Decades of success for Poppies franchisees

The domestic cleaning franchise has much to celebrate among its UK wide network, with multiple franchisees marking significant milestones this month

At Poppies Doncaster, husband and wife Gill and Terry Winmill are now entering their third decade of running their own business having launched their franchise in 2000. Looking for a career that gave them a good work-life balance with a family-feel culture, they chose to purchase the franchise and have never looked back. Their strong partnership has taken the Doncaster territory to new heights and their workforce of 27 cleaners today deliver over 440 high-quality home cleans per month to their customer base of over 150 regular clients.

Reflecting on the franchise’s anniversary, Gill said: “We’re enormously proud that Poppies Doncaster is still thriving after 21 years, which is testament to the strength of the brand and the fantastic team of cleaners we employ - seven of which have been with us for over 15 years. These past 18 months have without a doubt been a huge challenge for our business, but we are now back to pre-pandemic levels and flourishing once again thanks to the support and guidance that we received from head office. We are looking forward to the next few years, ensuring we continue to provide a first-class service at the heart of the community.”

Poppies is also seeing franchises being passed down to the next generation. Andrew Wishart has reached an impressive landmark of 26 years with two of his four territories in the North of England – Bay & Lakes and Cumbria. Collectively, the Wishart family has been part of the Poppies brand for 91 years and the business continues to grow from strength to strength.

Andrew had been involved in the family business and played a supporting role in his father’s Poppies franchise since 1995. With his father’s diminishing health, it was a natural progression for Andrew to step into the company and takeover in 2018, continuing on his father’s legacy.

“As I’d played an important role in Poppies for a number of years, I already had an understanding of the day-to-day business. I’d watched it grow from a small office to an important pillar of many local communities. I knew that I would be able to continue that growth trajectory. From the very beginning, we recognised the opportunity to expand and once the solid foundations had been built in the Bay & Lakes office in Lancaster, we invested in other territories and opened offices in Cumbria, South Tyne & Wear and Tyne Central Newcastle after assessing the demand for our cleaning services in the areas,” added Andrew.

Andrew has matured along with the business, and he now employs 65 cleaners and services 286 clients across his four territories – amounting to over 2,000 hours each four-weekly period. “Last year was atypical of the growth we have seen across our territories, and it is fantastic to now see a surge in business once again. I am enormously proud of the quality service we provide to our clients and my great staff - we would not be enjoying this success without them. I’m really excited about the future for Poppies North and am looking forward to strengthening the management structure of the business even further to allow us to cope with increased sales across all our four territories,” he said.

Another franchisee who is commemorating an anniversary this month is Poppies Liverpool. Franchise owner, Rob Piper, has just completed his first decade as a business owner with Poppies.

“After being made redundant from a 20-year career, I was determined to turn things around and put my skills to good use. In 2011, Poppies Liverpool was born and it has been one of the best decisions of my life. Poppies has given me a level of freedom that I could never have achieved in an employed role and allowed me to have autonomy with the comfort of a proven model to follow,” explained Rob.

A decade after his launch, Rob’s client base now exceeds 200 households and businesses. He employs a workforce of 29 local people, including one employee who has been with the business for its entirety, and delivers nearly 1,500 hours of cleaning every month.

“After getting through the pandemic, our 10th-anniversary celebration feels even more momentous,” said Rob. “We are extremely thankful for all the support from our customers as well as all the hard work from our employees. I would recommend the Poppies franchise to anyone. The abundance of expertise, commitment and devotion in the brand and the network is enough to put anyone’s mind at rest about investing. It’s such a rewarding business and I love being able to make a difference in people’s lives.”

Chris Wootton, managing director of Poppies, added: “We’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate our franchisees on reaching these milestones. Their achievements have been truly remarkable and we’re very proud to have played a part in their personal success stories. Their success is a testament to the hard work and dedication they have given to building their businesses and delivering exemplary service to their customers. I’m excited for what the next decade has in store for us!”

Image: (L-R) Andrew Wishart of Poppies North and Rob Piper, managing director of Poppies Liverpool with this office manager Michaela Holden