Belonging to an international franchise brand has always been seen as the cherry on the top of the sundae of franchise success. A well-established international brand with master franchisees in different countries will share their success formula and offer best practices to further the success of their brand wherever they operate. This was put to the test during the pandemic as franchises all over the world suffered the fall-out from Covid-19 lockdowns and economic hardships. Minuteman Press was one brand that received strong support from their US franchise head office.
A paper published on the impact of the pandemic on international franchising by the American Bar Association found that franchising’s support system stood most brands in good stead to weather the economic storm. Franchisors and franchisees cooperatively considered a reduction of business expenses, maintaining at least part of the revenue stream through online, delivery or other alternative channels, and emergency measures, including royalty waivers and deferrals. Franchisors and franchisees quickly determined what to communicate to employees and customers to successfully implement changes to their business model.
According to the report, global franchisors, faced with franchisees losing significant revenue, were required to make quick decisions to allow for alternative sources of supply, for example, without the usual due diligence and vendor vetting, or let franchisees take the lead to directly source supply within certain parameters, or for a limited period of time. The result was that smart franchise systems willing to apply the lessons learned would emerge from the pandemic with new and improved business models ready to meet the needs of post-COVID consumers.
Minuteman Press South Africa gets ongoing support from the USA.
Minuteman Press originating in the USA, has been franchising since 1975 and with nearly 1 000 locations worldwide, is one of the leading business to business franchises in the world. The brand came to South Africa in the 1980’s and continues to receive support from its head office in the USA. During the pandemic, Minuteman Press International was actively communicating with the owners on a regular basis. They launched the free Bounce Back South Africa initiative, which was well received and brought in new customers and highlighted the positive care for each community. The guidance and constant communication gave direction in the crisis and encouraged franchisees to be resilient and innovative. Being able to identify with others around the world who were in the same boat and get support from shared experiences and knowledge was a plus for the local Minuteman franchisees.
According to Wendy Krause, co-owner, Minuteman Press Silverton, Pretoria (owner since March of 2006) local franchisees have received great support from Minuteman Press International over the years. “We often get customer queries that are unique and it is fabulous being able to tap into the knowledge of our franchisor Minuteman Press International for assistance. It speeds up the response time to get back to the customer and there is always an answer. That is very reassuring. The brand Minuteman Press is also well-known and we get customers contacting us because they know the brand and want to do business with the brand. I love being part of the Minuteman Press family where progress and support are constant.”
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