INITIAL INVESTMENT REQUIRED FROM £25,000 + VAT*
Belvoir Lettings recognises the efforts of top achieving franchise owners at a prestigious black tie annual award ceremony. In 2012 the awards will combine with Belvoir’s two-day annual conference and promises to be the most ambitious event that the company has planned.
Belvoir’s top 25 per cent of franchise owners achieved an average turnover of £313,721.91 per office, with the top 10 per cent achieving an average turnover of £408,831.16 (rolling Year-to-date July 2011).
Luke and Jonathan Mason were just 23 and 21 years old when they launched Belvoir Hitchin in December 2008.
Two years later, their outstanding efforts were recognised at Belvoir’s annual awards when the young entrepreneurs scooped two top accolades for Belvoir Franchise of the Year and Group Contribution Award 2010.
On making the awards, Belvoir Managing Director Dorian Gonsalves said: “Luke and Jonathan are highly motivated cousins, who have taken Hitchin by storm. They give 100 per cent to Belvoir and have now grown a highly successful business.
“They go out of their way to help and advise other franchise owners who are keen to replicate their success. They have helped to pioneer revolutionary new car branding for the group and often get involved with franchise recruitment, network meetings and special events. They are the best of the best and highly deserving of the title of Belvoir Franchise of the Year.”
Prior to opening Belvoir Hitchin, Luke spent six years working in car sales with his father, while Jonathan worked in recruitment. Eventually they decided to set up their own business but realised that franchising would offer them the support and training they needed to succeed.
Luke says: “We took many months researching which franchise would be right for us and where we could apply our key skills. Eventually we met Dorian Gonsalves, and quickly realised that Belvoir was right for us.
“The training was superb, providing us with all the knowledge and skills we needed to set up our own business. As well as the training, we were assigned our own business mentor from the franchise support team. Each member of the franchise support team is a specialist, whether that is in law, accounting or branding, so no question ever goes unanswered.
“In line with Belvoir’s core principles of professionalism, specialism and customer service, we decided to offer a higher level of service than was currently available in the Hitchin area. We are confident that our franchise offers the very best customer service and we consistently deliver on our promises. We employ a fantastic team of staff and are committed to training everyone so that we can continue providing outstanding customer service.
“At the end of our first year, we were awarded Belvoir’s New Franchise of the Year Silver Award for delivering excellent customer service and setting new standards and innovations in the town. We had six record months and were confident that the business was taking off in the right direction.“During the second year, business was booming and we achieved nine record best months with a growth in turnover of 195 per cent. We were delighted to win the 2010 Franchise of the Year Gold Award and the 2010 Group Contribution Award.
“This year the business continues to grow at an incredible rate and we are currently ranked within the top 10 franchises of the Belvoir group, which is a fantastic achievement as there are over 140 offices nationwide. The support of our franchisor has been pivotal in making our business successful. The time and trust that Belvoir puts in us are even more reasons for us to give back to the group and help newer franchise owners who were once in our position.
“We are really proud of ourselves for making the decision to join Belvoir. Our only regret is that we didn’t do it sooner!”
Written by Andrea McHugh
*Your initial investment plus the bank lending will total in the region of £70,000 to £110,000.