Automotive paintwork repair franchise ChipsAway reports generating 9,000 leads for its franchise owners in March which Chief Executive Lloyd Evans describes as: 'our best month ever for customer leads to our network.'The company, which has 350 franchise owners operating across the UK, has generated approaching 20,000 business leads for its network in the first quarter of this year, which is up by nearly 60 per cent on its like-for-like figures in 2008.

'Despite predictions of doom and gloom, demand for our services is currently going through the roof,' Lloyd confirmed. 'We believe this is partly due to the effects of the 'credit crunch'. Our franchise owners are telling us that motorists seem to be investing in repairing existing vehicles, either with a view to keeping them on the road for longer or to sell them for a better price in order to take advantage of some of the great deals around on new cars. SMART repair technology keeps a car looking good for longer, extends its life and maintains its value - our customers clearly recognise this and our franchise owners are feeling the benefit.'

Carrie Blenkinsop, a ChipsAway franchise owner based in Coventry, added: 'We're experiencing a 'mini boom'. In 10 years, we have never been so busy. It's weird considering the current market but demand for our services is crazy at present, particularly on used cars.'

ChipsAway operates a 24/7 UK Call Centre and last year launched a national advertising campaign, aimed at increasing awareness of the brand and promoting services. Both factors, according to Lloyd Evans, have played a role in the current boom for ChipsAway franchise owners: 'We are proud of our strong track record in supporting our franchisees, and are delighted with the dramatically increasing levels of new enquiries, particularly in the current financial environment.'

Published: 30 April 2009

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