When Charlie Oliver needed a new challenge following some five years’ experience at an international franchising group, he decided that ‘local is lekker’ and put his management skills and passion for people to the test by purchasing his own Scooters Pizza store in Milnerton. Oliver summarises his management approach as creating equality for himself and his staff. “A previous employers’ slogan of: ”People capability first and profitability will follow” is one that impressed me immensely and it has stuck with me since then. By allowing employees and management to help run the business processes and be more actively involved, creates an opportunity for them to meet their personal needs, and also my business goals.” He believes that the key elements to running a successful store include skilled and motivated people, sound management and financial practises, and innovative products that meet and exceed customer expectations. CEO of Taste Holdings, Christo Calitz expresses his confi...

KAUAI’s new Canal Walk store boasts the group’s second fully-green new-look store. “We are very proud to introduce our new eco-friendly stores to the market, bringing us closer to staying true to the heritage of the Islands” says John Berry, founder and Chief of Innovations at KAUAI. “We brought in the Pattichides & Partners design team to help refine the new store image and are very pleased with the results.” The main contributors to this sustainable store design include solid Consol timber “off cuts” for all of the counters, with all of the counter tops being made of 75% recycled materials. With lead free eco-friendly paints being used on all surfaces.  Simplified screed floors were used rather than wasting costly tiles that get chipped up in a few years’ time. KAUAI’s new Greenline cappuccino machine use 48% less electricity, and all signage & lighting is powered with LED and low voltage lights. The design team was tasked with developing a modern Hawaiian genre that...

The team at Sandwich Baron Randburg welcomed new owners Vigeshen Moodley and Nadiah Maharaj to the store on 1 March 2013. Since taking over, the pair has ensured a remarkable turnaround in the store’s service delivery. Moodley, who has spent approximately 12 years in various franchises in the fast food industry, is also no stranger to the Sandwich Baron family, having spent his time before opening the store as a proud Sandwich Baron manager at a different location. Together with Maharaj, the two have done an exceptional job in bringing stability to the store to ensure that the team is delivering service that exceeds the standards of the franchise requirements. “The Sandwich Baron franchise has always appealed to me because I share and believe in their values. I have also found that the marketability and reputation of the brand as well as its growth potential, make it a feasible investment,” shares Moodley. Maharaj notes that the members of the community have been very welcoming ...

There is never a dull moment for taste buds when enjoying a meal at The Fish & Chip Co. The fast food extraordinaire of traditional English style fish and chips overhauled its menu with the addition of scrumptious new dishes that will be served as of the end of May. Lovers of The Fish & Chip Co. will know that the menu is not only limited to standard hake and chips as other mouth-watering options such as russians, viennas and calamari are also firm consumer favourites. As of this month, however, customers will be given even more variety that is sure to keep any food lover hooked. The biggest hit on the updated menu is a speciality dish called the Gatsby. Originating in the Cape flats in the Western Cape, this is a true South African dish that will leave an unforgettable impression and is sure to quiet the hunger pains. This meal combines the best of The Fish & Chip Co.’s menu combined in one long bread roll (similar in the size of a French loaf or baguette) which is cu...

Tommy Roux made the decision to pursue a career as a Maxi’s franchisee in the middle of 2009, he chose Maxi’s as a brand, because he believed that this exciting business opportunity offered stability and the potential for financial growth. He also wanted a store not too far from his home in Pretoria, as he believes that a person should not run a restaurant business too far from home as it is a time consuming industry to be involved with. Before becoming a Maxi’s owner, Roux was a Senior Manager in the exports division of a well-known Japanese car manufacturer that looked after the African market. Roux journey in becoming a multiple store owner started when an opportunity came his way to take over two existing Maxi’s stores, as Roux recognised the potential immediately and now is the proud owner of not two but three Maxi’s restaurants. “The experience gained from my first store enabled me to take on the franchising challenge with confidence.  After owning one store, I wante...

Developing consistent and competitive costing models and structures are central to ensuring a food franchise can achieve short term profitability and sustainable success. Sandwich Baron Development Manager, Patrizio Nebuloni , elaborates further on this subject.  Undoubtedly, setting and determining prices of items sold to customers is a challenging aspect of running a successful food franchise business. While franchises wants to offer competitive prices that are lower than their rivals, this strategic imperative should be tempered by the notion that pricing needs to be profitable, in order for a franchise to survive in the long term. Every pricing decision should result in a win-win outcome in which customers obtain value for their money, while businesses still make a reasonable profit. As a starting point, the most efficient and recommended way to determine a selling price is to source the Cost of Sales amount, and multiply this figure by two and a half. Generally, food an...

