Leading contract cleaning services provider Jani-King UK has made a radical change to the way it recruits franchisees. Chairman, Ian Thomas, says, “We’ve recognised the need for a strategy that’s based on mutual professional investment, not just a capital contribution. Reflecting our own evolution as a business, our future growth now depends on the quality of individuals that join us, not the quantity – and that’s something that we’re keen to communicate to potential franchisees.”

Constantly battling potential franchisees’ perceptions of the work involved, and in an economic climate that’s still geared towards expansion ‘at any cost’, this is an important decision by a company that’s one of the biggest players in the UK’s contract cleaning sector.

“In the last couple of years we’ve completely changed our approach to delivering services,” says Ian. “We’ve raised standards and secured multi-million pound contracts with blue-chip clients like Travelodge, Odeon Cinemas, H&M and Monsoon. Although we’re continuing to provide high levels of service for our individual site clients, our focus as a business is moving towards multi-site operators – companies that want to benefit from the huge economies of scale we can provide. As a result, we need partners who understand the importance of professionalism and are committed to nurturing the relationships we’ve worked so hard to establish. That means recruiting a select number of high-calibre individuals, and investing just as much in their future as they invest in ours.”

Positioning itself as a management franchise, this means that the business opportunity is a far cry from the ‘man-with-a-van’ image that Jani-King fights to dispel. Ian is passionate about the potential for ‘partners in growth’ to develop as independent business owners, with in-depth training and support from Jani-King.

Ian says, “To be successful in our industry today, it’s all about boardroom business, not buckets and mops. At Jani-King, our most successful partners are seeing turnover in excess of £1.5m per year. It’s true, you don’t achieve those levels of income without hard work, but our mutual investment strategy is designed to attract individuals who are enthused and excited by our dedication to them. That level of ambitious desire and professional aspiration is vital for success.”

Jani-King UK was founded in 1992 to provide contract cleaning services using a blended mix of centrally managed operations and a select, limited number of high quality franchise partners. The company has a worldwide, gold-standard customer base, offering contract cleaning services to the retail and leisure industries, offices, hotels, hospitals, schools and event stadia.

If you’d like more information about Jani-King’s mutual investment strategy, or if you have any queries please call 0208 481 4300