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Although Jeff Carter had the misfortune of being made redundant from his previous role, his luck certainly changed for the better when he decided to take the leap into self-employment and secure his future with franchising.
“Having worked in telecoms for over 20 years, I was ready for a new challenge and wanted to try something completely different,” explains Jeff. “I wanted to be my own boss and, as I had little business experience, I knew that investing in a franchise would be the best bet for me. I would not only have control over my business but would also have the support of an experienced franchisor.”
While attending a franchise exhibition, Jeff picked up a copy of The Franchise Magazine, where he spotted an advert for specialist outdoor clothing manufacturer and retailer, Rohan.
“I hadn’t really thought about going into retail but I liked the Rohan concept and the fact that it’s a recognised, high quality brand really appealed to me,” says Jeff. “I knew there and then that Rohan was the franchise for me.”
After just a couple of months of searching, Jeff found an ideal store location near Winchester high street, which he quickly secured with the help of Rohan Retail Director, Ian Palmer. While waiting for his store launch, Jeff worked in Rohan’s Guildford and Chichester stores, where he obtained valuable hands-on training.
“The Store Managers were great teachers,” recalls Jeff. “I learned everything from how to operate the Rohan stock systems to how to deal with customers and market my store.”Since the successful launch of his store in December 2010, Jeff has enjoyed moulding his business into an integral part of the Winchester shopping scene.
“My store is very involved with the local community,” reveals Jeff. “We arrange walking clubs and get involved with local charity events – it’s good to have that community spirit. “Not only is running my Rohan store fun, it’s also rewarding,” continues Jeff.
“As I launched my store in December, we had the Christmas sale and then the January sale, so my business got off to a really good start and has continued to be very popular.”
Today, Rohan remains an independent company with innovative views on how a successful organisation should operate. Rohan Designs has over 60 stores around the UK, 14 of which are franchised, and has identified a further 20 to 30 areas in which they wish to open franchised Rohan outlets.
Rohan has developed a merchandising system, which has enabled the company to create a retail franchise that requires no capital outlay in stock.
With a fully automated stock holding and reordering system that ensures the franchise owner’s store is constantly restocked with the most popular product ranges, combined with a huge database of committed Rohan customers, which the company can drive into stores through its proven mail marketing programme, the Rohan franchise opportunity is a very cost effective and efficient business system.
Written by Tiffany Brooking