Clark Rubber franchise news
Franchise growing strongly
Franchisee News!
Store takes out national award (Appeared in The Macarthur Advertiser on20/6/2011)
CAMPBELLTOWN’s Clark Rubber was last week recognised as the brand’s best store in Australia. The Woodbine franchise beat 78 others to take out the main prize at Clark Rubber’s Awards Night at
The Grand Ballroom of Parliament House in Canberra.
Owners Ian and Denise Clarke of Kirkham were surprised when their store was given the National
Best Practice Franchisee Of The Year 2011 Award.
“We were extremely shocked” Mrs Clarke said. “We’ve won the State Award three years in a row, but this is the first time to get a National Award. This is the sixteenth year the Clarke’s have had their store in Campbelltown. The Franchisee Of The Year Award is judged on criteria such as customer service, sales and the look of the store. “No way we can do anything without the contribution from our staff” Mrs Clarke said. “This award is shared with them and we certainly thank our loyal customers for all their support. We want to continue doing the job we do for them.”
Clark Rubber sells foam, pool equipment, indoor and outdoor matting and automotive products.
“Leap of faith: From Big Macs to big business (Appeared in The Telegraph WA 28/3/11)
After 17 years of watching and helping others make the successful leap into franchising, Jamie McGillivray decided it was time to make a leap of his own.
The husband and father said goodbye to his career at the corporate level with McDonalds and, after much research and discussion, became a franchisee himself with the long-established Clark Rubber chain in 2009.
Now, two years on, Mr McGillivray and his wife Yasmin have two Clark Rubber outlets in Western Australia—one at Mandurah, which opened in March 2009, and the other at nearby Rockingham, which opened at the end of last year.
"You reach the stage in life when you want all your hard work to show fruit for yourself and your family," said Mr McGillivray of his decision to become a franchisee.
Mr McGillivray had a head start on many potential franchisees, having worked his way through the ranks to serve at a corporate and franchise level with one of the world'''''s largest restaurant chains.
"From my time with McDonalds I gained an understanding of how a successful franchise system should work and an idea of what to look for in a franchise," he said.
Despite his experience, Mr McGillivray was aware he didn't have all the answers and embarked on a lengthy research process, researching several franchises and meeting with a number of franchisees before settling on Clark Rubber. His advice to other potential franchisees is to similarly do their homework.
"A lot of people don't realise what a franchise system is all about and whether a particular franchise is right for them before they take the plunge," Mr McGillivray said.
"It's like taking a car for a test drive; you need to ask ‘can I see myself driving this car on the road every day'."
Mr McGillivray said his interest in Clark Rubber's product range and past positive experience with the brand were determining factors in his buying into the franchise.
With his first store flourishing and his second store beginning to follow suit, Mr McGillivray said he had no regrets about his move into franchising but warned the franchising journey was often fraught with challenges.
"Although you've got the stability of a known brand and franchising network behind you, you're also opening the doors of a new store to a whole new customer base," he said.
"It's a steep learning curve and you only get out what you put in."
Clark Rubber is an iconic Australian retailing brand and has been for more than 65 years. We currently have over 75 stores nationally
Other news articles from the same month
July 2011
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April 2011
