Category: News

Lawn firm to be one in half a million

Stephen Waring of GreenThumb

GreenThumb defies recession to record 48 per cent increase in turnover.

The UK’s most successful lawn care company is aiming to sign up its 500,000th customer in 2013 – after a remarkable period of recession-busting growth.

GreenThumb – founded by top entrepreneur Stephen Waring – defied the downturn to record a 48 per cent increase in turnover from £34.8 million to £51.6 million.

The company, based on St Asaph Business Park, in Denbighshire, saw the number of customers go up from 333.258 in 2009 to the current figure of 453,171.

They now have a network of 220 franchises around the UK – an increase of 40 during the same period.

With 90 per cent of the current UK lawn care market,  GreenThumb is way out ahead of its rivals.

The company is regularly cited as one of the country’s top five franchise operations in terms of performance and profitability.

GreenThumb’s humble beginnings in 1986 are the stuff of which business legends are made.

Mr Waring was just 20 when he invested £64 in 1,000 leaflets, put a bucket of fertiliser in the back of his Sierra estate car and knocked on doors offering to feed and weed lawns.

He believes that having half a million customers will be a significant milestone in GreenThumb’s history – but there is still huge potential for continued growth.

With 20 million gardeners in the UK, he is confident GreenThumb can eventually provide a service for five million customers.

According to Mr Waring, the company’s secret of success is that they can treat and look after people’s gardens more cheaply than they can themselves.

He said: “We provide a comprehensive service, but also our costs are low – it’s very affordable for most people.

“It is more expensive for people to go to their local garden centre to buy the materials, to go home and treat their lawn than calling in one of our qualified professionals.

“We won’t make the mistakes that some lay people may make so we leave our customers with a beautiful lawn and a big smile on their face.”

It was a message echoed by GreenThumb Managing Director David Griffiths who oversees the day-to-day running of the company.

While other companies had cut back on marketing during the downturn, Mr Griffiths explained GreenThumb had remained positive throughout the recession.

He said: “We take the view that the company’s growth is still embryonic. Signing up our 500,000th customer this year will be a significant milestone but we firmly believe we will see a tenfold increase in the number of clients.

“We provide a robust, successful business model and the franchisees do really well so long as they adhere to the template.

“GreenThumb is now a huge and trusted brand with  90 per cent of the lawn care market. People only know one name and that’s GreenThumb.

“It’s extremely encouraging to see in recession, franchisees still turning up to visit us in a nice car with a smile on their face and the business is doing well.

“I’m glad to say they’ve nothing but praise for the business and the brand of which  we’re very protective.

“We don’t allow anybody to damage our brand hence all our vehicles are less than three years old and our people wear a smart uniform. It’s very proper and appropriate.”

“We have also introduced the option of direct debit payments which has enabled our customers to be more flexible and ask for additional services and that in turn has contributed to the growth in turnover.

“Our target for 2013 is to get to half a million customers. We feel that it’s very achievable and we’re working very hard with our marketing department to make sure

“Word of mouth recommendations are also our lifeblood – 40 per cent of our new customers are people have been recommended by their neighbour.

“That’s the best form of recommendation and we see up to 50,000 people a year come on board every year through that method.

“GreenThumb has come a long way since Stephen started out with a bucket of fertilizer – but there’s still a long way to go on our journey to an even more successful future.”

Saturday February 9th, 2013

—

News

—

Swansea shoppers defy the snow and ice to splurge on new swimwear

13A28PR Sales of Swim Wear have risen at Debenhams Swansea.

Swansea shoppers have been ignoring last month’s icy blast of winter and looking ahead to warmer weather to snap up new season swim and beach wear.

Debenhams in the city’s busy Quadrant Centre reported that sales of swimwear are up 51% compared to this time last year, with bikinis, swimsuits, beach hats and flip flops all popular January purchases.

Many shoppers are already buying their holiday essentials and even braving the snow and ice to make their swim and beachwear purchases early, according to Debenhams Swansea Manager James Loxdale.

He said: “It’s a surprising trend to emergemid-January, especially in light of the recent bad snow and the cold spell we’ve seen across the country.

“The last thing you’d expect to be on people’s minds are teeny-weeny bikinis when in reality, everybody’s wrapping up warm in thermals, gloves and scarves to beat the winter chills.

“We’ve seen reports that holiday bookings peaked in early January, so perhaps customers are planning their beach wardrobes ahead this year, and are buying as soon as they’ve booked their break.”

