About Us
Run your own large domestic contract cleaning business with one of Britain’s longest-established franchises:
- Regular, recurring, stable income
- Cash flow-positive business
- Established and trusted brand
- From home to premises to property owner
- Build a sizable asset to sell
Established in 1980, Poppies is now owned and operated by its most successful franchisee, Chris Wootton. Chris and his head office team will guide and support you in how to build your own large domestic contract cleaning business. Hungry to achieve? Set out to be one of the biggest businesses in the Poppies network…
£500k+ sales: build a highly profitable business
£100k+ earnings: once established, enjoy six-figure earnings
£400k+ future value: an established business should sell for a considerable sum
(Based on 2019 figures for the top 20% of franchisees who have their own management team.)
“My business has grown a lot in the last two years. I’ve got a brilliant team and I don’t have to be in the office everyday anymore.” Kate, Farnborough
Personal, Professional, Proven
A franchise is about replicating a proven business model for yourself. Who better to guide you along that path than someone who has trodden it themselves! To be successful with Poppies you simply need the right attitude, Chris and the team will help you with the rest.
No prior cleaning industry or business ownership experience is necessary, you need to be:
- A great communicator
- Business minded
- Methodical and motivated
- Proud and respectful
- Willing to reinvest to grow your business
“It’s great being independent, but also comforting to have support and advice from other business owners running similar companies.” Katie & Lee, Chester
The Journey Ahead
There are two routes into running your own Poppies domestic cleaning business; either start in a new territory or buy an established business. Here are the typical steps when following the most common route of starting in a new territory:
- Launch: Invest £8K plus funding* and follow our proven guidance
- Premises: From home office to visible premises. Rapidly build your customer base
- Growth: Re-invest profits, grow your team, manage more customers
- Maturity: Healthy income, great lifestyle, potential to earn £100K+
- Extend/Exit: Invest in property, buy more territory, succession plan, sell your asset…
*funding subject to status – total initial investment of £27.5K including VAT and working capital
We encourage you to compare our personal and ethical approach to business with other cleaning franchises. There is quite a range out there, including new entrants, low-cost options and huge corporate international multi-brand franchisors with hundreds of franchisees. The right franchise for one person won’t be right for another.
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I hate cleaning but I love my Poppies franchise!
Becky Sagar has been running her Poppies franchise for over a decade. Both ambitious and strong-willed, not long after starting out in her career, Becky diagnosed herself as ‘unemployable’! She craved autonomy, a challenge and the rewards that go with it. ...
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Building a lifetime of satisfaction and fulfilment
Building a lifetime of satisfaction and fulfilment Career-man, Nigel Bayliss, spent over 15 successful years managing teams as big as 450 people in the retail sector. Like so many before him, he eventually grew weary of long days and a gruelling commute. Nigel...
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Taking her business from good to a blooming success!
Taking her business from good to a blooming success! When a sudden reality check forced Carey Taylor to reconsider her future, business ownership provided her with a solution. However, whilst worrying about the challenges of going it alone, she realised that b...
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Driving towards a successful business
Driving towards a successful business When former driving instructor, Katie Ellams, required more flexibility, she and her husband moved up north to open a tearoom. However, the long days and intense seasonal trade wasn’t quite what the pair were searching f...
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Gaining confidence to build a successful business
Gaining confidence to build a successful business The thought of running her own business always filled Marnie Duval with excitement. However, she didn’t quite have the confidence to make the leap and go it alone. After considering her existing skill set, bu...
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A business that is no joke
On April Fools’ Day 2015, Simon West learned that he would be made redundant – no laughing matter. After dedicating almost 30 years to the company, he was left looking for a new venture; something that would combine his well-honed skills and offer a le...
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Continuing a legacy
Continuing a legacy After working for more than 19 years in Durham Constabulary, Nicola Marinan was given the opportunity of a lifetime. A close family friend, Elizabeth Richardson, was looking to sell her cleaning franchise and, initially in jest, Nicola sugg...
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Dusting off after redundancy to build a business that shines
Following redundancy, Rob Piper was on the lookout for an exciting and new opportunity. Then Poppies Cleaning Service franchise came along. Rob Piper is a self-confessed people-person. For almost two decades, his natural flair for communication, employee engag...
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It’s never too late to fulfil a dream!
It’s never too late to fulfil a dream! For as long as Emma Ryan can remember, being her own boss was a fantasy. After spending almost two decades in the corporate world, a stark shift in the industry that she had grown to love left her looking for a new dire...
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Banking on a secure future with Poppies
After more than 20 years as a Business Manager at Lloyds Bank, Charles Kirkman and his wife, Christine – who also worked at the bank as a Business Support Manager – decided it was time for a change. Having supported many prospective business owners...
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Third time lucky with Poppies
When Andrew Wishart was made redundant for the second time in his career, he’d had enough. On that very day, he vowed to become his own boss. In the background of his main career, Andrew had always played a supporting role to his father’s Poppies franchise...
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Poppies: a rewarding franchise in so many ways
When circumstances forced Wendy James to re-evaluate her career, it wasn’t long before she found the perfect option. Domestic cleaning franchise Poppies had piqued her interest with strong market demand and promised the support she knew she would need to gro...
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The role of innovation and entrepreneurship in franchising
19th October 2022The British Library defines an entrepreneur as passionate, innovative, persistent, resourceful, disciplined and prepared to take risks. And while it is perceived that the franchise industry does not enable business owners to be entrepreneurial, demonstrating t...
