franchise.co.nz – PUTTING PEOPLE IN BUSINESS
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FreshChoice Westport franchisees Chris Jennens and Rose Christensen have
just one complaint about their new business – the weather. “It sure rains a lot in
Westport,” laughs Chris. “And while it might have been a terrible summer, we’ve
loved settling into our new store and are really happy with how things have
gone so far. I lived in Blenheim for seven years and it is a dream come true to
be back in the South Island, with an amazing business in a superb community.”
A plumber by trade, Chris had spent a dozen years working in Australia, but
his quest for a business in New Zealand was interrupted by Covid. “We’d
been looking for a way out of plumbing, and in Rose’s case nursing, for a
good four years,” he explains. “I think we looked at least 15 businesses before
we chose to go down the supermarket path with FreshChoice.
“It was a long process, passing all the pre-selection requirements, but
knowing we’d have a complete support network just made us keener. Not just
the team at head office, but all the other franchisees who have been behind
us all the way and are always willing to talk through problems, or just chat.”
Embracing community
“Our franchisees often speak of the outstanding support FreshChoice has
given them,” says Craig Steenson, FreshChoice’s franchise development
manager. “Not only is there a whole framework behind you to ensure you
never face challenges alone, but also a network of other FreshChoice
franchisees who are there to assist.”
“Chris and Rose have taken over an existing supermarket in Westport from
retiring owners and embraced their new community. And they have adopted
the same genuine passion to grow the brand which we are applying to
the rest of the country. It’s been great to see Chris and Rose seizing the
opportunities in Westport with such success in their first six months
of trading.”
Going the extra mile
“The whole process of getting up and running actually took about 18 months,”
says Chris. “Any new enterprise is bound to be a bit scary but, at some point,
you just have to throw yourself in at the deep end and have a go. There is
always a bit of risk when the outcome is unknown, but we’ve had help all the
way along. There was an invaluable 12-week training programme, and the
previous owners have been keeping an eye out for us far longer than they
were obliged to.
“We have an awesome local area manager at FreshChoice, and all our many
questions have been answered promptly”
Supporting locals
Chris and Rose particularly enjoy one aspect of FreshChoice’s philosophy
– supporting local producers. “We can see there is room to be proactive in
this area,” Chris explains. “We have a big say in what we stock, based on our
experience and observations, and of course what our customers tell us. We
are very keen to support the community further. There are local growers and
suppliers who can provide what our local customers need, and we love the
idea of helping the smaller people get a foot in the door.
“Which brings me to the personality you need to become a retailer with
FreshChoice: outgoing and with a genuine desire to talk to the community
and get involved. I think we are particularly lucky in Westport – we have a
lovely little town with terrific people!”
Well worth it
Chris finishes our conversation with this advice. “If we are ever asked about
starting out in the supermarket business, we say be prepared for some long
hours to learn it thoroughly, but most certainly have a crack. FreshChoice is
an awesome business opportunity – in our case, it’s been well worth it.”
“That’s because we’ve built a highly supportive, success-orientated
franchise,” explains Craig. “FreshChoice is currently expanding across New
Zealand and offering hands-on retailers a great opportunity to own and
operate their own supermarket. This is an exciting business opportunity
which has the full backing, and considerable resources of Wholesale
Distributors Ltd, a subsidiary of Woolworths New Zealand.
“The people we are looking for need to have around five years’ experience as
a business owner or appropriate management role, together with some retail
industry knowledge. They also need to have a passion for retail coupled with
a desire to become immersed in the local community.
“In addition to single stores,
multi-store ownership is possible.
Some of our franchisees are
benefiting from the economies of
scale and return on investment
by taking on additional stores.
If you feel you could be at the
heart of your community as a
FreshChoice supermarket owner,
just give me a call – we’d love to
hear from you!”
New FreshChoice franchisees enjoy
supporting their community, just as they
were supported in starting out
Opportunity: Retail
FreshChoice
www.freshchoice.co.nz
Contact
Craig Steenson
027 262 3175
craig.steenson1@woolworths.co.nz
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Rose Christensen and Chris Jennens:
‘A dream come true’