Heritage Healthcare, a nationwide homecare franchise with its head office in Darlington, provides expert care to people assessed as needing support to continue living independently, within their own home and community.
Although as a company Heritage Healthcare was only formed in 2008, the journey in care for chief executive Glenn Pickersgill has been a long one. The Pickersgill family first began providing care in 1955 when Glenn’s grandma Annie set up a three-bed care home in Darlington. She ran the home successfully until 1970 when she retired after putting Glenn’s parents, Marion and Jim, in charge. Glenn was 10 years old when he moved in to the care home and got his first real insight into caring for the residents.
Glenn and his fellow directors of Heritage Healthcare, Sally Pickersgill, Michelle Fenwick and Amanda Jackson, who together have more than 80 years of experience in care, are now sharing their expertise with franchise partners. As a family-run organisation, they are looking for a special kind of franchisee who will uphold the expert reputation they have dedicated their careers to building.
Himself a franchisee, Glenn began to research the prospect of franchising Heritage Healthcare. “I started to research the possibility of franchising the business in 2011. We were confident in our policies and procedures and the quality assurance we worked to,” he says.
After only four years of franchising, Heritage Healthcare’s commitment to providing an expert service to both franchisees and clients saw them win the prestigious British Franchise Association’s Emerging Franchisor of the Year Award 2017.
While franchising has many benefits for a franchisor in terms of growth, it significantly benefits their franchisees. In 2015, the franchise sector contributed £15.1 billion to the UK economy. The sector, which includes more than 44,000 franchisee-owned businesses, now employs over 621,000 people.
As a family-run organisation, they are looking for a special kind of franchisee who will uphold the expert reputation they have dedicated their careers to building
As a franchisee you are self-employed, owning, running and reaping the rewards of your own business. When purchasing a franchise, you not only have the support of your franchisor, but franchisees within your network and the wider franchise community. The British Franchise Association (bfa) regularly holds events for franchisees where you can meet new people and learn about their experiences with their franchisor. You can also access a range of advice, support and money-saving information through the bfa.
Your franchisor works with you, and the support team advises and assists you across the board. You may be a business manager with a wealth of experience, but have no idea where to start with marketing your business; they can help you with that. You may want to open a homecare business, but have never worked in care in your life; they can help you with that too. When you buy a franchise, you buy the experience of the franchisor and the expertise of their support team.
A report published by Franchise Business Review notes that homecare has grown from a promising franchise model back in 2005 to one of the strongest sectors in franchising. The report says: “Homecare is a natural fit for franchising. It’s a business that is highly regulated and system orientated, while at the same time highly personal.” The review also highlights: “Demand for homecare services is expected to grow and it’s one of the few industries that combines a ‘feel good’ service offering with attractive income.”
Mr Pickersgill concludes: “We feel this is the perfect time for franchisees to invest in this growing market, which offers stability, job satisfaction and great rewards for those who are dedicated to providing excellent quality care.
“As a Heritage Healthcare franchisee, you will get the guidance and support from our knowledgeable management team who have a track record of building successful homecare businesses, understand the legal regulations and implications, and know how to provide a service which makes a real difference to people’s lives.”
