FIRST CHOICE

Choices Flooring co-operative members combine forces to create a winning business model

Whenever Aussies and Kiwis take to the sports field, you can guarantee a fiercely-competitive game. But imagine how unstoppable a combined team would be. That’s exactly what’s happening with Choices Flooring which, for the past five years, has been quietly growing this side of the Tasman.

The Melbourne-based member group has 145 stores in Australia and 7 stores in New Zealand so far, with a co-operative business model that is both fair and profitable for its franchisee members.

‘We want to hear from people throughout New Zealand who appreciate that model and are ready to use it to build their own successful store,’ says CEO Andrew Lewis, who is himself an ex-pat Kiwi.

Driving customers to your door

Choices Flooring has quickly found favour with New Zealand customers who appreciate the larger floor covering sample sizes, the consistent, clean showroom fit-outs, and the highly competitive pricing thanks to bulk-buying across Australasia. Stores can offer over 3,000 colours, designs and textures across carpet, hard flooring, rugs and window furnishings ranges.

The company also makes clever use of technology to drive customer traffic. ‘Our highly-interactive website gives customers the ability to preview what a flooring choice will look like in their home, thanks to our latest RoomView technology,’ explains Andrew. ‘Once they’ve seen something they like, they go to their local Choices Flooring store to see samples, get a quote and book an installation.

‘We have a studio where we produce our own photo and video shoots and web content. We also create social media and advertising for members. Leveraging our buying power, we provide robust promotional opportunities for over 75 exclusive product lines,’ he says.

Best practice retail model

Building traffic is one thing – turning it into customers is another, especially in a competitive market, and this is where Choices Flooring excels, says Andrew.

‘As a co-operative, we’ve always taken the view that good business is not about the number of retail stores in the group, it’s about the quality that they provide. We look to apply best practice in systems, service and management. That’s why we created an end-to-end purpose-built business operating system to help deliver true customer service.

‘It’s been built for our member stores and developed over eight years to enable them to run highly successful and profitable businesses.’

Previous experience and training unnecessary

With the store fit-out, technology, marketing, exclusive product, and business operating system boxes all ticked, Choices Flooring businesses are turnkey opportunities. That means previous flooring experience, while useful, is not a pre-requisite to owning a store.

‘If you don’t shy from hard work and you understand customers and consumers, then Choices Flooring could be the right choice for you,’ suggests Andrew. ‘Perhaps you’re an ex-salesperson, or maybe you’ve worked in the fashion industry or interior design? If you enjoy visualising colours and textures in a room, helping people create looks and find practical solutions, this is a great opportunity.

‘We’ll teach you the financial management side, and even do the books for you if needed. We’ll also help you build your in-store and installation team.

‘We are the only retail flooring operator in Australasia that has its own registered training organisation and we train our own apprentices, along with our own staff. We already have full accreditation for our apprenticeship programme in Australia and are working on it in New Zealand, too. That gives our members yet another advantage.’

Unique model and culture

All Choices Flooring store owners are members of a co-operative. When they join, they each become a shareholder in the Choices Flooring Group and have voting rights on the board. ‘Operating via the franchise model helps ensure common systems, branding and marketing,’ explains Andrew. ‘It’s very successful – we’re the largest floor-covering business in Australasia in terms of turnover.

‘At the same time, Choices Flooring also has a strong culture of making decisions that are in the best interests of all our owners’ futures. It’s important to buy into that culture – just as you would if you were in a sports team.’

Where to start?

After five years gaining valuable experience in the New Zealand market, Choices Flooring is now ramping up its growth plans on this side of the ditch. For new member franchisees, the business requires an investment of around $200,000, much of which can be financed.

‘Based on our considerable experience and research, we see potential for 26 stores in New Zealand,’ says Andrew. ‘That means 19 opportunities are still available across the North and South Islands. Key areas include Northland, Auckland, Gisborne, Hawkes Bay, Manawatu-Whanganui, Wellington, Marlborough-Nelson, Canterbury, Otago and Southland, as well as Queenstown.

‘To find out more about the opportunities available, contact John Nicholls, our GM - Retail Development in New Zealand. If you have the drive to succeed, excellent customer service skills, and want to be part of a business that’s going places, he’s waiting to hear from you.’

Advertiser Info

Choices Flooring

www.choicesflooring.co.nz

Contact Andrew Lewis

M 0061 400 400 036

alewis@choicesflooring.com.au