Franchise Article

According to the BBC and their economic analysts, all indicators are pointing toward a season of recession for the UK. On the international front, the value of sterling compared to the US dollar is down to about £1:$1.8, which is a fair decline from being well over £1:$2 in July. Within national borders, house prices have fallen for the 11th straight month, and mortgage approvals fell by 71% in July, the lowest level in the 15-year records for the industry. And just to cap off the long list of recession signs, the UK manufacturing sector has diminished in size for the fourth month in a row. Though there is no reasonable cause to let anxiety get the best of you yet, professional analysts and business people are beginning to become concerned for the future.

To the untrained eye, it may appear to be a bad time to start a new franchise, but appearances can be deceiving, and the success of a franchise business is determined by far more than national economic conditions. In fact, there are many industries that are founded on products and services that are so universally needed that the businesses providing them prove to be essentially recession-proof, a trait that in this economic time may be that for which potential business owners are most desperately are looking. If a recession-resistant business model is something that interests you, below are five business opportunities worth your time.

Aspray Property Repair and Claims Management
The name is long, but this business is brilliant and almost entirely immune to the ebb and flow of the economy. Weather, natural disasters, and general home disrepair happen regardless of what happens to a nation economically and virtually all homeowners have home insurance, meaning that Aspray Property Repair and Claims Management franchisees can always find work. What do they do? They work as the liaison between insurance companies, homeowners, and subcontractors to develop plans and oversee the reconstruction process on home damages covered by insurance. Fire, flood, leakage: they contract the right people to repair it all, and at no cost to the homeowner, because the money comes from the pockets of the insurance agency. As long as house damage occurs and insurance companies survive, Aspray Property Repair and Claims Management will exist.

First Tyre Plus Mobile
The automotive industry, particularly car repair, is another economic area that is unlikely to see any great decline during a recession. Even if auto sales or production go down, people will still have cars, and those cars will still need repair, which is why a mobile auto repair franchise like First Tyre Plus Mobile will hold fast even in a rocky economy. A work at home mobile franchise, First Tyre Plus Mobile is an anomaly in the auto repair world because everything necessary for tyre repair, tyre replacement, exhaust repair, and a variety of other auto services is kept in the back of a van for on-site work. Wherever a car breaks down, this mechanic franchise can fix it, and with a network of other nearby First Tyre Plus Mobile franchisees available to fill in when your territory gets too busy, the potential problem of too much work is taken care of as well.

Express Worldwide
In the shipping and delivery industry, price is often the biggest determining factor when choosing a parcel carrier, and fortunately, if you're the owner of an Express Worldwide home based business, you are the one who can get customers that cheapest shipping price with a wide variety of shipping agencies. Everything the franchisee needs is provided by the franchisor, so all they need to bring is the determination and salesmanship to succeed.

Pirtek Europe Ltd
This business started in 1980 in Australia, jumped to the UK in 1989, has exploded to include 90 centres in the UK, and today dominates the hydraulic hose market in the UK hands down. Selling only the finest hoses, fittings, and similar products from the best manufacturers in the world, this franchise has built an ever-expanding client base that exists before franchisees even build a centre. And with a 55-60% profit margin on those plentiful sales, franchisees make quite a sum of money in a business that has to last as long as all the industries that use their hydraulic products.

There is no shame in looking ahead at the future of the economy and planning your next business moves accordingly: in fact, that is a very wise thing to do. But an economy on the cusp of a decline is no reason to avoid new business endeavours entirely, just be mindful of the business choice you make, and there is nothing to be afraid of.