The opening of Snooze’s Noarlunga store was a case of coming home for John Saunders. John bought into the business in late 2011, and when he opened the doors to his new South Australian Snooze store in December he could be forgiven a feeling of dj vu.
“I’ve been in this business for 43 years, first as an independent retailer. Then I joined Snooze for the first time,” John explains.
After operating a successful Snooze outlet for five years in 2001 John returned to being an independent owner/operator, transforming his existing shop into the Noarlunga Sleep Centre. But despite the freedom of retailing under his own banner it proved a hard slog.
“In reality you miss the credibility of the brand, the exclusive product, the levels of service. Once you’re there doing it all by yourself, it just gets too much. You can do it when you’re younger but it all changes when you get older.”
Franchise support
After eight years slogging away at the business, John was drawn once again to the support and bulk buying power that comes with being part of a chain, this time joining the Beds R Us network. With more support, advertising spend and access to exclusive product, John enjoyed the experience as a Beds R Us store, but before too long found limitations in stocking just one brand of merchandise.
“Not everyone wants to buy a Holden,” he explains. “The frustration of the lack of variety on the shop floor meant that we were less likely to be able to cater to customers’ individual needs. I knew it was time for a change.”
It’s said that timing is everything, and so it proved for John, as this was when the Snooze franchise network development manager Alistair Browne gave him a call. Alistair Browne heads up Snooze’s aggressive strategy to grow the number of franchises to from 70 to 100 by 2014 and he’d been keeping an eye on the activity at the Noarlunga store.
There were only two stores in South Australia as of late 2011, and knowing of John’s history with the company, he approached him to return to the Snooze family.
Back with the brand
John says it felt like it was an obvious decision: “Alistair was so professional and presented such a good business case, it just felt like the right time to make the move, and of course to the right place.”
When he joined Snooze in the 1990s the company was at a very raw stage, John says.
“Since then there’s been a change of management. And everything in retail has become more difficult. You would think it’s just a bed, but technology is more advanced, retail has changed. Snooze has complied with the changes. Snooze is fresh, up with fashion, up with the technology.
“When it comes to merchandising, they pick a brand and you can choose models that are appropriate for your area. What sells in Adelaide doesn’t necessarily sell in Melbourne.”
In the brief time trading as Snooze, the difference has been tangible for John and his team of four at Noarlunga. “In our short time back as part of the Snooze family, the results have been fantastic, we’re experienced a real sales spike. The support we’ve received has been overwhelming – from the store fit out, intensive staff training, the revamped website, along with Snooze’s internal processes and marketing support, I just can’t speak highly enough of the team.”
The biggest endorsement for the Snooze franchise program has to be the fact that, even as one of the newest franchisees, John and his family are already keen to take on more.
“We’re so pleased with things, that, only a month or two in we’ve already put our hands up for a second site when it becomes available in South Australia. I’ll be staying with Snooze.”
John’s five top tips
- First of all you have to have a brand above the door
- Then you have to have a great website – and Snooze does, with good product, price and range
- With the franchisor you need to be able to run a good catalogue campaign and media promotions
- Stores need to be as uniform as possible
- Then it’s service, service, service.