According to Virgin Holidays who have a shop in Debenhams in the Quadrant Centre, holiday bookings in January 2013 are soaring with their busiest day for booking holidays up 40% vs. last year, as families and couples look to sunnier times in the year ahead, and want to plan their annual holiday in advance.

As well as families looking to the year ahead, many couples choose January and February to get away from the daily stresses of work and the cold winter weather, and book a sunny break for the New Year.

Johnny Parker, Manager of the Virgin store, said: “We have seen a surge in people booking sunshine breaks for later in the year recently.

“Families are booking early to ensure they get the best early deal, and many start budgeting and saving for their annual holiday as soon as the Christmas decorations are down.

“Following in the footsteps of celebrities such as Simon Cowell, Wayne and Coleen Rooney and Alexandra Burke, holidays to the Caribbean and countries such as Thailand, Dubai and Australia are hugely popular this time of year, particularly with young couples looking for a post-Christmas getaway.”

Ian Kirkpatrick, manager of the Quadrant Centre, said: “You have to take your hat off to people in Swansea – you might have expected a run on long johns and thermals but they have gone out and bought their swimsuits.

“We do have a real outdoor presence in the Quadrant as part of our retail mix and that reflects the area with its fabulous coastline and countryside and sunny climate.”

Debenhams in Swansea have actually increased the sales area of the beachwear section in response to demand and will continue to roll out further holiday products, including men’s, women’s and children’s swimwear, beach wear, flip flops, beach bags and beach towels in a bid to meet demand for these items so early on in the year.

James Loxdale added: “South Wales has been one of the areas worst hit by the snow and perhaps that’s why we have been one of the busiest areas for swimwear sales.

“Swansea is an outdoorsy sort of a place and it’s right by some fabulous beaches so we do tend to do well for sales of swimsuits and casual wear throughout the year but this January has been particularly busy.”

Debenhams national spokesperson Michelle Dowdall confirmed: “Bikinis have been flying off the shelves in many of our Welsh stores and in south-west England, which is bizarre as these areas have had the worst of the snow over the past week.”

Monday February 4th, 2013

—

News

—

Top surgeon and from Wrexham hospital on a mercy mission to Africa

Tony Da Silva at Spire Yale Hospital

A top surgeon is leading a specialist medical team on a mercy mission to Africa to bring expert care to one of the world’s poorest countries.

Tony Da Silva, a consultant general and vascular surgeon at the Spire Yale Hospital, in Wrexham, and his four colleagues have jetted out to Ethiopia for a nine-day stay.

In that time they will see hundreds of people from one of the most deprived and remote areas of the country.

It is the fourth time that Tony, 56, of Jeffreys Road, Wrexham, has been out to the country which has been ravaged by civil war and famine in the last 30 years.

He has hand-picked a team from North East Wales and Merseyside to treat the kinds of ailments and injuries he knows they will encounter.

He said: “It is very different to the health issues we have here in North Wales – malaria and TB are common and so is HIV and many patients have all three.

“In addition there are a lot of road accidents and lots of burn injuries – roads are unlit, livestock wanders across them while much of the cooking is done on open fires and young children, in particular, often fall into them.

“We will be operating every day we are there and I will be mainly assisting and organising the care.”

Tony, who also works at Wrexham Maelor Hospital, specialises in vascular, or vein, problems and unlike back home there are few cases of varicose veins: “Ethiopians are too active,” he said: “Their general fitness is excellent.

“They don’t seem to get Western diseases. They eat lots of vegetables and fruit and they walk everywhere – they will walk for a week just to get to the hospital to attend one of our clinics.”

Tony and his team, which is made up of Nick Nelhans, a consultant paediatrician, Gill Royce, an orthopaedic sister, and Tom Williams, a resuscitation officer, all from Wrexham Maelor Hospital, and Liz Williams, a paediatric sister from Alder Hey Hospital, Liverpool, face their own trek to get to their patrients.

They will fly into Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, from Manchester, via Dubai, and then face a seven-hour 250-mile drive along single land roads, stopping for herds of cattle and flocks of sheep to cross.

They will be taking with them some easily transportable specialist equipment but their main asset is their expertise and experience in a country with 91 million people and just one doctor for every 100,000 of them.

They are also taking 100 fluorescent jackets and 200 arm bands to help motorcyclists and child pedestrians be seen on Ethiopia’s rudimentary road system.

It will be carried as part of each person’s 30 kg baggage allowance: “Ethiopia is one of Africa’s most mountainous countries and with most of the land above 8,000 feet, daytime temperatures are 20-25C even though it is close to the Equator.

