Hometyre are really proud to announce that three of its network franchisees have each achieved 10 years of individual service under the Hometyre brand.

Truly a milestone in the brand history, all three have grown their businesses by following the franchise model and maintaining the ethos of providing excellent customer service while striving to exceed customer expectations at all times.

Mark Watson (Hometyre Brighton) was the very first Hometyre franchisee who joined back in January 2009. Mark has grown his franchise year on year and enjoys high customer retention. A keen golfer in his spare time, Mark recently won a national award in the Which Trusted Trader scheme. Marks wife Lyn has also completed the training and is a fully qualified technician too and regularly spends days out looking after customers with Mark.

“It is amazing how much the business has changed and improved over the 10 years I have been with Hometyre. New technologies have massively improved the efficiencies of the business and our consumer website converts a huge number of new clients. For any new franchisee, this means start-up can be easier and new business comes in almost immediately. My operation is extremely busy day in and day out.

“With other brands having tried and failed within this sector, it’s clear that we very much have the right model and a very appreciative customer base.”

Richard Woodward (Hometyre West Midlands) also joined in 2009 and brought with him skills from his quality assurance background with Land Rover. These transferred across well and Richard has since grown a very large customer base. Richard is chairman of the local canal trust, and together with his wife Belle, enjoy spending relaxing days on their own canal boat.

“Well that went fast! I can’t believe it’s been 10 years since I left the corporate world to work for myself. Joining Hometyre at the beginning had seen both businesses grow together. I have met so many people, fantastic people who have really appreciated the bespoke Hometyre service. The only problem now is fitting all those customers in!”

Dave Baker (Hometyre London) originally came from the IT/finance sector and saw an opportunity for this service – initially in North London. Since joining the network Dave, along with Nick and recent addition Shaun, have grown the area such that it now has a large and loyal customer base in both North and West London. Dave is a keen gardener and has his own allotment which he loves to escape to in his free time.

“10 years ago after being made redundant I decided to change tact and work for myself. My skill set was old and out of date so I decided to go down the franchise route as full training is given in your new business. After looking at the market, I decided on Hometyre as they were a young company that wanted to make a change to the perception of the tyre fitting part of the motor trade. With no further need for gloomy tyre fitting sites and no more having to wait around for work to be done, we simply place service as first and foremost in importance.

“Things have vastly improved over the last 10 years. Alongside many other businesses, ours has also focussed on online conversion and creating the simplest and quickest route to solving our clients problems!. As well as the sheer practicality, one of the things that truly singles us out is our attention and adherence customer service. Anybody can fit tyres, but not everyone will provide service to our level. As the old saying goes: ‘the service is remembered long after the price has been forgotten.’

This is why we have so much repeat business and personal referrals. We also still have our very first customer regularly booking with us too. As our network grows, more and more people are recognising our brand and enjoying our services.”

Andy Lawrence, Hometyre brand founder and Managing Director commented: “Ten years has absolutely flown by! I knew the brand and service was well received by the public prior to creating the franchise offering. The unknown for me was the people who would ultimately buy into it and mirror the initial model. It’s a fact that not everyone is cut out to run a business. There’s a certain attitude required to self-motivate and continue maintaining focus under challenging circumstances. We really couldn’t have been luckier in meeting and partnering with Mark, Rich and Dave all those years ago. It’s fair to say that we probably wouldn’t be here now if not for their input along the way. It’s a pleasure to work with our team and an honour to be entering into the eleventh year with these guys. We have a great business, well proven by our franchisees and we’re hoping to meet more of the same type of people to continue the growth of the brand into the future.”