While he was studying at university, James supported his lifestyle with various part-time retail jobs. It was during this time that James was privy to the experiences of one of his brothers, who works for CeX. The company was growing strongly, opening new stores and had started franchising. Founded in London in 1992, CeX stores buy, sell and exchange a range of technology and entertainment products. Today it has stores in the UK, Spain, USA, Ireland, India, Australia, Portugal and Netherlands.
As fate would also have it, it was around the time that James was preparing to complete university that franchising with CeX became a viable option for those interested.
“What I wanted from a franchise was to be able to make an investment for the future, preferably in an area of business that I had some prior knowledge of,” James explains. “Truth be told, CeX was always my first choice and I didn’t really even consider looking at any franchise opportunities other than the ones they provided.”
As is the case for every new franchise owner, James received thorough initial training prior to opening his first store. “The training CeX provided is very good indeed and is of massive importance when it comes to getting a new store off the ground and running,” he says. “Once in business, franchise owners then have access to further CeX training courses and a wealth of online materials available to them whenever they need it.”
What impresses James today is that, as strong as the support structure was when he first became a CeX franchise owner, it has gone on to improve by leaps and bounds in the five years since. James has recently opened the doors to his second store, in Newbury, and while his workload may have increased he is no less enthusiastic about the benefits that come from becoming a franchise owner. “The work can be hard, of course, but it is important to remember that the success of ones’ franchise depends specifically on how much hard work you are willing to put into it. One of the big positives this then creates is that being a franchise owner offers you a number of freedoms about how you run your business, and how you live you life outside of work.”
So, what words of advice would James offer to someone considering following his footsteps into franchising with CeX?
“While it helps to be interested in the product range when becoming a CeX franchise owner, you can be certain of learning everything you need to know about launching your store during the training process,” he states. “The work can be physically demanding, with long hours often the case during the initial start up phase, but once those first couple of months are complete, you will find yourself getting into a much more regular pattern.
“I often get asked whether becoming a franchise owner has lived up to what I expected it to be, and the truth is it has exceeded my expectations in every way possible.”