FRANCHISING SNAPSHOT: IRISH FRANCHISE EXHIBITION

We highlight a snapshot of Ireland's most proactive franchising opportunities that are exhibiting at this year's Irish Franchise Exhibition.

Featuring some of the leading franchisors from Ireland, the UK and overseas The Irish Franchise Exhibition at Shelbourne Hall, the Royal Dublin Society (RDS), 17-18 November 2006, is the not to be missed exhibition for budding franchisees looking to buy a franchise.

Leading franchisors will be exhibiting at the event, offering opportunities from a wide crosssection of business sectors, including management consultancies, recruitment, food and drink, health and fitness, cleaning companies, and confectionery. The exhibition will feature hundreds of proven business ideas from companies including O'Briens Sandwich Bars, Signs Express, Cash Generator, Lasertech and Vendamax. These companies will be on hand to offer information and advice about buying a franchise and provide a wealth of new ideas for ambitious entrepreneurs.

Free Seminars

The exhibition will also feature an invaluable free seminar programme that will be run on both days of the show. Hosted by the Irish Franchise Association and addressed by industry leaders and practitioners, this free seminar will not only provide valuable advice on the key aspects of franchising, but will also act as guidance on how to develop and strengthen your existing business.

The Irish Franchise Association will also be on hand at the exhibition to provide invaluable resources and expertise to help visitors make that crucial franchise decision. Financial advice and independent franchising advice will also be made available from major high street banks, leading accountancy firms and independent franchising advisors.

For further information on the event or to pre register please log onto www.franinfo.ie
Tickets for the event are priced at €7 in advance and €10 on the door.

LADIES WORKOUT EXPRESS Key Contact: Chris Donaldson Industry Sector: Health and Fitness Stand Number: A25 T: 04892 634888 E: lwelisburn@yahoo.co.uk W: www.ladiesworkoutexpress.com Investment: €17,500 Ladies Workout Express operates ten gyms, 4 in England, 4 ROI and 2 in Northern Ireland and is set to open new fitness centres this year in Ballyclare, KillCullen, and Lemington Spa, making Ladies Workout Express one of the fastest growing gym operators in Ireland. The company’s growth has been impressive. Ladies Workout Express opened its first fitness centre in 2005 and, by the end of this year, it will have 12 gyms across the UK and Ireland. Traditional gyms don’t offer a comfortable environment or support that women require. The ethos of the Ladies Workout Express is based on the highly endorsed method of circuit training with a 24-station circuit of hydraulic equipment and aerobic stations that is completed over a 30-minute time frame. The franchise system is fine-tuned with 20 years of experience behind it and over 1,000 outlets globally. Franchisees who are most successful replicate the proven system with dedication and commitment. Our Ladies Workout Express gyms in the UK and Ireland are a demonstration of successful growth and development.

Enda Folan, RD, Computer Troubleshooters, Ireland. COMPUTER TROUBLESHOOTERS IRELAND Key Contact: Enda Folan Industry Sector: Computer Technical Support T: 091-580058 / 086-8108118 E: info@comptroub.ie W: www.comptroub.ie Investment: Initial Fee: €16,000 + €10,000 working capital Computer Troubleshooters is the World’s and Ireland’s largest Computer Service Network, providing onsite computer services to business and residential users in 23 countries. We have 8 locations around Ireland (Galway East & West, Clare, Limerick East & West, Longford/Westmeath, Louth and Wexford South) as part of a global team of nearly 500 franchise centres. Currently recruiting for Regional Directors for Dublin and Northern Ireland and for franchisees for numerous locations all over Ireland. If you have IT skills and always wanted to run your own business in your own place, contact us now for a no-obligation infopack.

