Bold initiatives raise Anchor franchisees to new heights
Delivering a brighter future Anchor Franchisees of the Year Kieran and Kate McCorkindale
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t’s no secret that New Zealand has an extremely competitive franchise sector. What is less well-known is that some fortunate franchisees enjoy the support of one of the country’s biggest companies – Fonterra. So if you’re looking for a million-dollar business with the strength to thrive in any climate, it’s worth checking out Anchor’s franchised FMCG distribution network. Anchor franchisees sell and deliver 70 percent of Fonterra’s consumerbranded products such as Anchor, Mainland and Primo. They manage Fonterra’s 38 depots throughout the country, with staff operating over 175 trucks on the road to service over 20,000 customers, including cafés, schools, bakeries, dairies, supermarkets and other locations.
Pathway to success Shannon Davidson, National Franchise Manager for Anchor, believes their model provides the right incentives and pathways for franchisees to grow the overall capital value of their business and generate positive cashflow throughout the length of their term. ‘Our Fonterra-backed franchise businesses have shown incredible resilience and are going from strength to strength,’ she says. ‘That’s not just because of our quality brands and products, but because of our support initiatives, too. ‘For example, each franchisee has dedicated Business Development Managers to help them grow sales, along with a dedicated Business Consultant whose role is to help them improve their overall performance. There are also state-of-the-art sales, distribution and CRM systems to help them manage customers, route planning, pricing and customer invoicing – as well as a brand-new customer online ordering system.’
Stand-out benefits As you might expect from such a successful brand, many franchisees have been with Anchor for more than 20 years – testimony to a proven track record of strong financial performance. There are currently a number of established 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. Shannon says, ‘This is a formidable income and investment opportunity backed by premium branded products; a 10-year agreement designed for optimal performance; full day-to-day admin and sales support; national and local sales and marketing programmes; joint business planning and ongoing training and coaching. ‘We’re looking for people like Kieran and Kate who can be hands-on and follow Fonterra’s proven pathway to success,’ she says. ‘As long as you’ve got a great attitude and you’re prepared to get stuck in and work hard, you’ll get the products, comprehensive training and ongoing assistance you need to succeed. ‘Contact us today to learn more.’
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Recently the Anchor support team has been working alongside franchisees to transform their business performance framework, explains Shannon. ‘The framework includes a suite of reports to ensure they have great visibility over every aspect of their business and can measure what’s important to all of us. ‘The initiative will drive the Anchor network into the future, improving the performance of franchisees’ businesses, growing and protecting their investments, and helping to raise the bar for everyone.’
Ordering system a game-changer The online customer ordering system is a powerful platform to showcase Anchor’s brands, products and promotional activity, and has been an absolute hit with Anchor franchisees and customers alike. Labelled Retail Self Service (RSS), Shannon says it is transforming customer interaction and unlocking next-generation selling. ‘In my 15 years at Fonterra, we have never delivered something this cool! Customers can see our full range of products at their fingertips, with customised targeted marketing and banner style messaging. ‘It is already delivering a significant uplift in sales, as well as substantial operational, administration and cost savings to franchisees. The average order for customers using RSS is 53 percent higher than the average order value with customers not using RSS.’
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Shannon says the game-changing benefits of the system for customers and franchisees has seen it widely adopted throughout the network. This year’s Anchor Franchisees of the Year, Kieran and Kate McCorkindale of Taranaki, were early adopters of RSS and achieved exceptional customer onboarding rates, adding significant value to their customers and contributing to a stellar year in sales. ‘Kieran and Kate are extremely passionate about Anchor, combining a focus on their team, their operation and their community to achieve outstanding results,’ says Shannon. ‘They also contribute to the network through their involvement in multiple franchise working groups, the Franchise Leadership Team, and the training and induction programme for new franchisees.’
14
Franchise New Zealand
Summer 2024
Year 32 Issue 04