The Maxi’s food group, a division of Taste Holdings, has started with their marketing campaign for the Mpumalanga region and is aiming to drive transactional growth through all of their identified marketing initiatives. The biggest focus area at present will be on primary school children in the region. The kids, and the schools that they represent, will be encouraged to express their creativity by means of their own marketing campaigns as they will need to design an advert for Maxi’s to win. Schools will be sent entry forms for the kids to take part and the aspiring creatives will be urged to bring their completed advert to their nearest Maxi’s store. Weekly winners will be chosen out of the two categories that have been allocated, namely that of children in Grades 1 to 3 and those in Grades 4 to 7. Schools will also be rewarded as the school with the most entries will win a cash prize of R5,000. An overall winner will be chosen from the accumulating weekly winners. Their advert w...

The SARB is set to announce its decision on whether or not to decrease the repo rate even further, this Thursday, the 23rd of May. The repo rate has been stable, at an unprecedented low of 5%, since the Monetary Policy Committee meeting of July 2012. At present no one is seriously expecting Reserve Bank governor, Gill Marcus, to lower either the repo rate or the prime interest rate (which currently sits at 8.5%) before October, at the earliest. "The question isn't whether the MPC will lower the repo rate now, which I don't expect them to, but rather whether now isn't perhaps the time to do it", says Jan le Roux, CEO of Leapfrog Property Group. Andre Mellet, economics lecturer at the Northwest University's Vaal Triangle Campus, told Business Day that there are a number of compelling arguments for a rate cut: the growing unemployment figures, the slow growth rate of the SA economy as well as the deficit on the government's budget are all good reasons to...

Did you know that nearly half of the world’s entrepreneurs are between the ages of 25 and 44?  This is one of the key findings of the GEM 2012 report from Global Entrepreneurship Monitor. The report also found that 25 to 34 year olds demonstrate the highest rates of entrepreneurial activity, in all geographic regions surveyed, including South Africa. This information is mission-critical for Business Opportunities and Franchise Expo exhibitors, who are directly targeting entrepreneurs. The expo, which is owned and managed by Thebe Exhibitions and Projects, and presented in partnership with platinum sponsor, Eskom will take place from 12-15 September 2013 at the Coca-Cola Dome in Northriding, Johannesburg. According to Lynn Chamier, general manager of the Business Opportunities and Franchise Expo, “Knowing the predominant age bracket of your target audience empowers you to customise your exhibit, the information you disseminate and the tone of your one-on-one engagements with ...

The Maxi’s franchise restaurant chain, a division of Taste Holdings, recently launched their marketing campaign for the Limpopo region that is aiming to drive transactional growth through all of their identified marketing initiatives. The food franchise, that turns 20 years old in 2013, will be offering some tantalising in-store food promotions, which will include the likes of a Mixed Grill as well as their national Mexican promotion. Aside from experiencing the tasty food at a Maxi’s restaurant in the Limpopo region, one lucky Maxi’s food lover can stand the chance to win an all-inclusive and all-expenses paid trip for two to the tropical island of Zanzibar. This island paradise is located off the coast of Tanzania and situated in the Indian Ocean near East Africa and is characterised by beautiful sandy beaches with fringing coral reefs, as well as the magic of the historic Stone Town - said to be the only functioning ancient town in East Africa. This hotspot offers many treasures ...

With an overwhelming love for pizza, Petrus and Cecile van der Merwe, along with their son, Heinrich, decided to take this passion to the next level and become the new owners of Scooters Pizza Menlo Park. The van der Merwes’ - strong family values are perfectly aligned with the Scooters Pizzas brand’s principles of integrity, innovation and respect.  They believe if you manage your life and run a business with these three values in mind, you are already halfway on the road to success. In addition to solid morals and ethics, Petrus’s financial know-how gained from 32 years’ experience in the banking industry, will contribute to the family’s goals of running a prosperous business. Since taking over ownership of the Menlo Park store, the family has secured eleven jobs, and created one additional job opportunity. Petrus upholds that motivated employees play a major role in contributing to the profitability and productivity of any business. “My management approach does not only...

