Gas Elec Celebrates its 10th Anniversary

Press release date: 12-Feb-2007

gas-elec, founded in 1996 has a lot to celebrate this year as it reaches its tenth anniversary. With an impressive stronghold across the industry with more than 130 franchisees nationwide, the group can look forward to a bright future.

The Market...

People today are becoming more and more safety conscious within their homes, therefore the gas-elec service has never been in so much demand. This year, gas-elec’s safety inspection engineers will carry out more than 100,000 inspections in people’s homes all over the country, generating a turnover of more than £9 million.

The entrepreneur behind the gas-elec Group wheel…

The driving force behind the network is founder and managing director John Davidson, who came over to England from Belfast in the 1971 as a newly qualified electrician determined to make his fortune. Now he is well on the way to doing that, not only for himself but for his franchisees.

It was in the mid-1990s when Davidson realised the potential offered by the then new gas and electrical Regulations, designed to lift safety standards in the residential lettings sector. Like all good ideas, his plan was revolutionary but simple; one specially trained engineer to do several inspections in one visit, saving landlords and property manager’s time, money and hassle. He launched gas-elec Safety Systems on exactly that premise. He says, “I was already competent on the electrical side so when the gas came along the natural thing was to put the two together and get one person to do both. Lots of people in the trade said ‘don’t be ridiculous, that’s never going to work...’ They were wrong!”

gas-elec was ahead of its time…

Like all entrepreneurs, Davidson was ahead of his time and as the lettings market began to realise the benefits of combined inspections, gas-elec was ready to meet their needs. It is this ability to anticipate the market that is part of the reason for gas-elec’s success. He says; “We are uniquely placed with the network and experience to provide a full utility inspection package for the home seller or buyer - in just one call..”

Head Office provides a platform for Franchisee Success…

A major reason for the success of gas-elec and aqua-lec franchisees is the strength of the experienced head office team. Training, marketing and business support are first class and designed to ensure that all franchisees are successful. However, Davidson warns against would-be franchisees thinking they are buying a job; “The fact remains that the more proactive a franchisee is, then the more likely he or she is to make a success of the business they’ve invested in. In that sense, franchising is no different to setting yourself up in your own business. To succeed in either, you must have enthusiasm, commitment and the desire to succeed. What you should get in a successful franchise is a total format business package. It’s your own business, but you’re not on your own..”