Midas franchise
| by Tristan Wiggill
Solid Gold
aBr chatted recently to
Driscoll McCarthy, one of the
directors of longstanding Midas
franchise, Goldco Midas, which
is based in Welkom.
➲ Goldco Midas rose up like a phoenix from the ashes after a devastating fire in 2004
The Goldco Group has always been
and will always be a part of the franchise’s
success. We are very lucky to have such a
loyal and dedicated team that is committed to
the Midas brand.
We are proud to be a part of the Goldco Groups
continued dedication and success!
- Gerhard Braun; Midas franchise director
➲ Manager Belly Bell (left) and director Driscoll McCarthy (right)
M
cCarthy oversees the running of
seven Midas branches in the Free
State, with Welkom, Odendaalsrus,
Virginia, Kroonstad, Bloemfontein,
Bethlehem and Ficksburg all falling under his
watch. Goldco is a family affair, which has
conducted business in the province since
1951, making it one of the oldest registered
company’s in the region.
McCarthy began a working relationship
with NAPA way back in July 1974 and later
bought into a Midas franchise roughly 30
years ago. This fact makes him one of
the very first Midas franchisees to join the
group. “It’s good to be part of the Midas
family,” he says. “They hold your hand and
assist you to become established.”
This fact was proven beyond doubt ten
years ago when the building was gutted by
a fire started by a faulty UPS. “The blaze
destroyed property to the value of between
10 and R15-million, while another three to
five million rand was lost in stock. But we
knuckled down and, with the assistance
of Midas, were trading again three weeks
later, albeit from another, smaller building.”
Two years later McCarthy bought the current
15 000 square metre premises that he
operates from today.
On the current state of business he says.
“We’re happy with our slice of the cake.
Midas performs communal buying and
markets itself very well. They have many,
many branches countrywide and are a firmly
established brand,” he motivates.
behind the counter.” In addition to a far
greater range of products, Midas has also
entered the camping and outdoor/leisure
markets in recent years.
“We run a very successful retail business
and have formed a winning relationship
with Midas over the years. Every two
years we go overseas with the guys from
the Midas head-office and in all this time,
we’ve probably travelled the entire world
with them!” he says enthusiastically.
Apart from overseas sojourns, McCarthy
Goldco Midas is strictly involved in parts
and other Goldco Midas staff enjoy annual
retail, although it has conducted part
get-togethers with the Midas Group.
fitment and clutch and brake repairs in the
past. However, the business decided to
focus on parts retail when the parts game
“While we remain independent,
became highly specialised. The nature of the
we require product support from
business has changed over the years in other
Midas and we have never been
ways, too. “There is a far greater self-service
let down in this regard. We are
market nowadays and there are far more
100 per cent loyal and committed
display items in the store. In days gone by,
the business was orientated more towards
to Midas and will never change,”
the trade. But today, the self-service industry
he concludes.
is much bigger than anything we sell from
| words in action
56
april 2014