Dublcheck franchisees thrive during economic downturn. Commercial cleaning is the business to be in

Not all businesses are being affected by the economic downturn and many Dublcheck franchisees are actually recording substantial growth. With benefits including guaranteed turnover*, massive market, centralised support and 15 years' experience to draw on, Dublcheck offers a highly attractive franchise package.

'In the last few weeks I have continued to sign new contracts,' reveals franchisee John Brooks (pictured, left), who launched his Dublcheck franchise in August 2004. 'I have got contracts starting in December and two to three in January. My business is still growing despite the recession and I'm bringing on new contracts every month. Last year I achieved a turnover of £200,000 and next year I'm expecting to improve on that.'

Franchisee Graham Hey (pictured, right), who launched his business in January 2005, has also seen his business thrive during the credit crunch. He states: 'My turnover for the previous 12 months has been £400,000 and I have had a 30 per cent growth rate in sales in the last year. The nature of the business is broad so where some pockets have been hard hit there are a lot of other areas that have maintained a healthy position. As well as this I have found new customers on a regular basis.'

Dublcheck is a contract cleaning company that offers a hands-on or white-collar management franchise opportunity. The cost of a Dublcheck franchise ranges from £9,000 to £190,000 depending on the guaranteed level of income the franchisee is looking for. It was the guaranteed turnover that Dublcheck provides which attracted both John and Graham to the franchise. John recalls: 'I came across Dublcheck at a franchise exhibition and was immediately interested in the business. As I had never been involved in going out and looking for sales the fact that Dublcheck provides sales really appealed to me. Also, when I walked into the head office the atmosphere was great and once I met the team there I really felt that they were people I could work with.'

Graham also found out about Dublcheck through a franchise exhibition. 'I was looking at several franchises but I decided to go with Dublcheck because of the contract nature of the business that creates repeat sales appealed to me,' he recalls. 'Another aspect of the franchise that appealed to me was that you can buy into a level of business with a guaranteed level of income. Before launching my business I went on a training course at head office, which was in-depth and more than sufficient in getting me ready for running my franchise. As well as the training the support has been excellent. There is a stable management team and the head office support team that I started with are still there.'

With their businesses doing well both franchisees are looking to expand during 2009. Graham says: 'I have got a good management team in place so I'm looking to continue to grow my business and I'm aiming to get a half million turnover in a year.'

John concludes: 'At the moment I have 25 employees and two logo'd vans on the road. I'm getting a lot of work through word of mouth and because I do my own sales now I can control how much business I take in. Over the year I'm aiming to expand my business further.'

Chairman Carol Stewart-Gill is very positive about the future and says: 'John and Graham are just two of our franchisees that have shown significant growth. We have franchisees who have doubled and quadrupled in the last 12 months over and above their initial turnover package.'

Reported by Derin Ibrahim

*Guaranteed turnover is not a guarantee of profit