The Clark Rubber franchise was crowned Franchise Council of Australia’s Franchisor of the Year at a gala dinner held on Queensland’s Gold Coast on October 24.
The Australian icon, which celebrates its 60th birthday this year, won the award ahead of six other finalists, including 2005 winner Gloria Jeans, 7-Eleven and Subway. A total of 50 nominations were received for the PricewaterhouseCoopers award.
Clark Rubber’s entrepreneurial founder and managing director, Chris Malcolm, said the honour of being named PricewaterhouseCoopers FCA Franchisor of the Year was just reward for a “hard working and dedicated team of people within the organisation”.
Mr Malcolm said Clark Rubber was a “down to earth, value for money retailer”.
“There’s no smoke and mirrors at Clark Rubber. We are just a hardworking, committed group of people looking to achieve the same goals,” Mr Malcolm said.
“The team, consisting of our franchisees, our staff and our suppliers, strives for best practice. Unless we are all firing together at the one time, we just couldn’t achieve what we have been able to over the past 10 years,” Mr Malcolm said.
Clark Rubber, leaders in the foam, rubber and above ground pool retail market, has 80 franchise stores throughout Australia, as well as a further eight stores operating under the Para Rubber brand in New Zealand.
The business has experienced enviable growth in the past 10 years after the original owners opened the very first store in Richmond, Victoria, in 1946.
It has been a remarkable turnaround for the business, which closed its retail operation in the early 90s after then owner, Adsteam, ran into difficulties and could not find a buyer. It was at that time that Pacific Dunlop purchased the brand name.
On the shelf, Chris Malcolm took control of the company in 1994, opening the first store in Nunawading, Victoria in 1995 and in the first 12 months of operation, guided the operation to 25 stores nationally.
It was the vision of Chris Malcolm, an FCA Hall of Fame inductee, that saw the rubber retail franchise once again become a national icon brand.
Mr Malcolm reignited the Clark Rubber group from the beginning and by 1998 was celebrating the opening of its 50th store.
In 2000, he purchased the Clark Rubber brand from Pacific Dunlop.
A turnover of close to $80 Million and a budgeted sales target of $96 Million in ’07 show a consistent annual growth of 14 per cent. Retail sales have grown by $25.7M since 2002/03.
Mr Malcolm said it was always his vision to create a strong best practice and successful franchised retail system, operating in a niche market, selling a range of lifestyle products.
“It was also a vision to give people who wanted to go into their own business an opportunity to do so under a powerful and easily recognisable national brand identity,” Mr Malcolm said.
”A team of great people at Clark Rubber have worked very hard to reignite the brand. To win this award ahead of other world-class franchises is just reward to everyone at the company for those efforts," Mr Malcolm said.
Franchise Council of Australia CEO Richard Evans said there were 850 franchise systems throughout Australia, contributing $80 billion a year to the national economy.
“Franchising contributes 10 per cent to the total economy and employs more than 600,000 people in over 64,000 workplaces. The entrepreneurial spirit Australians are renowned for can be found in the many franchisees and franchisors setting best practice standards. The Excellence in Franchising Awards are a high-quality example of successful Australian small business,” Mr Evans said.
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24-Nov-2006