One Stop franchisees, Daniel and Craig Wilson are celebrating the opening of their 12th Store in Pickering, Yorkshire!
The Wilson group have been with One Stop since the Franchise model first started. They have found the One Stop model and ways of working are perfectly suited to growing their portfolio of stores. As Daniel explains: “One Stop has been a massive support and all the systems and process are great. The promotions and pricing are so good that it brings people into store and really drives sales and profitability.
“If you have good managers in store there is not an enormous amount to do as the stores run themselves! I focus my time on new store opportunities and just check in occasionally with my managers.”
One Stop has recently rolled out a brand-new state of the art EPOS system to its portfolio of 900 company and franchise stores which is really helping to give the convenience retailer a competitive edge. Alongside the EPOS system One Stop has also invested in Wi-fi for all its stores in order to help make the system work in real-time and improve efficiencies further.
John Miller Head of Franchise explains: “It’s been great working with the Wilson group and this 12th store is a real milestone for them and for us as it demonstrates how our model allows franchisees to run multiple sites with complete ease. Our new EPOS system means everything is integrated, so planograms, training, ordering, and communications are all done on the back office at the touch of a button.
“We are seeing an increasing number of our franchisees opening multiple stores. Our network of Business Development Managers (BDMs) and recruitment managers are always on hand to offer support and help our franchisees wherever they can. This could be from helping to locate prospective stores, to advising on business growth and opportunities on the ground. We have a huge amount of expertise to advise on business opportunities.”
Daniel has used his own portfolio as a network, meaning that he can call on his individual stores if he needs help, such as to increase staffing from one store to another. The entrepreneurial retailer explains: “I opened my first stores in Scarborough where I now have ten One Stops. I’ve now opened a store in Pickering and will do the same here, which is to get to know the area and create a potential network of stores which can all support one another and help to grow the One Stop name. I also own a store in both Thornaby and Bridlington where I have also purchased additional sites.
The entrepreneur is excited to be breathing new life into his latest store opening in Pickering, as he explains: “This was previously a store but was very tired and needed a lot doing to it. Pickering is a good location, on the edge of the West Yorkshire Moors and as the lockdown restrictions start to lift, we should see more tourism come into the area. We also hope that locals will see what we have done with the store and shop with us, attracted by the promotions and offers we will be bringing to the area. In Scarborough we offer a home delivery service through Snappy Shopper where we have purchased electric vehicles to make these deliveries helping with the impact on the environment. This is meeting the needs of the growing trends of online shopping and home delivery, so this could be an option here too.”
With the new EPOS systems, franchisees are now able to access the system from their home, or ‘on the go’ using a PC, tablet, or smartphone. John continues: “Whilst this will benefit all franchisees, those with multiple stores like the Wilson group, will be able to operate and analyse each of their businesses from the comfort of their own home.
“Franchisees can now see data flowing in real time (such as sales, profit and margins) enabling them to make quicker decisions and place orders remotely. This means they have more time on their hands to spend with family, friends and for our franchisees allow them to continue growing their own bespoke businesses at exactly the speed the want.”
So, what’s next for Daniel? “I’ve just bought a pub actually,” he explains “and I’m converting this to three units. One of these will be a One Stop. It’s not a massive difference to have one or 16, which is the number of One Stops I expect to have by the end of this year!”
Danny’s 12th store can be located at: 4-5 Eastgate, Pickering, North Yorkshire, YO18 7DU.
