Sally and Rob McLennan have worked in the retail industry for over 25 years and dedicated 19 and a half of those to bedding retailer, Snooze. 

The pair was recognised for their commitment to the brand at its annual awards ceremony in September last year, where they were named Retailer of the Year.

The prestigious title is awarded to franchisees who’s stores both perform well financially and deliver excellent customer service.

Sally talks to Franchising about the couple’s journey…

WHY SNOOZE?

When we closed our previous retail business and were looking for a new opportunity we saw that Snooze held advantages in relation to buying power and marketing reach.

We were introduced to Capt’n Snooze (now Snooze) by a friend who was, at the time, a business associate of the company.

AN AVERAGE DAY

We each spend our days in those areas of the business we initially decided we had an aptitude for.

Rob will spend the day on the shop floor selling, processing and confirming purchase orders for stock and customers as well as responding to queries from customers, reps, suppliers and the franchisor.

He will also assist in the warehouse and plans the new ranges, buys the products, merchandises them in the showroom and looks after local marketing.

I have more of an office role, and look after the human resources, sales management, training, and staff reviews areas of the business.

In addition, I look after our accounts and manage the computer system to ensure it is always current, and control our linen and bedding stock and the bedroom displays in our showroom.

TRAINING AND SUPPORT

Franchisor training has had a significant impact on the way we run our business. In the mid 1990s Capt’n Snooze (now Snooze) made available a management training program which was run by the franchisor and Monash University.

While it was a considerable investment at the time, we both completed the training and learned a considerable amount, which has been subsequently put into practice.

More recently, Snooze has again employed the services of an outside training organisation to offer courses in various aspects of the business.

LOCAL AREA MARKETING

We try to stay well involved within our community. Rob is a member of Rotary through which Snooze Mile End has contributed a range of charitable programs, and for almost as long as we have been in Adelaide he has volunteered on local community radio.

I’ve built a mutually rewarding relationship with local artists who hung their works, until very recently, in our showroom. Over a number of years we held art exhibitions, usually in conjunction with the South Australian Living Artists (SALA) festival.

GOALS

Our goal is to be the best Snooze franchised business. In order to do that, we would like to create a business environment where the goals of the people that work within the business are achieved in line with those of the business itself.

We’d like to build a business that is valued by the franchisor and recognised as one of the best examples of how a franchise system can bring rewards to both franchisor and franchisee.

FRANCHISING: EDUCATIONALAND FINANCIALLY REWARDING 

Our business has changed our lives in so many ways! Initially with just the physical move, from living and working in country Victoria to a major city environment in South Australia away from family and friends.

We now own and operate a much larger business which in turn has more than tripled its original size.

We’ve had to learn how to manage the highs and lows of the fluctuations in business. Our first seven to eight years were very challenging on many fronts, but those were the years where we probably learnt the most. 

Buying into a franchised system certainly brings many advantages, however in return one has to forfeit a certain amount of autonomy.

We are also in a much stronger financial position than we were 20 years ago!