For prospective entrepreneurs aiming to achieve success in the highly competitive business world, franchising is an enticing prospect. Recently established mobile spray tanning company, Ispray Tanning, which offers sunless tanning with added convenience to customers in the Gauteng area, are pleased to introduce their concept as a franchising option to entrepreneurs looking to make a mark in the beauty market. The company, which is based in Gauteng, saves a significant amount of time and effort for people seeking a sunless tanning alternative, by affording them the luxury of receiving this service in the comfort of their own homes. It was founded in 2012 by husband and wife team, Pieter and Elzette Craucamp, after they identified a niche in the sunless tanning market. With their firm believe in the service that they are offering, the Ispray Tanning team identified the franchising concept as the ideal model to increase the footprint of their brand to not only service the whole of ...

The Fish and Chip Co. is leading the way in securing black empowerment amongst food franchising companies in South Africa, with 76,57% of its 303 nationwide stores, being black owned. Further, 16,50% of these franchise owners are black women, demonstrating the black economic empowerment success behind The Fish & Chip Co. business model. The company has achieved rapid growth since being established in 2009, with 120 outlets having been opened in 2012 alone, and about 3,300 job opportunities having been created to date. Managing Executive of The Fish & Chip Co., Marcel Strauss notes that the company is proud of its achievements in terms of furthering and creating black owned businesses. “The Fish & Chip Co. constantly strives to be an equal-opportunity employer, and enhance business growth for promising entrepreneurs who were previously disadvantaged. The fact that we have ensured that so many black entrepreneurs have become franchisees within our business over the las...

The ultimate reason for going into business is to make a profit, but this primary objective is often not effectively planned for by small business owners, says Standard Bank. The first step towards ensuring that you are building a profitable business is knowing your numbers. This needs to be followed up by active planning to make a profit. “Generally, many small business owners try and increase profitability by controlling costs. However, by cutting costs, one rarely adds more than 10% or 20% to the business’ bottom line. More time should be invested in income generation than reducing costs,” says Clive Pintusewitz, Head of Small Enterprises at Standard Bank. Building sustainable profits requires: • Generating business leads This means knowing where your leads are coming from and how many you currently have. The easiest way of finding this out is by simply asking customers where they heard about your business. Advertise your product or service in local media and create a ...

Avaya is addressing the changing needs of small and medium-sized enterprises throughout the Middle East, South Africa and Turkey 14 May 2013, Johannesburg:- With more than 1 million[1] small and medium-sized enterprises driving more than third of the South African GDP, Avaya, a leading global provider of business communications applications, systems and services, is talking directly to these businesses about how to become more efficient and customer-focused. Identifying organisations with fewer than 500 employees as ‘The New Big’ force in powering the nation’s economy, Avaya, who is actively engaging with SMB’s across the region through an eight-city road show for the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and South Africa, has shifted its business focus on empowering SMEs to collaborate with customers, colleagues and suppliers through a range of collaboration, video and networking solutions. “Mid-sized organisations are instrumental in the growth of the economies in countries across the Middl...

The Maxi’s franchise restaurant chain, a division of Taste Holdings, has launched their marketing campaign for stores in the East Rand that is aiming to drive transactional growth through all of their identified marketing initiatives. The food franchise, that has been serving South Africa for the last 20 years, has some great new promotions on offer. Breakfast has never been tastier and more affordable, with their filling breakfasts for under R30. The new breakfast promotion includes two eggs, two pieces of streaky bacon, one chicken sausage and toast with the option to ‘Max up’ with either chips, a pure beef patty or a large coffee. Breakfast will surely not keep customers away as the dinner promotion is also too tempting to ignore. Who could deny a decent helping of ribs and wings rounded off with either chips, rice or pap or a side salad? Aside from the good food, service at Maxi’s will also make for a rewarding experience as waiters will also be showing some appreciation for t...

