What was your previous occupation and why did you leave?
I had been working in CeX for many years before, working my way up from Sales Assistant to Supervisor, and then becoming the manager of CeX Chichester. By this point I was very interested in progressing through the company. Kira had been working in Childcare for a few years and although mostly content with working her way up the ladder in this job, she wanted to achieve more and was more interested in working for herself instead of someone else.
Why did you decide to look into franchising?
We knew that we wanted to own our own business and work for ourselves; we had been toying with this idea for some time, but the idea of failing was very daunting. But with franchising a lot of the risk is removed from the equation because you are opening a business along with an already established name and brand.
What was your criteria for a franchise?
Our main concern is that we wanted to be part of a company that supports their franchisees and doesn’t simply see them as another source of income. When doing research, a lot of places have a bad reputation with people feeling as though their franchisor exploits their hard work. However, everything we heard about CeX was the exact opposite of this, with franchisees telling us how supported they had been and still were, from store concept, to store open and beyond. We also wanted our franchise to be in an area that we were already passionate about, and technology and entertainment is something that we really enjoy and follow the scene very closely.
Where did you find out about the CeX franchise?
Kira had started researching CeX franchising online and reading their stories through the webuy.com website. During this time I began speaking to my boss who was a CeX franchisee, in order to get a better understanding of how the franchising side of things worked. He gave me contact details and set up meetings with the relevant people and before we knew it, the ball had began rolling.
What appealed most about a CeX franchise?
For some reason whilst working at CeX it took me a long time to put two and two together and think about franchising within the company I was already working for. But as soon as I mentioned this to Kira, we both instantly knew that CeX is where we wanted to lay down our roots. So we began discussing this possibility and looking into it more seriously.
When I began working at CeX, it really felt like being in a family, with everyone really being supportive, regardless of whether they were the supervisor, manager or owner. Kira and I knew that this was something ingrained in the company and that we really wanted to be a part of it.
What training did you receive?
By the time we had our own store, I had already been with the company for seven years, and a manager for three. However, Kira was completely new to the company and she knew that she wanted to buckle down and get as much training in as she could. She left her old job and started working in the store with myself. This began at the ground level, working alongside the sales assistants and getting her basic procedures up to a very high level. After three months Kira had begun the supervisor training and was joining in with meetings with our operations manager so that she understood all the various aspects of the business.
How would you rate it?
The training Kira received was fantastic. Not only was she supported by all the staff members, but our operations manager also really helped her to look at the business in a different aspect. She feels as though he really went above and beyond in helping her learn more about the business. The two of them went out and visited other CeX stores so that she could see the diversity within the company. From these trips Kira was able to bring fresh ideas to our store that we wouldn’t have had without our supportive team.
Since becoming a franchise owner is it how you expected it to be?
I expected a lot of stress and a lot of sleepless nights, but this couldn’t be further from reality. CeX is filled with talented and kind people, just a phone call or email away, and they’re always there to lend a hand or give advice. We have been able to run our business happily, and efficiently. Part of this is due to an amazing team we have working with us, and part of it is due to how CeX is structured to facilitate maximum efficiency with it’s business model.
What type of support have you received?
Our support has been amazing and is one of the reasons why being a franchisee is a lot less stressful than we had imagined. We have a dedicated Franchise Manager who is always on hand to help us with our finances and reassure us when we have concerns. Alongside this we have our operations managers who come round to our store regularly and give us tips and advice on how to maximise our store’s performance. We also have an endless array of online resources ranging from IT support, to advanced training modules. It means that we always have somewhere or someone to turn to when we have question.
What aspect of it have you found most beneficial?
Our entire transition process from being manager to owning our own store was incredibly straightforward and streamlined. Part of this was due to my experience with CeX stores before, but a lot of it was due to the amount of support and help we had. Anything that we were struggling to sort out when opening our store, the company sorted for us or sent someone our way to guide us to the end goal.
Are you on target to meet your business plan?
Our Chichester store was already up and running before we took over, so our aim was to continue exceeding like-for-like sales, year-on-year. We had one or two more difficult months, however on the whole the business is continuing to improve and succeed. Everything is running smoothly and we can now start planning for future stores.
Do you feel the CeX has fulfilled their obligations?
Absolutely, CeX has been with us every step of the way and we always feel as though there is someone to turn to, either a phone call or email away! It’s this aspect of franchising that has made us feel so secure and so welcome with the company.
What do you enjoy most about your business? – How has it improved your lifestyle?
The number one aspect that has drastically improved our livelihood is the flexibility that comes with being your own boss. If I have lots of tasks that I need to complete, I can do so from home. If I need to pop into the shop and fancy helping out, there’s no downside to doing that. Kira absolutely loves working in the store and tries to do so as often as she can. She loves being able to be on the same level as the staff so that she understands what they go through each day and reflects on this when organising rotas and shifts.
What are your future plans for the business?
Our next steps are to organise store number two. We are eager to expand our portfolio and increase our family of staff. We take great pride and pleasure in training new staff members and promoting them to positions of more responsibility. More stores means that we need more managers and more supervisors, and there are plenty of people that can thrive in these environments; we can’t wait to give them the opportunity to shine.
What sort of person do you think a CeX franchise would suit?
You absolutely must be willing to put the time and effort into your business. Not just from behind the scenes, but also at the front lines. Be on the tills, be on the shop floor. A leader who talks to their customers and assists their staff will encourage great performance from the people they employ. It’s also essential to be invested in what it is you’re doing and know what you want to achieve. Originally Kira didn’t know everything there was to know about technology, but she knew what people liked to look at and how to make displays really shine. She set out to make our store stand out from all of the others and I think, together, we have really achieved this!
