"The CeX franchise has a very broad appeal"

Already running four successful mobile phone stores, James Tucker decided the time was right to expand his franchise portfolio by opening a CeX shop in Yeovil.

Keen to utilise his 20 years' electrical sales experience and already successfully running four stores with the O2 mobile phone franchise, James Tucker was eager to diversify his business interests.

Having researched all the franchise options available, he found the Complete entertainment eXchange (CeX) business model was the one which not only complemented his current franchise portfolio but also offered him the opportunity to diversify away from the more corporate nature of his mobile phone stores.

"I was really impressed with CeX as it is vibrant young brand and the model has a proved track record of working very well in the current climate of recycling," explains James. "By using a buy and exchange format, CeX has a very broad appeal offering everything form DVDs and games to mobile phones and other gadgets."

So impressed with how his first CeX store has been performing in Yeovil during its first two months, James is working on opening a second outlet.

"I know the south west of England really well and which of the area's big towns are untapped and have great potential for more CeX stores," he says.

"The response to CeX in Yeovil has been very positive and my staff love the atmosphere in the store so much their enthusiasm has become contagious."

To cope with the positive response, James set up a Facebook page for CeX Yeovil, which attracted more than 120 fans within days.

James praises CeX's extensive 12-week training course which, he says, will appeal to young entrepreneurs as much as those with prior experience in retail or running a business.

"I believe that I will easily be able to meet my target turnover of £1 million within my first year as a CeX franchise owner and hope to open another couple of stores within the next 12 months," adds James.

Reported by Fraser McKay