Posted:28-October-2014
Leading brands' CEO recognised for power and influence
Nigel Toplis, CEO of The Bardon Group, features in two 2014 rankings of prominent people: the Print Week Power 100 and Leicester Mercury’s ‘Most Influential People in Leicestershire’.
The Bardon Group has a stable of four brands: Recognition Express, ComputerXplorers, The Zip Yard and Kall Kwik. Its Leicestershire headquarters has a total of 130 franchises and licensed businesses across the UK.
Toplis’ successful reversal of Kall Kwik’s fortunes after it fell into administration earned him a place as a new entrant to the Print Week Power 100, ranked at the 89th position. He acquired the firm in 2012 having previously been its managing director until 2002. Under his leadership, the network has been transformed.
Today, Kall Kwik is 50 centres strong and still an iconic name on the high street. The model was changed from a franchise to a licensed operation and business goes from strength to strength with 2014 being a particularly strong year for many centre owners.
“Some say it was almost destiny when we acquired Kall Kwik at the beginning of 2012 and certainly there was a feeling of ‘coming home’ when I met with the centre owners and put the proposal for licensing to them,” recalls Toplis. “After some years of turmoil, I think the most important thing we brought to the party was stability, leadership and interest. Anyone who knows me knows that I have a passion for business and an emotional tie to Kall Kwik.
“However, the success is down to more than stability. It is also about better marketing of the brand, increasing brand value, adding new income streams and helping centre owners continue to grow and develop their individual businesses. To this end, New KK Limited has worked with the network on a range of initiatives including but not limited to a new website, comprehensive marketing materials, corporate PR strategy, web-to-print and new supply channels.
“When The Bardon Group acquired Kall Kwik, individual business owners across the network really embraced the opportunity to revive the brand and it has been very much a team effort with tremendous support and involvement from centre owners,” Toplis concludes. “It has been an uphill battle at times, and there are still challenges ahead. But we have thought strategically about where the business needs to go, and everyone is working hard to take it there.”
Separately, this is the first time Toplis has featured in Leicester Mercury’s Most Influential People listing. As well as being a major employer in the region, Toplis is well known for ongoing charitable work, such as organising charity football matches between franchise industry leaders and soap stars. He has helped raise £44,500 for WellChild over the past decade through activities including an ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro and a 100km trek across the Sahara Desert. In September 2015 he will take part in a nine day ‘extreme’ jungle trek through Sumatra to raise money for the same charity.
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