The recent scorching summer may have turned our ‘green and pleasant land’ a golden shade of brown, but Greensleeves’ experts still went out and about. In their new Mercedes-Benz vans they tended customers’ lawns to ensure the best possible results.
The fast-growing lawn care specialist, established in 1998, has entered a new alliance with Dealer Group Rygor Commercials. This gives the Greensleeves franchisees access to premium-quality Mercedes-Benz Citan and Vito models at highly attractive rates.
At the Greensleeves annual franchisee conference, held at St George’s Park national football centre near Burton-on-Trent in July, the new vans were revealed. Managing Director David Truby was joined by Rigor’s Van Business Development Manager, Dawn Smith. She presented the vehicles, the deal and was on-hand to offer advice and answer questions franchisees had.
One of the UK’s longest-established lawn treatment providers, Greensleeves celebrated its 20th anniversary in May. The company operates from headquarters in Huddersfield and serves 60,000 customers through its nationwide network of 90 franchises.
David Truby observed: “We have always allowed our franchisees to run any van of their choosing, provided it is less than five years old, white and wears the Greensleeves livery.
This remains the case, but we are now seeking to consolidate our vehicle strategy. As the business comes of age, we want to achieve a greater degree of consistency across our network. Dawn approached us at just the right time and has done a great job of developing Rigor’s Mercedes-Benz offer.”
He continued: “Our initial presumption was Mercedes-Benz vans would be too expensive – ultimately, these are working vehicles, so they have to stack up from a financial perspective for our franchisees. So, we were pleasantly surprised to discover what great value for money the Citan and Vito represent, especially when you consider them on a ‘whole-life’ cost basis.”
With competitive, flexible funding support from Mercedes-Benz Financial Services, Rygor Commercials has compiled an exclusive offer for the Greensleeves network. It is designed to allow the Greensleeves’ lawn treatment experts, who are building their multi-van operations, to run a fleet of fuel-efficient Citan or Vito vans, at an exceptionally low monthly rate.
“The small Citan and mid-sized Vito are attractively priced and fully supported by Rygor and the entire Mercedes-Benz UK Dealer Network. They will meet the requirements of our franchisees perfectly,” explains Mr Truby. “Mercedes-Benz is certainly our own preferred option. Its products are renowned for being the best on the market, while Greensleeves also provides a premium quality service. We’d like to think this alignment of our two brands adds up to a powerful double-act.”
One of the first Greensleeves franchisees to take advantage of the new partnership with Rygor is Oliver Wood, whose business tends customers’ lawns in West Yorkshire. His team are currently running two Vito 111 CDIs and a pair of Citan 109 CDIs.
“They’re great vehicles, and excellent value for money, when you consider the overall package,” enthused Mr Wood. “Dawn was extremely helpful, and I was impressed that she was able to deliver all four vehicles, fully liveried, within just two weeks of receiving my order. The Mercedes-Benz service intervals are very long, and the running costs look good, while the lads who drive them also feel proud to be driving a nicer vehicle.”
Dawn Smith added: “Rygor is committed to setting standards. In Greensleeves’ case, we were able to develop a carefully tailored solution. Franchisees are able to acquire and operate premium quality Mercedes-Benz vans at low monthly costs, with the option of either owning or returning those vehicles at the end of the term.”
To learn more about franchise opportunites with Greensleeves Lawn Care, download an obligation-free prospectus here!
Whist the UK has experienced a rather dismal start to the year weather wise, with the bad conditions keeping most of us in hibernation mode, Greensleeves Lawn Care has been experiencing an extremely busy start to 2013. The company, which will this year be celebrating its 15th anniversary, has been planting some new roots of its own – in the form of the four new franchisees that it welcomed on board in February.
Greensleeves is delighted to announce that its ever expanding territory now covers even more of the UK, treating lawns up and down the country. Thanks to the new franchisees the service area now spans into Edinburgh in the North, Winchester, Salisbury and Andover in the South and even as far west as South Belfast in N. Ireland.
The influx of new franchisees now brings the total number to 64 servicing the UK but as ever Greensleeves is keen to grow further; with many territories still available they have high hopes for this year.
David Truby Managing Director states “These are really exciting times for Greensleeves, we are extremely proud of the levels of growth that we have managed to achieve so far but we are by no means at saturation point. We are looking forward to welcoming more franchisees on board this year and being in a position to service even more lawns across the country. The potential is huge, one of our new franchisees from last year Jim Stewart (Aberdeen) has exceeded the targets that he set for himself for year one, surpassing the £35,000 mark. The way he has established and built his business within the first year is a true reflection of what an excellent business model we have.”
Growth is not the only reason that Greensleeves have to celebrate. Last week saw the company awarded with full membership status of the BFA. This is a great coup for Greensleeves and now formally recognises the credibility, strict ethics and standards that they adhere to as a franchise. Caroline Keenan, Administration Manager for Greensleeves states “As a franchise we are extremely aware of how important it is to act in an ethical manner and take care of our franchisees, this is something that we pride ourselves on.
Whilst our franchisees are committed to providing their customers with excellent levels of service we at head office in turn are committed to ensuring that our franchisees receive the best possible levels of service and support from us. The accreditation from the BFA really is special as it acknowledges all of our hard work and allows us to really stand out as one of the franchises in the UK that complies with their strict standards. We really couldn’t be prouder.”
We are extremely pleased with the results so far and hope that 2013 continues to bring us as much success as we have experienced in the first quarter. Watch this space.
