part-time staff.   Cost control and cash collection systems were fine tuned to ensure a good cash flow was maintained. Monthly operating statements were completed and reviewed on a regular basis and a remote credit and debit card processing terminal introduced so that payment could be taken instantly where credit was previously offered.    The outcome was that, in spite of experiencing some of the worst trading conditions of her career, Sandra Redmond maintained her number one position in the network and grew her annual sales by nearly 9%.   As the network’s top performing franchisee, she sets a standard that others can aspire to, sharing best practice through regular attendance at annual conventions, regional meetings and President’s Circle meetings.   HSBC’s Head of Franchising, Cathryn Hayes, said: “HSBC has been supporting the franchise industry for more than 25 years and we are delighted to present Sandra with the 2009 Gold Award.   “Sandra is an excellent example of how hard work and commitment is driving this important sector forward. Her determination to build a successful business should be an inspiration to anyone thinking about franchising.”   Brian Smart, Director General of the bfa, added: “Judging these Awards is always a difficult task but we felt Sandra epitomised the essence of franchising model working at its best.   “With nearly half of the British public preferring to use a franchise over a non-franchised business, Sandra stood out as a pioneer in a sector that is home to some of the country’s most successful brands.”   Express Newspapers’ Franchise and Business Opportunities Advertising Sales Manager, Geraldine Haenow, said: “We hope being named the 2009 Gold Award Winner will add to Sandra’s future success and we look forward to sharing her story with our readers.”    Tamsin Brewis, of Water Babies (Banbury), was named the Silver Award Winner and Mark Fordham, of TaxAssist Accountants (Herpenden), walked away with the Bronze Award – each were presented with cheques for £3,000 and £2,000 respectively.

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