Research indicates that almost 80% of self-start business ventures fail for a variety of reasons. Some of these challenges include lacking the safety nets of tried and tested franchising models in terms of brand or reputational success; access to financing; proven operational methods; access to an established supply chain; and attested products or services specifically aimed at a captive market. Bronwyn Oliveira, Brand Manager of Maxi’s , a family restaurant chain that forms part of the Taste Holdings group, explains why selecting the right franchise brand is probably the most important decision an entrepreneur will make during his or her working career. At Maxi’s we understand that owning and potentially managing your own business could simultaneously be one of the most thrilling, rewarding and challenging  business experiences in the life of an entrepreneur. Whilst exciting times lie ahead for these business people, they should also be aware of potential pitfalls, as statistic...

The new Scooters Pizza Musgrave store owner, Vishnu Govender, believes that serving a customer is an honour and a privilege, and an ethos that he is driving among his employees. Having previously worked in a senior management role at a pulp and paper factory, Govender decided to pursue a career as a Scooters Pizza franchisee to put his business knowledge into practice at his store and because he believes that the fast food industry in South Africa remains a lucrative investment choice. He maintains that the key to running a successful franchise is the ability to understand the needs of the customer and to have a key focus on service delivery and product quality. His management approach entails involving all staff in achieving the transparent store goals set for 2013, and in rewarding exemplary performance through incentives. “My main objectives include returning the business to profitability within the next three months and to increase store revenue by fifty percent within the n...

Sean Lilley, who has recently been appointed as the marketing manager of Scooters Pizza, brings with him a wealth of experience and expertise to the role, having been employed as a senior marketer for over 14 years. Lilley has worked for some of South Africa’s most renowned food brands, including holding a position at Woolworths head office and Nando's global division Worldwide Licensing (WWL). The latter position incorporated foods and franchise marketing in South Africa, Central and East Africa, South East Asia, the Middle East and Cyprus. His duties included developing and implementing integrated Through The Line campaigns, setting up marketing systems, and hiring and training marketing managers and partners in nine countries outside of South Africa for Nando’s WWL. Further, while he was at Woolworths, Lilley managed the marketing function of eight out of ten product categories at Woolworths, and grew many brands exponentially through marketing interventions. He was res...

When one thinks of school tuck-shops, thoughts first go to sweeties, packets of chips and chocolate milk....well they do when I think back to my school days….oh and lots of volunteering moms handing out food to shouting children. I was pleasantly surprised to find things had changed….and quite dramatically too. KAUAI, SA’s no.1 quick service health brand, has taken the bold step into schools, and opened 4, very successful, KAUAI@School stores nationally.  The KAUAI@School stores are currently at Reddam House in Tokai and Green Point in the Western Cape, and Waterfall and Bedfordview in Gauteng. “When we first came up with the KAUAI@School concept, we thought it would be a great initiative for schools to offer healthy foods and drinks for children and teachers at the school,” says Diane St Clair Moor, Chief Marketing Officer for the KAUAI Group. “We have had interest from parents to become franchisees of the KAUAI@School concept, particularly among stay-at-home moms who were look...

It is said that franchising is a sure-fire way of becoming a successful business owner, as its building blocks are cemented on the successes of other aspiring business pioneers. Even though franchise businesses usually come with tried and tested plans and practices, healthy relationships cannot be bought with a franchise agreement only. It requires continuous work and collaboration. Aside from buying in to an established brand, entrepreneurs in the franchising industry are also buying in to a relationship with a franchisor. Although all franchisees are provided with the basic tools to make the business a success, the relationship between themselves and the franchisor does not always come with a best practice guide. Whilst franchisees need to remember that franchisors put in the time, money and effort to create a legacy for the business it is important for franchisors to also ensure that they offer the correct leadership and guidance to establish meaningful relationships. Founder a...

Taking a personal passion and building it into a business may be satisfying, but satisfaction can soon turn to disappointment if you don’t know much about the numbers that make your venture tick. It’s on the question of numbers that most entrepreneurs lose sight of exactly why they are in business. It may be great to spend your days doing what you love and leaving the bookkeeping to someone else, but the reality is that business is about making a profit. Personally losing track of the rands and cents coming into and going out of your business can be the quickest road to disaster, warns Standard Bank. “It is one thing to hand over responsibility for drawing up balance sheets to an accountant or bookkeeper, but what is important is that, as a business owner, you realise that accountants are doing nothing more than recording historical financial information that tells you where your business is today,” says Clive Pintusewitz, Head of Small Enterprises at Standard Bank. “It is only ...