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How to keep your home clean when you have pets
6th September 2022How to keep your home clean when you have pets As of today, 59% of UK households own a pet, which means that roughly 17 million households are tasked with protecting their homes from muddy paw prints and the occasional bad odour. And with a total of 34 million...
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Strategies that lead to solutions: the practices and ethics of the cleaning industry
6th September 2022Strategies that lead to solutions: the practices and ethics of the cleaning industry The rise in demand for credible, expert cleaners over the past decade has been significant – a staggering one in three households now employ the services of an external ...
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Local Stockport cleaning business celebrates 10-year anniversary
19th August 2022Local Stockport cleaning business celebrates 10-year anniversary This month, Stockport-based cleaning business, Poppies, is celebrating its 10-year anniversary of serving the community after overcoming the most challenging period since its launch. Despite the ...
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Why the ‘summer clear out’ is equally important for your franchise
3rd August 2022Why the ‘summer clear out’ is equally important for your franchise The summer months can often be a slower time for businesses, with many owners worrying about staff shortages, holidays and a potential downturn in sales. And while the volume of phone calls...
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Clean space, clean mind: the importance of workspace hygiene
26th May 2022Cleanliness, in every walk of life, is now at the forefront of our thinking. Whether at home or in public, hygiene and taking pride in the spaces that we occupy has never been so prevalent in our minds. But it is in professional capacities where we seem to for...
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Why exceptional training is a vital element of franchise success
17th May 2022Why exceptional training is a vital element of franchise success The age-old belief that ‘practice makes perfect’ is one that, while true to some extent, only tells half the story. What is more accurate, in fact, is that practice makes permanent. Regardles...
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Spring cleaning your franchise and why it is always a good time to declutter
25th April 2022We all know how busy the winter season can be for businesses in any industry. As business owners, a natural side effect of successfully navigating this period may be that keeping track of your well-oiled machine slips through your fingers somewhat. So, as the ...
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Spring cleaning: the time has come to spruce up your home!
2nd March 2022We all know how demotivating winter’s dark nights and cold weather can be. And with Christmas, New Year and other holidays dominating your calendar throughout the season, it is natural to see a slight drop in the upkeep that your home is used to. So, as the ...
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West Yorkshire entrepreneur cleans up with new franchise
8th July 2021With over 16 years of experience in the beverage industry, West Yorkshire born and bred Dan Reid has swapped his corporate life for a cleaning franchise covering Leeds and its surrounding areas. Launched in June, Dan has taken over the reins of Poppies with pr...
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Poppies – What skills are needed to be successful in a cleaning franchise?
17th May 2021Franchising is an enticing career opportunity for all types of entrepreneurs, regardless of their age and professional experience. However, one of the first steps that needs to be considered prior to investing is whether you have the right skills required to r...
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Poppies restores customer confidence in the cleaning sector
29th April 2021As the UK gradually returns to the ‘new normal’ following a year of unprecedented challenges, Poppies is optimistic about the future of the domestic cleaning sector. The cleaning franchise recorded a 170% increase in client demand across its network of 22 ...
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Spring cleaning takes on a new importance for Poppies
14th April 2021Spring cleaning has taken on a new importance this year. With millions of households across the UK more concerned about high standards of hygiene, cleanliness and their health than ever before, Poppies’ franchise announces a surge in client bookings. “This...
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West Lancashire domestic cleaning franchise Poppies celebrates 25-year milestone
13th April 2021West Lancashire business owner, Chris Wootton, celebrated a huge milestone as his domestic cleaning franchise business Poppies reaches its 25-year anniversary on Friday, 9th April. Ormskirk Gingerbread man (symbol of town), Rosie Cooper MP for West Lancashire,...
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The rise of business ownership
2nd March 2021The rise of business ownership Despite all of the challenges that the pandemic has thrust upon every business owner and entrepreneur in the last 12 months, recent statistics show that it hasn’t dampened everyone’s spirits. Chris Wootton, Managing Director ...
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Poppies cleaning up for the new year
29th January 2021With 2020 done and dusted, domestic cleaning franchise, Poppies, is getting this year off to the best start possible. Despite several lockdowns, the 22-strong franchise network remains as close as ever and have entered 2021 with a spring in their step. But as ...
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Poppies features in 100 best UK franchises
17th December 2020Poppies features in 100 best UK franchises Poppies, based in West Lancashire, is celebrating after being featured as one of the best franchises in the UK. For the second year in a row, the domestic cleaning franchise has made the ranking in the prestigious Eli...
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Franchise implements vigorous at-home cleaning programme
10th December 2020Franchise implements vigorous at-home cleaning programme In May, when the UK was preparing to exit the first lockdown, domestic cleaning franchise Poppies had already developed a strategy to ensure cleaners could manage the new way of working and clients under...
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Helping to clean up the industry
9th December 2020Chris Wootton, Managing Director of Poppies cleaning franchise, has taken up a specialist advisory role with the Domestic Cleaning Alliance (DCA) in order to help raise the image and standards of the sector. “Until the formation of the DCA, the industry had ...
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Poppies celebrates Ruby anniversary
9th December 2020Poppies celebrates Ruby anniversary 2020 marks a milestone birthday for the UK’s first cleaning franchise, Poppies, as the brand celebrates 40 years of success. On April 1st, although unable to be together in person, the whole network popped virtual corks an...
Would You Like to Know More?
Receive more information about this franchise opportunity direct from the franchisor by clicking the link below:
Add to Request List There is no cost or obligation associated with this service.Key Facts:
- Available across the UK
- Franchise
- £8,250
- Yes
- Yes
- Yes
- Yes, through a third party
- 22
- 1980
- Yes
- Member - Established
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