56 | Tees Business
Endeavour Partnership’ s expert property solicitor Amie Leyden with Racz Group owner Mike Racz.
EXCLUSIVE:
How law firm Endeavour has helped Tees businessman rack up £ 30m-a-year franchise group
Mike Racz is no ordinary businessman. The Hungarian moved to the
UK 14 years ago, shortly after his country joined the EU, and eventually settled in Hartlepool, where he launched his first Domino’ s franchise after working as a delivery man for the firm.
Now, aged just 36, Mike’ s firm The Racz Group owns 20 Domino’ s franchises, 13 Costa Coffee shops, nine gyms and three Tees restaurants, employing nearly 1,000 people and turning over £ 30m.
And he insists the expert legal guidance he has received from Stockton-based Endeavour Partnership has been crucial in him growing his firm over the last four years.
“ I started working for Domino’ s 14 years ago, making pizzas and delivering them, and I just loved it,” says Mike.
“ I genuinely love the product, I think they’ re the best pizzas you can get, and working for Domino’ s gave me such a buzz.
“ When you work at Domino’ s time flies. It’ s usually a young team of people in one store, full of energy, shouting and singing, it really is fantastic.
“ I decided in 2005 that I wanted my own Domino’ s, and about a year later I opened my first in Hartlepool, and we recently opened our 20th store.
“ But as the group started to grow, and we needed more complex legal advice on property, leases and acquisitions, so we hired Endeavour and never looked back.”
Domino’ s operates one of the largest franchise operations in the world, with 1,100 stores in the UK alone and 3,500 franchisees around the globe.
The Racz Group owns 20, from South Yorkshire and East Riding up to South Shields, as well as 13 Costa Coffee shops in the Lake District and Lancashire and nine Anytime Fitness franchises, as well as the Black Olive restaurants in Hartlepool and Yarm.
Mike, who is also an investor in Middlesbrough-based digital firms Viral Effect and Eighty8 Design, has plans to snap up more Domino’ s as well as expanding internationally, with potential franchises in North Carolina in the USA and his native Hungary.
“ I think I’ m the only Hungarian Domino’ s franchisee out of 3,500 in the world,” claims Mike.“ Although I can’ t say for definite, so I guess, why not open one there?”
The Racz Group recently received
DOMINO EFFECT
By Martin Walker
“ Good accountants and good solicitors are crucial for any successful, growing business.”
the Domino’ s Pizza Gold Franny Award, presented to storeowners ranking in the worldwide group’ s top one per cent.
“ They only give 35 away worldwide once a year, and we got our first one in Las Vegas in front of 10,000 people,” says Mike.“ For us to be in the top one per cent in the world is a huge achievement – it’ s our best, biggest and proudest reward to date.”
Mike first hired Endeavour Partnership four years ago and has been assisted by senior partner Nik Tunley and his corporate commercial team, looking after all of the group’ s legal requirements including acquisitions, property support, lease work and various transactions for his property and franchise ventures.
Mike explains:“ I had a bad perception of solicitors previously due to a bad experience. I felt that you paid because you had to – that it was a necessary evil.
“ When the first Costa franchise came along it became quite a bit more complicated and I needed top-quality, experienced property solicitors to deal with it for me.
“ Endeavour became very much an advisory consultant, almost an extension of the company, as opposed to simply offering a service.
“ They’ re genuinely always there for me. They really look after me and I’ d like to think we’ re friends.
“ Good accountants and good solicitors are crucial for any successful, growing business.”
Solicitor Amie Leyden joined Endeavour’ s team two-and-a-half years ago as a multilocation franchise specialist, dealing in the property aspects of corporate transactions and franchising for clients with multi-location property portfolios.
Amie also specialises in supporting the corporate and commercial department on a variety of matters with an emphasis on company sales and acquisitions.
“ It has been an exciting journey to see Mike’ s company grow and help him along the way,” says Amie.
“ The company has grown vastly in recent