Three of the new franchised Supercentres have successfully opened over the last ten months in Hemel Hempstead, Acton and Canterbury, offering a wider range of services. Joseph Yussuf, founder of Mr Clutch Autocentres, explains: 'We have extended our offering to include M.O.Ts, vehicle servicing, batteries and exhausts. This complements our specialist clutch, brake and gearbox repair and replacement services and will enable us to more effectively meet customer demands.

'Furthermore, the new Supercentre franchise model will increase the volume of vehicles being handled by the centres, increasing profitability for franchisees.'

As part of this period of expansion, Reading, Southend, Norwich, Portsmouth and Swindon Mr Clutch Autocentres have relocated to bigger sites within their respective areas. The moves enabled each centre to increase capacity to accommodate the new Supercentre offering. Croydon, Maidstone and Strood Mr Clutch Autocentres were refurbished to offer M.O.Ts and now operate as Supercentres. Since opening, each Supercentre has seen an average 30% rise in bottom line profitability.

To continue this success, Joseph is now interviewing potential new franchisees and searching for adequate sized sites across the U.K. He concludes: 'Finding the right franchisees will be integral to the success of the Supercentre model over the next couple years. The new model is designed to be flexible and automotive experience is not a pre-requisite for success.

'We're more interested in people with good organisational, management and people skills. These factors, coupled with the Supercentre offering and expertise provided through Mr Clutch will enable franchisees to quickly establish their centres and build strong customer relationships. Taking this approach will help franchisees make a healthy profit within six to nine months.'

Published: 15 June 2006

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