Allkare Recruits First Master Franchisee

Belfast based Chris Greg signs up with leading property damage franchise to spearhead Irish expansion

For Chris Greg, it was the people he would be working with – and not just the exciting financial returns – that cemented his decision to join ranks with property repair franchise, Allkare.

Says Chris: “I’d been looking at franchises for more than three years, and while I’ve encountered a number of interesting concepts, none of the people behind them had the level of commitment and enthusiasm I was looking for.

“When I first started to research Allkare, I spent some time browsing through the company’s website, and it was there that I read about its founder, Peter Hargreaves. I think it’s important to understand the people behind any business, and I was pleasantly surprised to find Peter’s mobile number on the website. In my experience, there aren’t many managing directors who would do that! It said a lot about him and his approach.”

During a long phone conversation with Peter, Chris was invited over to England to spend some time with the team, and get to know more about the operational side of the business.

Chris: “I spent two days with Allkare in total, some of the time with Peter, some of the time with the team, and some of the time out in the field. It was a full-on couple of days, but I got to learn a lot about the business, and also began to fully understand its exciting potential for network growth in Ireland. Being able to go out on surveys helped me get to grips with the operations, and visiting the offices showed me the powerful infrastructure and systems that make Allkare unique.”

With a successful pizza delivery business under his belt, and some experience working in property repairs, Chris believes he has the ideal combination of skills to succeed as Allkare’s very first Master Licensee. Peter is also confident that Chris’ business acumen will help him to make swift progress in the new master territory.

Says Peter: “The commencement of a new Master Licence is a huge commitment for both the franchisor and Master Licensee. There’s added responsibility and a greater financial investment from both parties, so the fit has to be as near to perfect as possible.

“For me, the challenge was to find someone who could first build relationships with local insurers and loss adjusters, and then support a network of franchisees. Chris is the ideal Master Licensee for Ireland because he has the right attitude; he’s the kind of person who will get off his backside and look for work rather than wait for it to fall in his lap. In my opinion, that’s the mark of a true businessman and entrepreneur.”

At the outset, Peter intends to help Chris develop his own pilot operation in Northern Ireland, just outside of Belfast, and eventually structure his business to emulate the mainland UK setup. Chris will then need to make his own connections and build relationships with local insurers and loss adjusters – the lifeblood of Allkare’s business – within the region.

Says Chris: “I’ve got a lot of work to do, but within 18 months, I’ll be ready to take on new franchisees and offer them the same level of support as Peter. I’ve already had interest from Southern Ireland, and that’s despite the fact that the economy’s in a dire state down there at the moment.”

In contrast to the South, Northern Ireland has seen a dramatic increase in investment since the end of the country’s well-documented turmoil, with large global names such as Microsoft, Caterpillar and the Citigroup opting to locate their European operations within the country. Schemes run by Invest NI have spent millions attracting American money. And there’s even a taste of Hollywood as a number of big-budget film producers have taken advantage of the region’s studios and scenery.

Adds Chris: “There’s a definite change of mood over here, a shift in the national outlook after many challenging years. Nobody wants to go back to the way it was. The future is bright for Northern Ireland. You can’t get the people down at the moment. Now is definitely the time for me to push forward with Allkare!”

Find more information on the Allkare franchise