Industry News
Sports Car Dealers start new business in the midst of a Global Pandemic
A pair of West Midlands sports car salesmen have switched their high-flying careers in the motor trade for a joint venture in the locksmith industry .
» CHRIS HITCHES ( 31 ) AND LEWIS Moore ( 30 ), both from Knowle near Solihull , have invested in a two-region franchise with nationally based locksmith firm , LockFit . The duo had previously worked as car salesmen for Porsche and BMW but despite the radical shift in career , the childhood friends have already achieved extraordinary success .
Chris said : “ The car industry had been going through some major changes which neither of us was able to controlpartly down to Covid-19 , so we have been looking into various investment opportunities for a while .
“ When we saw what LockFit was offering , we were both really keen . The start-up costs were very modest but in terms of training , support , and credibility , LockFit stood out a mile .
“ We bought two areas - Coventry and Warwick & Leamington Spa - and it ’ s been fantastic right from day one .”
Established in 2018 , LockFit is a national company with nearly 50 franchise territories sold across England , Scotland , Wales and Northern Ireland - and having become part of the company ’ s network , Chris is delighted they took the plunge .
Chris added : “ Becoming part of a serious professional infrastructure means we were able to establish ourselves with the proper standards and the proper credibility from the outset .
“ In addition to the extensive training and support we get from the LockFit nationally , we also have access to the founder , Kevin Russell . There ’ s also a very active community of LockFit franchisees , so if we ever come across a lock mechanism we haven ’ t seen before , we can upload a photo and get input from our colleagues within minutes .”
Remarkably , despite beginning their venture in the midst of a pandemic , the new franchise ’ s seem to have benefitted from Covid-19 .
The stamp duty holiday has seen a boom in house sales , which has increased the demand for new locks . And the prevalence of people being confined to their houses has also meant increased demand for home improvements – including locks and security devices .
Lewis , whose family has always been involved in franchises , has been thrilled not just by the speed and scale of his own franchise ’ s success but by the potential for ongoing expansion .
He said : “ Last year has seen us bring in nearly double the business that we were aiming at - and that ’ s already given us the confidence to start planning ahead .
“ We ’ ll be looking to add a third territory to our business in the summer of 2021 and to employ an additional member of staff to help us manage the workload .”
As regards the work itself , neither Chris nor Lewis has any doubts . Lewis added : “ Both Chris and I are enjoying the work , we ’ re enjoying the job satisfaction and we ’ re enjoying the flexibility it brings . For our lifestyles as well as our careers , it feels like one of the best moves we ’ ve ever made .”
Founder and Managing Director Kevin Russell said : “ I am really pleased with how Chris and Lewis have taken to this business and followed our Franchise system resulting in their success .”
For more information , visit www . lockfit . co . uk Or contact Kevin Russell info @ lockfit . co . uk
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JAN / FEB 2021
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