David Kelly and Tom Shanahan, Founders of Kendlebell in Ireland. KENDELBELL Key Contact: David Kelly Industry Sector: Office Services Stand Number: B150 T: 1800 848 646 E: david.kelly@kbell.ie W: www.kbell.ie Investment: € 50,000 Kendlebell is a Virtual Office franchise for small businesses. Using state of the art technology, Kendlebell provide effective personalised telephone answering and a host of other services. The franchise is well established in the UK and has recently been brought to Ireland by David Kelly and Tom Shanahan. Kendlebell Ireland have established their first office in Dublin 3 and intend rolling out a network of franchisees across Ireland. Setup costs for a Kendlebell franchise are lower than average and every Kendlebell franchise in the UK has been profitable within its first year of trading. If you have a passion for excellent customer service, a reasonable understanding of I.T. and are interested in running your own business, then perhaps Kendlebell is the Perfect Answer.

Signs Express centre staff at work. SIGNS EXPRESS LTD. Key Contact: Tony Marsh Industry Sector: B2B Sign Manufacturing Stand Number: C20 T: 0044 1603 625925 E: franchise@signsexpress.ie W: www.signsexpress.ie Investment: Initial Capital Requirement €48,000, total investment €120,000 With over 80 centres across the UK & Ireland, Signs Express is a management franchise opportunity within the lucrative B2B marketplace, with excellent sales opportunity from all industries. Members of the Irish Franchise Association, Signs Express provides a comprehensive training programme and ongoing support in all areas of the business from accounts, sales, marketing and operations to technical support and national accounts. Based in light industrial premises, you will benefit from being part of an established brand and nationwide network, operating in your own dedicated territory area. No previous experience is required.

Nosh + Coffee, Skycourt Shopping Centre, Shannon. THE NOSH + COFFEE FRANCHISE COMPANY Key Contact: Emanuel Lantzos Industry Sector: Coffee Shop / Food T: 053 9375547 / 087 6828416 E: info@noshncoffee.ie W: www.noshncoffee.ie Investment: Average €175,000 - (this is the amount it costs for start up) Nosh + Coffee represent the next generation of coffee shops and provide a formula that allows our brand to be differentiated from the rest of the competition. We preserve the authentic Italian coffee house theme and offer it in a contemporary style for Ireland today. We welcome you with the very best of coffee and the freshest range of food, snacks and desserts while you are relaxing in comfortable surroundings. Quality coffee is the key and we serve only premium Fairtrade beans with the Espresso shot being the base for all our coffees. Coffee is not only taste, it’s the smell of roasted beans and the sound of frothing milk which makes “going for coffee” a special multi-sensory experience.

Gary Mathews and David Lowe, Directors of Pristine.ie PRISTINE.IE Key Contact: David Lowe or Gary Mathews Industry Sector: Cleaning Stand Number: A 75 T: 01 2312960 E: info@pristine.ie W: www.pristine.ie Investment: €40,000.00 The pristine.ie story is a success story in franchising, and is on the road to establishing itself as the first choice supplier of residential cleaning services throughout Ireland. pristine.ie hold the master licence for Ireland from the London based MyHome International PLC. pristine.ie takes great care in choosing the right franchise partners, and look for enthusiastic, motivated and business minded individuals with a real drive to achieve. pristine.ie offers a comprehensive support and training package which benefits from investment in developing a business support system covering all aspects of business from cleaning itself, to recruitment, sales, marketing and optimising territory profit.

The Ink Drop Retail outlets are clean, bright and welcoming. THE INK DROP FRANCHISE CO. (IRELAND) LTD. Key Contact: Sandra Redden Industry Sector: Retail – Printing Consumables Stand Number: B190 T: 00353 59 8623872 E: sandra@theinkdrop.ie W: www.theinkdrop.ie Investment: €120,000 + vat, subject to location of which franchise fee = €70,000 Originally formed in the UK in 2003. The Ink Drop has been established in Ireland since June 05 and is enjoying steady growth. Total of 3 outlets in Ireland with a further 2 planned for 1st quarter 2007. Our own brand cartridges are manufactured using new and recycled parts by two of Europe’s largest cartridge manufacturers. Our customer base is both business and home users. The market for compatible and remanufactured cartridges is growing as businesses and individuals realise that print quality is not affected and that big savings can be made. Visit us at Stand B190 to discuss in detail.

USEFUL CONTACTS