“That means we can travel light and use our baggage allowances to take over more equipment to help people like a viewing box and a sanitiser.

“We go at this time of year because the temperatures are good and it’s before the rains come in March when travelling becomes much more difficult but it’s an amazing place and the people are wonderful and we are just glad to be able to help them.”

Tony first became involved in charity work after the Pakistan earthquake in 2005 and that encouraged him to take a course in delivering medical care to areas hit by catastrophes.

Since then he has been to Ethiopia every year for the past four years. He and his team pay their own way though they did hold an event at Peckforton Castle in October to raise money for one of the nursing sisters to travel with them.

He said: “I would like to go to other countries as well but I am becoming an expert in Ethiopia and in what they need there so that is where I can be most effective.

“I don’t do much of my own surgical speciality but I can assist other surgeons and last time I did treat a man with an aneurysm in his knee.

“Untreated it could have cost him his leg or even his life if he had bled to death or if infection and gangrene had set in but what they need most is orthopaedic care though it would be good to get a plastic surgeon to treat burn victims.

“We’re taking a nurse with expertise in plastering and an expert in resuscitation but when we get there we will find the hospital’s Accident And Emergency Department will consist of one small room.

“They don’t have the equipment to repair fractures and it’s all done in that one small room in an old-fashioned way so it’s about teaching them those techniques and how to do them well.”

Sue Jones, Hospital and Business Development Manager at Spire Yale Hospital, said: “The voluntary work that Tony and his team do is really inspirational and so important.

“The expertise he has acquired in the course of rhe last four years means he knows what the people in Ethiopia need and because of his experience and his contacts within the medical profession he can put together a team that can deliver.

“They are simply heroes and every year they go out there to save lives and help people.”

Monday February 4th, 2013

—

News

—

Charity cash on a plate for children’s hospice at Wrexham restaurant

Enjoying the breakfast special at Frankie and Bennys in Eagles Meadow, Wrexham are from left, Christine Minshaw,Rebecca Cadwallader, Tracey Thornley and Debbie Evans with manager Peter Cross.

A Wrexham restaurant served up a breakfast treat and raised a plateful of cash for a good cause.

Frankie & Benny’s at the Eagles Meadows shopping centre raised more than £200 for Hope House Children’s Hospices by donating all the food from the sale of cooked breakfasts from 9am until noon.

Restaurant manager Peter Cross was delighted with the response and revealed charity fund-raising breakfasts are set to be on his menu on a regular basis.

He said: “When a customer orders a breakfast we serve them and whatever the bill comes to goes to the charity. For this first event we chose Hope House Children’s Hospices but it is entirely down to each Frankie & Benny’s outlet which charity they decide to support.

“We are thrilled to have raised more than £200 from this first event which is excellent considering we didn’t advertise the event as such.

“Our customers are really delighted when we explain that the cash from their order is going to a good cause and not into the till.”

Tucking into a full British fry-up ahead of a trip to the Odeon Cinema at Eagles meadow to see the latest blockbuster, Les Misérables, four friends, Christine Minshaw, Rebecca Cadwallader, Tracey Thornley and Debbie Evans declared the charity breakfast scheme an instant hit.

Farmer’s wife, Debbie Evans, of Beeston, Cheshire said: “I think it’s a superb idea and can’t think of a better way to raise a few pounds for charity than tucking into a delicious cooked breakfast.

“I also think it’s brilliant that a company such as Frankie & Benny’s is putting something back into society too. I fully support the idea even if I have probably eaten too much especially before going to the cinema!”

Housewife, Christine Minshaw, of Bangor-on-Dee agreed adding: “Hope House is a fabulous good cause and the Frankie & Benny’s concept is brilliant.

“It’s certainly made for an enjoyable start to our cinema trip out and the food was superb too.”

Knockin housewife Rebecca Cadwallader said: “We have all been friends for a long time and meet up to go to the cinema together or to shop on a quite regular basis.

“The charity breakfast idea is brilliant and it’s nice to see a company such as Frankie & Benny’s putting corporate responsibility ahead of profit.

“I certainly support the idea and it has been a great way to start our day. The food was first class.”

Tracey Thornley, of Oswestry who works as an office manager at a doctor’s surgery, said: “It was a cracking breakfast, spot on, and a great way to start our day out together.

“It’s a perfect way to support such a worthwhile charity as Hope House and I’m so pleased we came here. I hope the idea catches on and we see more companies giving it a go. Well done to Frankie & Benny’s and to Eagles Meadow!”

Monday February 4th, 2013

—

News

—