Interlink Express

Personal Touch Rewards Franchisee Financially

29th June 2009

When the Midlands automotive industry fell into long-term decline in 2000, Steve Williamson, 43, decided his future lay beyond the walls of the components factory where he worked.

He quickly realised that working for himself was the way forward and considered buying various engineering businesses where he would be able to apply his experience as a manager of people, processes and systems. "The only trouble," says Steve "was that all the knowledge was in the owners’ heads. So that’s when I began to think about joining a franchised network instead."

Although he had no specific knowledge of the parcels sector, Steve had some experience of warehousing and when he learned that the Interlink Express Wolverhampton franchise was available, he seized the chance to buy a business that meant he could stay in his Worcestershire home.

An "excellent induction" made the transition to self-employment much easier. "The process was very open and transparent," says Steve, "and the business turned out to be exactly what they said on the tin." As with any new venture, Steve faced his fair share of challenges, "it takes time," he explains, "to really get to know the staff, the customers and the procedures. But I realised I was part of a strong and committed network of like-minded individuals and that the secret of success is to do the little things right every day."

Steve believes that Interlink Express has a significant competitive advantage over some of the bigger names in the express delivery market, pointing out that the non-franchised networks are not as flexible about the needs of local customers and have to operate with higher fixed costs. Yet at the same time, as Steve explains, Interlink has all the attributes of its larger rivals: "The IT infrastructure is fantastic," he says, "our customers appreciate the level of support from us, it’s a local service but with the benefit of having a big brand behind it. And the transportation network is first class, once we’ve collected our customers’ parcels, the franchisor’s network takes over and the service performance is excellent."

Steve has grown his turnover by 50% in five years, in fact he’s so pleased with results that he bought the company’s Stoke-on-Trent franchise in 2005 and he also plans to add two more delivery rounds to his Wolverhampton business in 2007.

He points out that Interlink Express has been keen to support his expansion: "The sales training has been second-to-none, both in terms of cold-calling new prospects and retaining current customers. Head office also provides timely and accurate market intelligence that helps us target our sales efforts more precisely."

Despite the pressure of running two businesses, Steve still finds the time to practise karate - he’s aiming to get his black belt in the next two years - and has run the Wolverhampton marathon in under four hours.

To find out more about starting your own Interlink Express delivery franchise, click on the 'Request Information' button below.

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Further Information

Franchise Information

BFA Membership Status
Full

UK Years Established
20 years

Current UK Coverage
90%

Franchisee Support Staff
15

Personal Investment Req.
£30,000

Total Startup Cost
£100,000 approx

Why Choose Us?

What Our Franchisees Say

Latest Case Study

24th February 2009
From The Texas Heat To Raining Deliveries!

Latest News

29th June 2009
Variety Club award Interlink Express franchise with top honour