If You Can Handle The Heat, Open A Kitchen Franchise

Originally posted on 24/10/2017. Updated on 29/05/2019.

Kitchens are the heart of many of our homes and people love parting with their hard-earned cash to install and renovate them. According to JKMR, in 2017, more than 1.2 million new kitchens were installed into UK households. Also, the sales of fitted kitchens had increased by more than four percent to reach £6.73 billion, not to mention how, since 2010, the fitted kitchen products market has risen to almost £4.1 billion from £2.85 billion, which is a 43 percent increase.

This is supported with research by kitchen appliance manufacturer Britannia Living. A huge 52 percent of those surveyed stated that their kitchen is the room that houses the costliest appliances. Perhaps this is unsurprising, with the average budget and spend for kitchen renovations in UK homes being between £8,100 and £11,700, according to the 2018 Kitchen Trends Report from Houzz. In fact, 18 percent of homeowners exceed the average by spending over £35,000.

The Kitchen Renovation Industry is Cooking on Gas

As far as home improvements are concerned, kitchens need a big budget, but in the long term, it will add value to your property. Changing the downstairs layout to achieve open plan living and kitchen renovations are in the top four home improvements that will add value to your home, and the trend looks set to continue.

The 2018 Houzz Kitchen Trends Study UK has also revealed that 40 percent of those surveyed said their reason for starting a kitchen renovation was because they had recently purchased their home and wanted to make it their own. 33 percent that they have always wanted to but finally have the means to do it. 29 percent say they can’t stand the old kitchen. 25 percent say that the old kitchen has broken down and become unsafe. 13 percent said that they are renovating to adapt to recent changes in family life. Seven percent said they were recently inspired to make changes and a mere three percent said it was because they wanted to sell their home soon and wanted to improve its resale value.

The research also suggests that, when renovating our kitchens, 93 percent of us seek professional help; 69 percent hire tradesmen, 34 percent hire home builders and 24 percent hire cabinet makers.

Read more:

• 5 Things You Didn’t Know About Schmidt Kitchens
• Kitchen Store - A Guide to Opening your Kitchen Franchise
• Kitchen Cleaning Businesses: Start Your Own Franchise

How To Start Your Own Kitchen Business

So, by now you should have an in-depth understanding of the kitchen industry. Now, let’s take a look at some of the most important questions to consider when starting your own kitchen business.

• Establish a clear business idea. What is your business direction? Do you want to launch a kitchen design showroom?

• Consider who your target market is. How many other kitchen businesses are there in your area? How will you differentiate yourself? What is the price of the average home in your local area? How old is your target market? Generation Z will have different requirements and budgets to millennials and Generation Z.

• Look into local licensing laws. Do you need a certain number of years of experience? Do you need any qualifications?

• Think about what your niche will be. How will you separate yourself from other kitchen businesses? In an ideal world you would find a niche in the market where there is currently no other businesses with that offering.

• Craft a business plan. Do you want to consult a business advisor? Have you included your brand name, location, financial projections, job positions etc.?

• Find the perfect location. Do you want to work from home or hire an office space? Working from home would save set-up costs but your house would need to be neat and tidy if clients were coming over for meetings. Do you want to open a showroom? If yes, location is key. Are you close to potential customers? Are there enough car parking spaces?

• Decide on how much you want to charge. This is based on the nature of the business you decide to open, as consulting rates will be different to kitchen remodel rates.

• Think about how you will market your business. Will you hand out business cards? How will you make your website appealing to potential customers? Will you advertise on all of the social media platforms?

• Operational processes. Have you got an established administrative system where you can keep an eye on costs? Do you have good software for kitchen design and/or processing orders?

Why replace when you can reface?

Although buying and installing a new kitchen would be the first preference for many homeowners, financially this isn’t always viable. Very often, a facelift is chosen over an overhaul as it causes less disruption and mess, and costs significantly less money.

This provides kitchen franchises specialising in makeovers with a great opportunity. If you’re interested in becoming your own boss and like the idea of being part of the home improvement industry, here are a couple of franchises to consider:

Dream Doors

Dream Doors produce bespoke, made-to-measure kitchen doors and worktops. In fact, they’re the UK's largest kitchen facelift retailer, with over 70 showrooms nationwide and having completed over 60,000 projects since it was founded in 1999.

Franchisees will undertake a comprehensive training programme, which has won 13 awards to date, as well as receiving ongoing support to ensure they are equipped to run a profitable business. Dream Doors are constantly reviewing feedback from franchisees to help them improve the business model and the income franchisees generate.

This franchise also enables you to build your business at a practical pace, which is perfect for franchisees who have never run their own business before. To make sure that franchisees don’t feel out of their depth in the early days, the first six months are based from home. When all the necessary skills and premises are in place, the business moves to a showroom so that franchisees can benefit from passing trade as well as word of mouth. Finally, when the business is established enough, showroom staff and a van driver can be added to the team. Throughout this whole process, franchisees are supported by a Business Development Manager.

Granite Transformations

Granite Transformations provide homeowners with an extensive choice of makeover solutions without the demolition, debris and disruption associated with a standard kitchen installation. They have developed a distinctive ‘top that fits on top’ concept which means that new work surfaces can be fitted straight over existing worktops. This results in less mess, a quicker turnaround and reduced costs for clients.

Granite Transformations is quite a unique franchise, as franchisees get the opportunity to run a business enterprise from sales and design consultation, through measuring up and manufacturing, to installation and customer service. There are not many franchises around that give franchisees the chance to manage complete projects from beginning to end.

To accommodate prospective franchise owners with varying market experience, investment levels and retail facilities, Granite Transformations has developed three different franchise models. The entry-level franchise package is the concession showroom located within a garden centre. The next level is the retail showroom franchise, where franchisees get to operate on a busy street. Finally, the third package is for those who have an existing home makeover store but want the licence to use Granite Transformation products. For each package, the franchise fee has been calculated to reflect the size of the sales territory, the amount of training and technical support required, and the level of input into fitting out the premises.

Schmidt

Schmidt is one of the leading kitchen and interior solutions franchise in Europe. It designs, produces and distributes bespoke, high-end kitchens for its clients. Founded in 1934, the brand has now expanded to open 710 showrooms in 25 countries across the globe. If you decide to become a franchisee, you will have access to a comprehensive training scheme which involves a 14-week programme guiding you though setting up your franchise. This includes IT, marketing, showroom layout and much more.

In order to be part of this exciting opportunity, you will need to make a minimum investment of £80,000 and a total investment of £450,000.

Where can I find the right kitchen franchise for me?

With the home improvement market growing, the number of kitchen franchises are on the increase. As with any type of franchise, some are better than others, so each prospective franchise needs to be researched thoroughly to make sure that it’s a good fit with your personality, budget and ambitions. This is where Point Franchise can help you make the right decision.

Point Franchise is a trusted, online relationship manager that’s works for both franchisors and potential franchisees. It’s the perfect one-stop point of reference, whether you’re completely new to franchising or you’re a seasoned investor. We can point you in the direction of the best franchise opportunities, as supplied by quality franchisors, both nationally and internationally.

Kitchen franchises offer a great opportunity for potential franchisees who get satisfaction from meeting with customers, take pride in the quality of each job and get genuine pleasure from the happiness they bring clients.