Drain Doctor says that the drainage industry is not feeling the effects of uncertain economic times as other businesses.

With the fear of a no-deal Brexit and UK businesses living through uncertain economic times, the drainage industry has seemingly not had the same problems growing their businesses, according to Drain Doctor, the UK’s largest full service combined commercial and domestic plumbing organisation.

Drain Doctor, which has over 50 franchise locations and is part of the Dwyer Group family of brands, has seen its largest growth to date in 2018 with an average increase of around 40% from its top ten franchisees. Leicester (103%), Manchester South (46%), Oxford (43%), South Fife (35%), Anglia (23%) and Birmingham South/Central & Worcestershire (27%) have all seen a consistent surge in growth when compared to the same period last year.

The job average growth has also risen per franchise, with Drain Doctor Anglia (51%), Northampton (46%) and Guildford & Basingstoke (33%) being the top three performers to date for 2018. York, Nottingham & Peterborough, Wolverhampton & Birmingham North have also grown their job averages on average by 18%.

The heatwave in June and July impacted growth in some areas of the UK due to many drains drying up, but this boosted the plumbing arm of Drain Doctor and allowed technicians to carry out preventative planned maintenance for many customers in the catering and hospitality industry.

Pierre Jeannes, President of Operations for Drain Doctor, said: “Plumbing and drainage is an essential trade for many commercial and domestic customers and this sustained demand highlights just how recession proof this sector is. Even though the news is filled with market uncertainty stories, many of our franchisees are not having any problems growing their businesses, as indicated by the growth in turnover, job averages and number of jobs they are all undertaking month on month.”

Rob Simpson, Drain Doctor East Anglia, commented: “2018 has already been a thriving year for our business and we are on target to reach our biggest turnover since I bought the franchise in 2009 – this is a significant achievement. There are always going to be external factors, such as heatwaves, which we cannot control, but this provides us the opportunity to grow and develop other parts of the business that we might normally do later in the year. I am confident that we can continue to grow our business, which includes Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Norfolk, and I would like to thank my superb team for all their efforts.”

Mike Baddeley, Drain Doctor Birmingham South/Central & Worcestershire, added: “Our business has maintained its growth of over 25% for the past couple of years, which is great news and shows that we are both gaining and retaining customers at a steady pace. We have seen a consistent increase in jobs month on month since the start of the year and our job averages have also risen compared to the same period last year, but if we are to raise our game even further, we need to recruit more technicians and support staff over the next coming months. The franchise is not just about me – without our fantastic team, both in the office and on the road, and the support from the Dwyer Group, we would not be where we are today. The future is bright!”

Kevin Preston, Drain Doctor North West, added: “People are a key part of our business and this has been a significant contributing factor to the success of our business this year. We have grown by over 25% as a result of recruiting a business development manager at the start of the year, winning new contracts in hospitality and the building sector. With customers from Carlisle to Manchester, we are always looking to grow and develop the business further and we are all set to hit our targets for 2018 – another great year for Drain Doctor North West.”