Top 4 Furniture Franchises in the UK
Alice Tuffery, writer
Have you always had a passion for interior design, carpentry or textiles? If so, a furniture franchise could help you realise your entrepreneurial dreams. There are lots of different companies out there looking for savvy investors to launch businesses in their local area.
If you would enjoy working with furniture and helping people create their perfect spaces, joining a home interiors franchise might be the right move for you. Your chosen franchise will help you develop your own business unit under its branding and support you as you develop it over the years.
Why start a furniture franchise business?
The furniture sector is thriving - More than 339,000 workers across 8,700 businesses contribute over £12 billion to the UK’s GDP in the furniture, bed and furnishings industry. And consumers spend a combined total of £17 billion across the sector (BFC).
You have the chance to go into various areas - Furniture franchises span three sub-sectors: domestic (serving the public), contract (helping businesses furnish properties like hotels, schools and hospitals) and office (providing products such as desks and cabinets).
It involves creative thinking - While franchisees must follow their franchisor’s business model to the letter, there is space for creativity in certain sectors. For instance, workers may need to come up with innovative plans for customers who have specific furniture or interior design requirements.
Furniture franchise opportunities
1. BoConcept
BoConcept is a Danish retail chain with over 250 stores in 60 countries. When customers visit its Brand Stores, Inspiration Stores or Studios around the world, they get professional advice about home interiors.
Becoming a BoConcept franchisee: To become a franchise partner, you’ll need to have business acumen, as well as a personal passion for design, style and trends. Industry experience is not as important as enthusiasm, as you’ll be put in touch with an executive retail advisor, who will share their in-depth knowledge.
How much you need to invest: BoConcept’s minimum investment amount is £100,000, but you should be willing to spend a total of £500,000.
What you get for your investment: The franchise will support you throughout your business journey, and you’ll be able to use its systems and databases to build your unit. Plus, you’ll get initial training and the chance to access guidance in visual merchandising as you set up your store.
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2. Furniture Clinic
Furniture Clinic specialises in leather renovation and repair and sells a wide range of restoration products. The family-run business was founded in 2004, and has grown over the years to cover several sites across the UK and US.
Becoming a Furniture Clinic franchisee: When you join Furniture Clinic’s network, you’ll benefit from its dedicated research team, which is always looking for new ways to help franchisees gain a competitive advantage. So, you’ll be able to adopt new, innovative practices as you develop your unit.
How much you need to invest: To join the franchise, you must be willing to part with around £500,000.
What you get for your investment: You’ll receive all the tools and equipment needed to run a business in the leather repair industry, as well as marketing materials and operations manuals. You’ll also be enrolled on a three-week training programme and benefit from continued support and guidance from Furniture Clinic’s experienced management team.
>> Read more:
- Top 4 Furniture Franchises in the UK
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3. Gautier
Gautier is a stylish French furniture retailer. It was launched back in 1960, but has since expanded to establish a network of more than 100 stores across 65 countries. The brand is a leader in the indoor furniture sector, but made a name for itself when it became the first business in its industry to cater to children. Over the years, it’s created specialist ‘junior’ furniture just for kids.
Becoming a Gautier franchisee: When you join Gautier, you become part of a franchise producing over 15,000 items of furniture a day, and launching an average of 10 new stores per year.
How much you need to invest: If you want to become a Gautier franchisee, you must be willing to make a minimum investment of around £250,000.
What you get for your investment: On top of its operational training programme, Gautier offers a range of extra support services. You’ll get guidance in everything from using the right software tools to creating an annual marketing plan. Plus, Gautier will help you organise your grand opening and continue offering support in the form of regular check-ups to make sure you’re performing as well as you could be.
4. Magicman
Magicman specialises in hard surface repairs and can restore various materials. It’s been up and running since 1993 as a network of van-based franchisees who travel to their customers in their homes or workplaces.
Becoming a Magicman franchisee: You’ll serve a wide range of customers, from homeowners, hoteliers and tradesmen to kitchen fitters and even cruise liners. You will need to have energy, passion and communication skills to succeed in this industry.
How much you need to invest: You must be able to raise £25,000 to start a Magicman franchise unit.
What you get for your investment: Once you’re on board, you’ll be enrolled onto a comprehensive training programme and gain access to ongoing support tools. You’ll get help with social media marketing and access to jobs from Magicman’s national account customers, to name just a couple of perks.
Get help running your own business with a furniture franchise
With an output of more than £12 billion, the furniture sector contributes significantly to the UK economy. And, as people spend more time in their homes and evaluate the space around them, it should have an exciting future.
You can find the UK’s top furniture franchise opportunities right here. Click on the link or use the main menu to start browsing your investment options.
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Alice Tuffery, writer