Franchise Article

A recent BBC business report stated that the UK's retail industry took an unexpected upturn in July. With the cost of fuel, food, and mortgages on the rise for the average consumer, the expectation was that revenue would have fallen, but this was not the case. Analysts cannot quite explain why the upturn occurred, but between that sudden positive shift in sales and a continued rate of retail growth across the nation, it may be a good time to get into the retail industry, and a great way to do so is with a retail franchise.

Though the pressure is on for consumers to pay their ever-increasing bills, one of the retail markets still doing very well is the clothing industry, an industry with many franchise possibilities. One of those business opportunities is Kashket, a retailer of tailored menswear, with over 330 years of royal service that combines the personalized service of custom on-site tailoring with the convenience of mail-order purchasing. Equipped with nothing more than a company vehicle, fabric samples, and tailoring tools, the work from home franchisee takes his services right into the homes and business locations of his clients, to take their measurements at their leisure and convenience. Then with the measurements in hand, the client's order is placed and mailed right to his home. Customers love the simplicity, and franchisees love the low overhead associated with a mobile franchise. Pauline May is another mobile clothing franchise, this home based business is the UK's premier retailer of elderly women's clothing. The business model works similarly to Kashket, offering tailoring and selection on-site, followed by mail-order merchandise. In both businesses, all necessary training and support is provided by the franchisor, making retail success so much easier.

AlphaGraphics and FASTSIGNS are two great retail franchises in the area of printing, and both offer excellent opportunities to serve both business and private clients with professional reprographics and printing services. AlphaGraphics, in particular, is one of the world's leading printing franchises, with over 300 business centres scattered across the globe and forecasting potential growth to 30 locations in the UK by 2010. Their list of clientele ranges from corporate marketing to schools, healthcare facilities, and even other retail establishments. The business has proven to be so successful in the UK that the Leeds location even managed to double their expected first year sales, which is quite an achievement.

If you would prefer to open a printing establishment with a more specific client base, FASTSIGNS may be a better way to go. Unlike AlphaGraphics, FASTSIGNS specializes in producing signs and graphics for other businesses. Whether a banner for a special event or advertising flyers for a forthcoming sale, this business is where clients turn to get their graphics needs met. With 20 years of experience in the business, the support staff is ready and equipped to help franchisees with any troubles or questions they may have in the course of business. In a market that never ceases to need retail printing, either of these businesses is a great option.

Finally, if neither clothing nor printing appeal to you, one very successful franchise business in the pet industry is Oscar Pet Foods. Providing the very best in canine nutrition throughout the UK, Oscar cares for pets and their owners, by delivering their product right to their clients' doors. Just like humans, dogs always have to eat, so regardless of how the market tips, this particular retail business will not see harsh decline. Even when slow months do come, because the business is mobile, overhead costs are very low, which makes weathering life's little storms much easier than in a traditional retail business with a storefront.

In some ways, the economy is in a state of flux lately, looking like it is tipping down, then climbing back up when no one expects it. Really, no one can fully forecast what tomorrow will hold, but the UK's retail industry seems to be strong enough to weather whatever changes there might be, which means that the retail franchisee can sleep soundly knowing that in the midst of a fickle economy, the retail industry can still remain strong.