Franchisees poised to benefit from the work from home boom

Schmidt kitchens and home interiors franchisees are looking forward to a surge in business resulting from the boom in home working.

“Figures show that 60% of people would like to work from home more often after lockdown,” says Rosalyn Hastings, Expansion Manager for the Schmidt franchise in the UK. “Many of those will be looking to improve their homes to make homeworking easier and more comfortable and Schmidt franchisees will benefit from helping them.”

Unlike some franchises in this sector, Schmidt is not just about kitchens. Scott Hardy, the Schmidt franchisee for Norwich, says: “Schmidt has long experience in transforming living rooms, bedrooms, dining rooms, halls and kitchens into multi-use spaces. We specialise in flexible space and storage solutions and provide matching furniture that looks as stylish in a Zoom call as in family use.

“We can also add extra, dedicated home offices, fitting them into spaces such as under the stairs – more convenient than installing an office in a garage or garden.

“As a franchisee, it means I have multiple income streams, and the capacity to take on bigger projects as clients can engage us to transform their entire home.

“The Schmidt website also helps generate more business through its Creativ’Box design tool that allows clients to design their own project in 3D and share it with us. It means they can discuss it with us even before making an appointment for a bespoke consultation.”

Schmidt franchisees are welcoming clients back into their showrooms. “All Schmidt franchisees have received masks, gel and disinfectant wipes and will follow the strict government guidelines on social distancing and operating safely when they re-open fully next week. Clients can, therefore, be confident that the showroom is safe to visit,” says Rosalyn.

Now is a good time to consider investing in a Schmidt franchise. Rosalyn says: “We are still planning to open 100 showrooms in the UK by the end of 2025, so we are looking right now for ambitious people who want to join us in a growing business.”

You can start with just £80,000 – £100,000 in up-front capital, since Schmidt offers an interest-free loan to cover showroom fit-out, and has arrangements with UK banks to offer loans to reach the total investment of around £350,000.