Franchisee Case Study

Chris Varney Revive! (Middlesbrough) describes how he launched his business recently.

Despite the recent financial troubles that have caused global economic problems, a leading franchise company Revive! UK has continued to produce significant growth in its business and in their franchisees businesses...............

Slow down in Car Market: New Initiatives
It's true that generally new car sales have suffered, right across the board and so we have had to adapt our strategy somewhat. The new credit crunch initiative that we launched in the spring has been met with tremendous success; dealers see value in using our service and as people are generally holding onto their cars for longer there has been a significant uptake of work with the general public.

The Revive! business model has certain advantages in these difficult times. The sectors most affected are the housing market and retail, but with Revive! being a mobile business we are not simply waiting for work to come to us. If we are quiet we have the opportunity to go out and pitch for new business and together with adjusting our strategy our franchisees have met with great success. In fact, I have been extremely impressed that even in times of general economic lows, our new franchisees continue to set new records for best start ups.

New Faces

Chris Varney is a new example of a quality franchisee able to beat the credit crunch with hard work and an excellent system. Here's what he has so say about launching his new business in the midst of the UKs credit crisis......

Tell us about you experience of Revive! to date?
Before I answer that I must say that the training was really thorough and having had a dedicated trainer working with us the confidence in the technical ability rose significantly.
I normally try to be on site at 8.30am to identify vehicles that need work. Even though this is only my first full month the salesmen generally leave me alone to work so I have fairly long lists of vehicles to work through and have regular accounts to visit on Monday Wednesday and Friday. I finish around 6.30pm and am happy to put the time in because it helps to build a relationship up with the dealers.
On other days I fit in some second hand dealers and retail work. I have a customer who does not need me on a weekly basis but lets me know that he has cover for rain and so if it is difficult to work elsewhere he can always fit me in!

How have you managed to pick up work so quickly?
The launch was brilliant!! And I am currently booked up two weeks in advance. This is really down to the preparation I did following the business model and approaching dealers in a certain way. The business plan really does work!

How has the credit crunch affected you?
Being perfectly honest I think it potentially assists businesses like Revive!. It is true that car sales have slowed down and people are not buying as many new cars. But this means that the car buyer is looking for more value for their money when they do spend and so the cars on the dealership forecourts need to be in as good a condition as possible. Every scratch needs to be buffed out or painted and previously neglected cars have to be tidied up.

Where do you think you will be in 6 months time?
I am new to the business but if the business continues at the rate it is I believe that I will have an employee with me in the van if I don't have another van already on the road.

Mark Llewellyn comments below on what the future holds for Revive!

We believe that there is going to be enormous growth in the SMART repair sector in the next couple of years. Our goal is to be regarded as the best within our industry. We will do that through bringing on quality franchisees and continuing to produce innovative sales strategies. I feel that we are making great strides to achieve that.


Revive! are the only full member of the BFA within their sector to offer exclusive territories to their franchisees that guarantees the opportunity to grow a business.

Revive! are compliant with current European legislation and use waterbased products.

For more information on Revive! contact Mandy Sutch on: 0800 917 4379 or visit www.revive-uk.com