Autosmart International, the 2012 bfa HSBC Franchisor of the Year, is looking forward to increasing sales in the south east after recently recruiting 4 new franchisees within the region.

Shaun Martin previously worked as an operations manager. He said: “My Autosmart Bromley franchise is perfect for me. I love cars – I’ve restored my own classic car - and really wanted something that would take me out and about, rather than sitting in an office all day. I love working by myself, rather than having the headache of employing staff.”

Boyd Willoughby, the new Autosmart franchisee for Dartford, previously worked as a national sales manager. Like many other franchisees, Boyd’s route into franchising came about because of the economic downturn. “When my local Autosmart franchisee retired, the timing was perfect. There was a lot of uncertainty at work and I was relatively certain that I would be made redundant,” he said.

Kesna Smith was a product manager before buying the High Wycombe franchise, and commented: “Autosmart has been established for over 30 years, so every territory has an existing customer base and turnover. It was great to start with the security of a reliable income from day one, yet lots of scope to grow the business.”

Dene Cummings previously worked as a salesman for another Autosmart franchisee, so knew the business well. “When Crawley became available it was too good an opportunity to miss,” says Dene. “I know how well the Autosmart business model works and that the products are loved by the trade. And they’re washing and polishing vehicles every day, so have to replenish stocks regularly!”