Metro Rod led Franchise Brands’ 2019 growth

Drain care and maintenance franchise Metro Rod spearheaded the multi-brand franchisor’s significant growth last year.

Franchise Brands plc is an international multi-brand franchisor with a network of over 450 franchisees in 12 countries. Its four main brands are Metro Rod, Ovenclean, ChipsAway and Barking Mad. In October last year, it acquired Willow Pumps to broaden the range that Metro Rod can offer.

In 2019, Franchise Brands experienced significant growth and at least matched the market expectations for £40.6 million of sales and underlying profits of £5.2 million.

Metro Rod’s 14 percent increase in sales led the improvement, with this being a significant improvement on its 10 percent higher sales the previous year. This can partly be attributed to the drainage franchise’s recent acquisition of Willow Pumps, which has integrated well with the brand.

This trend has continued into 2020 too, with Metro Rod and Willow Pumps’ job intake higher than the previous year. It’s also been a great start to the year for the other B2C brands. During 2019, 17 new franchisees joined Ovenclean, ChispAway and Barking Mad, with the consumer-facing brands now collectively having 404 franchisees in their network.

According to Stephen Hemsley, the Executive Chairman of Franchise Brands:

"The Group has delivered a strong performance in 2019, which, in combination with the recent acquisition of Willow Pumps, leaves us confident about the prospects for Franchise Brands as we enter 2020."

He continued:

"Longer-term, the Group has a significant opportunity to provide a 'Water In, Waste Out' range of drainage, pumps and plumbing-related services on a national basis.”

Metro Rod is currently looking for franchisees with Point Franchise. To learn more about how you can get involved with one of the UK’s leading drain care and repair companies, click the link above.