Franchise Directory

Franchisor Section

Advertise

Franchises for Couples UK Wiltshire Farm Foods

To request
Further
Information
from
Wiltshire Farm Foods

CLICK HERE

Val and Terry Barrs did not have to go far to find the franchise of their dreams – it was right next door. Like many middle-aged couples whose children have grown up they longed to start their own business together after years of working for large companies.

Considering their options...

They had looked at many options, including selling up their home to buy and run a gift shop in the West Country, but in the end they found exactly what they were looking for much closer to home – their next-door neighbour was selling his Wiltshire Farm Foods franchise to move to Spain.

Too good an opportunity to miss...

Wiltshire Farm Foods, head office, which is based in Trowbridge, has developed high quality, ready-made frozen meals, which are delivered to private homes and can be prepared in minutes using a microwave or a conventional oven.

Setting up the business was quite straight forward. They needed a refrigeration unit to store the food and refrigerated vans for deliveries. They receive help from Wiltshire Farm Foods head office in marketing, and inherited an existing customer base in areas covering Coventry and a large part of Warwickshire.

The early days...

Val recalls the early days, of running the Wiltshire Farm Foods franchise based in Lichfield, Staffs, “We had around 1,000 existing customers. The figure is a bit vague because the business wasn’t computerised then but now, four years later we have over 3,500 customers – many of them are now our friends. Sales has almost trebled and the business now employs three drivers, (plus my husband Terry), who drives three days a week and works in the office two days and the couple’s business partner, Richard Parrott, who also drives three days a week and does additional promotion.

Val, 56 continues: “I’d worked for Tesco for 16 years and Terry was an engineer for most of his working life. We made a conscious decision, once we had bought this business to improve the quality of our working life and to be able to run a business together has enabled us to achieve this.”

Teamwork...

Val runs the office and speaks to her customers on a regular basis when they call to place their orders. While Terry delivers to customers homes, so it’s no surprise the couple have become a friend to so many of their regulars.

The personal touch...

Val says: “We even visited one lady on Christmas Day because we knew she would be on her own. And another lady called in tears after we had sent her a birthday card and a small gift – it was the only present and card she’d received.”

The couple’s drivers regularly run errands for customers and on several occasions they have made very timely arrivals to customers!

Val remembers: “One gentleman requires oxygen to relieve his breathing problems and our driver arrived to discover the man had run out of oxygen and was struggling to breathe. The driver, Paul, rang round to get another oxygen bottle and waited with the gentleman until it arrived and made sure he was okay. The customer telephoned me later to say ‘thank you for saving his life.”

Another driver Steve arrived to make his first-ever delivery to a house to find the customer, an elderly lady, had fallen over. He rang for an ambulance and stayed with her until it arrived.

The future...

Says Val: “As well as being a good business which we intend to keep on growing, it’s like being part of an extended family.”

In fact, they have become such good friends that they bought a weekend retreat in the south of their territory, near Stratford-on-Avon, Warwickshire, where on their days off they often visit their customers.

Click Here for the main page about this franchise

To receive further details from the Wiltshire Farm Foods franchise opportunity, please fill in your details below.

Registration Form
STEP 1

Please fill out your details ( * = mandatory field )

Surname: *

Forename: *

Title: *

House Name/Number: *

Enter Postcode to lookup: *

Address (If the postcode search does not work or the address appears wrong, please check the postcode entered):

City/Town:

County:

Postcode:

e-mail address: *

Evening Phone No. *

Mobile No.

Daytime Phone No.

STEP 2

Please indicate your available capital, preferred trading area and any service information you may require

Investment Capital

Please select the actual amount of capital you can make available. We will often include investment opportunities up to 50% higher. Banks may offer borrowings up to this percentage to prospects looking to take on a recognised franchise.

GBP *

Where do you want to trade?

*

I would like to receive advice and information from financial institutions in the UK Yes No

I would like to receive information on legal matters associated with obtaining a franchise Yes No

I would like to receive information on managing accounts and dealing with the Inland Revenue Yes No

I would like to receive information on essential business services Yes No

Where did you hear about select Your Franchise?

STEP 3

Please complete the information requested below:

I am looking for a *

I am in a position to trade within *

Any information you provide will only be used in accordance with our privacy policy.
By clicking on the "Find my franchise matches" button above, you will be indicating your consent to receiving electronic marketing messages from us and / or businesses associated to us unless you have indicated an objection to receiving such messages by ticking the appropriate box(es) below. By clicking the "Find my franchise matches" button above you also confirm that you agree to our Terms & Conditions

If you do not wish to receive future information from companies associated with us, please check this box:

If you do not wish to receive future information from Select Your Franchise Ltd, please check this box:

Franchises for Couples UK - Wiltshire Farm Foods franchise opportunity