Kall Kwik seeks franchisees for business model overhaul

Iconic print franchise Kall Kwik is to be relaunched and is looking for new franchisees.

"For 2013, Kall Kwik will have a different business model," said managing director Nigel Toplis. "It will be back on the high street."

The target markets are SME B2B companies, in particular, in the service sector including financial services, hotels and construction.

"We want to work with businesses that communicate regularly with their customers, so we can add value," said Toplis. "The idea is to offer expertise in marketing; a full service – not just design in front of print."

Toplis, a veteran of the franchise market and a boss of On Demand Communications (ODC) a decade ago, said he believed that the time was now right.

"We understand the brand and the franchisees. I hope we’ve got the team spirit back," he said.

Currently, there are 52 Kall Kwik locations in the UK, down from some 200 sites "at our pomp".

"A good figure would be 100 sites in the UK, but there is no timescale," he said. "But it has to be the right proposition."

New franchisees will cost around £50,000, compared to the previous fee of £100,000-£150,000. That fee covers the rights to use the brand, training, launch, some equipment and ongoing business support. Future plans include an online ordering system, which needs to handle the full range of services offered and not just print.

Existing centres will continue as ‘ringfenced’ licensees, with new centres franchised.

In a break from the previous business model, there will be no requirement for print manufacturing to be carried out within the network.

"Some manufacturing will be on-site, some within the network and some outsourced," said Toplis. "There are lots of good printer within the UK that we can use."

The relaunch comes just over a year after Toplis bought the UK master license following the demise of previous owner ODC, in December 2011.

The relaunch will be at The Franchise Show, which runs from 22-23 February at Excel, London.

For more on high-street print franchises, see the PrintCafé Star Product here