Innovation, support and resilience is key to our Kitchen and Bathroom Franchise’s bright future, according to Chief Operating Officer.

In a recent webinar, COO Danny Hanlon discussed how Granite & TREND Transformations has coped with the COVID-19 pandemic and how business is booming for this Elite 100 franchise. In discussion with franchising expert, Robert Dancy, he outlined the measures he and his team have taken during the crisis and the positive impact they have had on the franchise.

“I think you can tell a lot about a business by the way that it reacts to a crisis and we saw it as a business transformation opportunity,” Danny said. “Our strategies were all aimed at giving our franchisees a competitive advantage and to help support them throughout the pandemic and as we emerge from this third lockdown.”

Granite & TREND Transformations has always differentiated itself from other franchise opportunities by striving to take an innovative and pro-active approach to how it does business. This is reflected not only in its unique products, and the way that the business is conducted as a whole, but also in how it supports its franchisees.

Driving the brand forward

On the back of a huge rise in customer demand during 2020, Granite & TREND launched a number of wide reaching strategies, which Danny details in the webinar. Where many other companies took a more cautious approach to dealing with the pandemic, Granite & TREND was keen to grasp the opportunity it presented to reinvest in the franchise.

A huge part of this was an ambitious new marketing campaign involving the now famous “Janet from Granite”, a fictional brand ambassador who has added a friendly, approachable face to the company. Combined with the creation of a cutting-edge 3D Design tool, and an exclusive partnership with Microban™, the franchise has continued to add appeal and value to its extensive range of products and services.

Danny also goes on to talk about why he feels particularly optimistic about this current year: “A combination of the vaccine programme among our key demographics, and the need for a fresh start after lockdown, is really driving up interest in Granite & TREND. We’ve already seen a 100% increase in lead generation! Sales year-on-year were up 40% last August and we have seen a double digit increase in four of the last six months too.”

With these new initiatives and products in place, Granite & TREND Transformations’ franchise partners are perfectly equipped to meet this rising demand and help their customers achieve their home renovation dreams. However, the work that has gone into creating a supportive and resilient franchise network has also had a hugely positive impact on how individual franchisees have coped.

In business for yourself, but not by yourself

Danny & Robert cannot emphasise enough the importance of giving franchise partners the support they need and it is clear that this has been especially critical over the last year. The Granite & TREND franchise is very proud of how it supports its franchisees and can boast one of the most experienced and highly-qualified Franchise and Support Teams (FAST) in the industry. In January 2021, they also added Mike Brocklebank as their new Franchise Network Manager. With his background in both retail and franchise management, as well as his status as a BFA-recognised Qualified Franchise Professional, Mike was the perfect addition. This extra level of expertise and experience, to an already stellar team, means that franchisees can be confident that they have all the tools they need for their businesses to thrive.

Throughout 2020 and into 2021, the FAST team have gone all out to ensure that no-one in the organisation has been facing the crisis alone. Not only were they always there at the end of the phone should any of their franchisees need specific help, but regular web meetings and training opportunities were also scheduled. They put everything in place to make sure the network could take full advantage of all the new opportunities that were presented throughout the year.

With sales booming right across the franchise, Danny and his team have every reason to be feeling buoyant about what the future will bring for the Granite & TREND Transformations brand.

“This last year has been all about keeping that growth mindset. In October, we opened our second company owned store in Eastbourne, and opened 3 new franchisee owned showrooms, with another 2 scheduled for the first quarter of 2021. We see a very bright future ahead of us!”