Solomons has a proud history which dates back to 1890 when the first store opened in South Australia. Now that’s a lot of experience in flooring.
Solomons have extensive retail networks in all mainland capital cities, and fully support this with state based administration and warehousing facilities.
Solomons has one of the most recognised brands in retailing and our slogan, “There’s Magic in a Solomons Floor” is well known around the country.
Solomons continues to expand and develop markets around Australia and can lay claim to being one of the countries truly successful retail brands.
Franchising is a business operation system whereby a company (the Franchisor) consummates a contractual relationship with the owner of a separate business (the Franchisee) to operate under the Franchisor’s name and/or trademark in accordance with the terms and conditions specified in the Agreement, to sell the products and/or services.
It provides advantages to persons not previously experienced in business or management and allows them to follow a system with a proven track record of success. The failure rate has categorically proven to be significantly lower in franchising than independently operated small businesses.
Generally, the franchisee pays an initial lump sum for the franchisor’s knowledge, expertise, materials and license to operate under the trade name. Continuing royalties, calculated as a percentage of turnover are paid as a contribution to the overall operation and marketing of the organisation.
To a prospective business person the advantages of franchising are many, with some of the inherent dangers in small business eliminated.
Firstly, the product range or service is usually tried and proven and has already experienced strong success. Secondly, the procedures in running the organisation have been established. Thirdly, a business plan will be developed and implemented to maximise potential profitability and viability.
The critical advantage franchising has over an independent operation is the reassurance the operator has, that they are never alone. Support is never far away. Not only do you have your Franchise Manager as your “first port of call” (they can deal with 90% of the queries you may have!) – but, administrative, accounting and operational staff are there to support your business as well.
Direct access to many more fellow franchisees operating in the same system, with the same products in other geographic areas is another plus. Therefore, should a dilemma arise, not only has the franchisee got the support and knowledge of the franchisor to draw from, but further assistance is only a telephone call or email away to another franchisee who has experienced the same issue in a similar situation.
Furthermore, the benefits that can accrue from the exchange of ideas among fellow franchisees can be considerable. These benefits are not available to individual business proprietors, because the element of competition would preclude individual business owners from receiving advice or counsel from others in related businesses.
True team spirit between franchisor and franchisee can be nurtured and can flourish. This is a major factor to the ongoing success of the franchise.
Solomons is widely recognised as one of the best known brands in the carpet and floor coverings industry. Promotional funds are collected via an add-on to the cost of the products purchased by the store owners and centrally managed by the Franchisor.
We utilise a variety of media to promote our brand and products on a continuous basis throughout the year.
We advertise and promote via national TV campaigns, catalogue distribution, home show and lifestyle improvement exhibitions.
In addition to this, all franchisees are encouraged to embark on local marketing campaigns (including: personalised brochures, newspaper advertising, radio etc) to continually push their business to the market. Every national campaign is supported with prominent, eye-catching point of sale material to enhance the promotion and maximise the impact in every store.
You will have incredible comfort in knowing that your Solomons franchise is backed by a most comprehensive national TV coverage.
Your local franchise manager will be there to guide, assist, manage, coach & encourage you. They are one of the most important aspects of your business and are chosen by us specifically for their broad range of business and commercial acumen.
These business skills are then tailored to suit the individual needs of each franchisee in the network because despite the uniform nature of franchising, no two franchisees are ever the same.
Business planning is the next most essential ingredient to the success of any business and who better to assist with that planning than a coach with a vested interest in the on going success of your business .
Our franchisees have local franchise manager to promote business, supply sales & marketing advice, construct viable business plans, protect their investment & build tangible value in every Solomons store.
At Solomons, we pride ourselves on providing up to date comprehensive franchisee & staff training. Training covers all aspects of running a franchise operation including business management, sales and selling skills, product knowledge and customer service.
We developed the “Sales Track”, which is a proven, prepared presentation for all our salespeople. The sales track is the basis from start to finish for in-store and in-home sales. It is a series of steps that provide the best chance of sales success and customer satisfaction.
You will be fully trained in understanding, appreciating and ultimately mastering the sales track. This process is easy to follow and focuses on the customer’s needs and importantly allows you to use your own style and personality.
Solomons has been the leading flooring retailer since the 1890’s. Over the years, 10’s of millions of dollars have been spent establishing Solomons brand names. These symbolise experience, trust and consumer confidence, with an enviable reputation for quality, range and genuine value. This position of strength assists in maximising benefit from your investment.
Advertising has always played a pivotal role in the success of our two famous brands. The consistency and professionalism of our high impact advertising campaigns makes your selling job that much easier. Our national advertising expenditure is constantly increasing, due to the growth in existing store sales as well as new store openings across Australia. We utilise our advertising spend wisely, with a combination of strategically placed national TV campaigns, coupled together with full colour national distributed catalogues, and store specific direct mail flyers to their respective markets.
Over the past 10 years, many of our franchises across Australia have been resold. Our stores have the capacity to change hands both quickly and profitably. Investors, small business opportunists, hard working mums and dads looking for a new career direction can be comfortable knowing that an investment in a Solomons franchise offers opportunity in the future to sell their franchise for a healthy return.
Solomons hold over $25 million of carpet, timber, laminate and vinyl stock. Product is distributed to the franchisee as required. This is all handled by our computerised stock enquiry and order processing system. You are relieved of the huge financial burden of carrying stock. This single factor has been a major contributor to past failures in the floor coverings industry. Your working capital is not tied up in expensive stock and there are no short ends or wastage for you to dispose of.
Your initial entry cost into our Franchise System is extremely low. This allows you to use your valuable capital for all those important aspects of the business – positive cash flow, adequate working capital, store set up and signage, local promotion and advertising and so on.