Cool Under Pressure

Anchor distribution franchisees are stronger than ever thanks to support and consultation

Anchor is not only one of the best-known names in New Zealand – it’s one of the best-known Kiwi brands around the world. But not many people know that the Fonterra subsidiary is also one of our largest franchises.

Shannon Davidson, National Franchise Manager for Anchor, explains. ‘Our network of 49 franchisees sell and deliver 70 percent of Fonterra’s consumerbranded products such as Anchor, Mainland and Primo. With 38 depots and over 175 trucks on the road, they deliver to over 20,000 customers including cafés, schools, bakeries, dairies, supermarkets and other locations.’

So how did the franchise fare during the last two years of lockdowns and restrictions?

‘We’re privileged to be in an industry that’s deemed essential, and our products provide an excellent source of dairy nutrition to New Zealanders,’ says Shannon. ‘That meant we were able to continue operating but, of course, turnover was hit and franchisees suffered, too. We responded by providing support across a broad range of areas, from financial to health, safety and wellbeing. We also helped them develop robust cashflow plans and suggested ways to improve performance.’

Another big positive to come out of the pandemic was the way the business model changed to accommodate new technology, says Shannon. ‘As well as our regional meetings and the annual conference, we have always had regular face-to-face meetings with our franchisees. Our regional sales teams meet each franchisee every month, while our business consultants meet every quarter to discuss business performance, share best practice ideas and provide individual support and assistance.

‘As a result, our franchisees all came through relatively unscathed and gave us some great feedback on how our actions strengthened the franchisor/ franchisee relationship.’

Playing a team game

Covid might have been a new challenge for everyone, but the Anchor franchise has almost 30 years of experience to draw on – not to mention the resources of one of the country’s largest businesses. ‘We’ve always run multiple projects to improve our franchisees’ business model and profitability, and we recognise that our head office team are not the only experts when it comes to running our franchise businesses, so we engage franchisees to take part in working groups on new projects and share their insights and feedback for the good of all. In addition, we have a Franchise Leadership Team, a key stakeholder group of eight franchisees elected by their peers which meets with the directors quarterly to represent the whole network.

‘And our experience with Covid has encouraged us to increase interaction further with an online platform. Now we regularly hold online meetings that allow us to offer additional support. For example, we recently arranged an Omicron response online call for our franchisees – they have sizeable teams so being clued up on what to expect and how to manage is important. The session was really well received.’

A name to trust

There are currently a number of Anchor franchise opportunities around the country for people with the skills to operate a fast-moving distribution business. ‘The capital investment required is over $1 million in most cases, so our franchisees have significant ‘skin in the game’ – and, of course, they expect a significant return on their investment, too,’ says Shannon.

‘We enter into a 10-year agreement with franchisees, so selecting the right candidate is critical for the success of their business and ours. We have a rigorous recruitment process and look for quality candidates that demonstrate the following:

• Communicate effectively

• Strong sales skills and experience with a real desire to deliver growth

• Solid business acumen

• Understand how to motivate and manage people

• Can-do attitude and not afraid of hard work; physically fit

• Leadership qualities

In addition:

• Logistics & distribution experience is valuable but not essential

• A basic level of financial acumen (not critical, as we can teach this)

• Not averse to driving trucks (when they need to) •

Capital requirements to purchase the business

‘For anyone who has these attributes and is looking for an opportunity to partner with one of New Zealand’s best known names, contact us now!’ invites Shannon. ‘You’ll be supported by one of the best franchise systems in the country.’

Advertiser Info

Fonterra Brands (New Zealand) Ltd

www.anchordairy.com/nz

Contact Anchor Franchise Recruitment Team

anchorfranchise@fonterra.com