How the strength of One Stop’s franchise model became a family affair

How the strength of One Stop’s franchise model became a family affair

How the strength of One Stop’s franchise model became a family affair

24 December 2018

Listening to the passion of One Stop franchisees like Raj Sangha and his sister Baljinder Kaur – both of whom run their own One Stop stores – it’s not hard to see how their committed network of franchisees have helped them win Franchise Group of the Year 2018 at the Retail Industry Awards. And as far as this family are concerned, they’ve only just got started with their plans.

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Raj, who runs the One Stop store in Erdington, explains how he decided to join One Stop after getting frustrated, whether that was down to lack of support & investment, or not being able to spend time in his store with his customers.

Baljinder agrees, explaining that she got so frustrated with her previous group’s continuous responses of “We’re looking into it” into her challenges that she gave up ringing them altogether.

Faced with that kind of frustration, Raj joined One Stop in 2015. And now? “The truth is, I haven’t looked back. My sales have gone up 110% since, which is quite remarkable. We meet a lot of retailers who want to be One Stop – they come to meet me at our store. I don’t get commission, by the way!”

Raj explains that the biggest difference is how he’s been able to cut out his running around; having regular deliveries three times a week means he’s able to spend more time in store and concentrate on his business and his customers. It’s a sentiment echoed by Baljinder, who also describes how the extra time means she’s able to manage her store team better.

One Stop’s EPOS system also goes a long way in cutting Raj & Baljinder’s workload; in particular, its ability to automatically reorder stock once it drops below a certain level plays a big part in ensuring the store runs like clockwork. As Baljinder says, it makes her life easier as she knows what her stocks are, what she’s carrying and what she’s holding.

So, Raj’s 110% increase in sales – what does he put that down to? One Stop’s promotions play a big part, he says. Baljinder agrees, saying that it’s also meant she now does a lot more active selling. Previously, she explains, she never used to push her promotions because she was worried that once her stock was gone, her lack of regular deliveries meant she could end up with rows of empty shelves.

How does the family see the future? Raj is already looking for a new site to turn into a One Stop. One that’s not being run in the proper way, he explains, so they can come in and have a clear road map in how to improve it. He’s got his children involved, too. They all know the One Stop model, he laughs – so once he’s got his new site, he’s considering leaving his son or daughter running his current store, so he can concentrate on making his new site a success.