A husband and wife duo from Clitheroe is celebrating the end of a busy year with record sales achieved. Simon and Jane Miller opened their second in-toto Kitchen Studio in only May 2013 and have evoked instant excitement from their local community with the stunning two-storey studio in Parson Lane, Clitheroe – known as in-toto Ribble Valley.
Already they are achieving success and in November 2013 they reported the second highest sales of the month of all 47 in-toto studios nationwide.
The Millers are the epitome of the saying, “you get out of it what you put in”. The couple started their Franchise business in October 2010 with their first studio in Southport and they faced an extraordinary amount of bad luck and adversity as the recession hit, they were snowed-in during the first Winter and the shop front needed replacing not once but twice due to drink-drivers crashing into their window!
Simon explains, “It was strength of character that got us through it – we pushed hard with advertising and networking and now it is paying off – we opened our second studio this year and we’re getting regular recommendations”.
Choosing in-toto as a franchise was an easy decision for the pair as Simon’s background in construction and development meant he was familiar with the kitchens and he simply loves the products. Simon says, “The quality of in-toto kitchens is superior. In my previous job, whenever I installed an in-toto kitchen I never had to return to a single one”. Simon now uses his experience in the project management of his in-toto businesses, perfectly complemented by his wife Jane who handles the designs, ordering and marketing for the studios.
Not everyone considering a franchise with in-toto needs to have previous knowledge of the kitchen industry though. In fact, Jane remarks that she had no kitchen knowledge at all but product training is key and Jane felt supported by the in-toto network, saying “with a franchise, you benefit from knowing you’re not on your own – the stories and tips that we share amongst the in-toto studios nationwide is invaluable”.
Jane’s advice to future franchisees is to “ask questions in all areas of your business – speak to your fitters and keep up to date with design trends by reading the relevant magazines”. Jane has certainly followed her own advice and has been rewarded recently by winning the Neff Master Partner Excellence Award, giving the couple more credibility. Simon comments, “The best moments are when we receive appreciation from our happy customers. We have a reputation for being genuine and we take a lot of pride in going the extra mile for our clients”. The new year already looks set to bring more success for the Millers with their businesses going from strength to strength.
in-toto has 47 franchise studios spread across the UK – the most of any kitchen specialist in the country – and is part of the Alno AG Group, one of the biggest modern kitchen manufacturers in the world. For franchisees, in-toto provides an unprecedented package of support and business backing with the security of an International brand complemented by the sales, marketing and start-up advice of experienced regional management, all tailored to each store’s individual requirements.