Franchise opportunities:

 

Dear prospective Franchisee

It is with pleasure that we introduce you to the WOOD CITY GROUP and WOOD CITY EXPRESS.

THE WOOD CITY GROUP originated out of a successful hardware company, Douglas Jones & Co. Wood City was established in 1992 by Tony Douglas-Jones and has grown to one of the largest independent board companies in South Africa, with WOOD CITY BRANCHES in the following cities:

  • Port Elizabeth
  • Cape Town
  • Durban
  • Johannesburg
  • Pretoria

In May 2000 WOOD CITY opened its HEAD OFFICE in Port Elizabeth and Wood City Marketing (Pty) Ltd was established as the franchising arm of the WOOD CITY GROUP.

Franchising was launched in June 2000 and now at the beginning of 2004 there are 17 WOOD CITY EXPRESS franchises across the country comprising of:

  • Western Cape - 1 - Cape Town
  • Eastern Cape - 2 - East London & Umtata
  • Kwa-Zulu Natal - 4 - Empangeni, Springfield, Newcastle & Pinetown
  • Gauteng - 3 - Midrand, Rustenburg & Brits
  • Limpopo - 1 - Pietersburg
  • Mpumalanga - 3 - Nelspruit, Witbank & Burgersfort
  • Free State - 1 - Bloemfontein
  • Mozambique - 1 - Maputo
  • Lesotho - 1 - Maseru

The WOOD CITY GROUP directorship is committed to building relationships with suppliers, customers as well as staff members. Our businesses are managed and built on strong ethical standards, which are non-negotiable.

WOOD CITY is a team-based organisation.
This effectively means that we have an “all for one and one for all attitude”. All staff are required to make a daily contribution in terms of their work effort and ethic.
This is an exciting Group to be involved with as it is commonly referred to as the “company to watch”.
Growth is inevitable and in keeping with our goals.

What we do:

Wood City is unique in that it is a one-stop-shop for the shop fitting, kitchen and furniture manufacturing industry.

  1. The freedom to own, direct and manage your own business.
  2. The use of a reputable name and trademark and systems of the business.
  3. Our years of experience in successfully owning and running Wood City Branches is available to each and every Wood City Express franchisee.
  4. We provide the franchisee with the necessary initial set-up and ongoing training needed for the establishment and running of a successful and
    more importantly a profitable franchise.
  5. The Wood City Marketing Directors are available for consultation on any issue.
  6. Our continual research and development is there to benefit our branches and our franchisees alike.
  7. Business Synergy – when you buy a franchise, you become a part of a family where all members work together for the good of the whole.
  8. Buying power – You will be able to enjoy the benefit of our Group’s strong buying power.

  1. We offer Sonae Novobord products at preferential rates.
  2. The 5 Wood City distribution points are all manufacturers of Laminate Distributors post formed tops and due to our unique relationship with Laminate Distributors we are able to offer delivery of any Laminate Distributors post formed tops, a minimum of 20, within a 200km radius at the most competitive prices.
  3. Wood City is a bulk distributor of cabinet makers hardware products, and is in the unique position to offer our franchisees the same opportunities through our sister company Eurofittings, which is a furniture fittings specialist supplier. Wood City can therefore offer extremely competitive prices on all Eurofittings hardware products.
  4. Raië l handles, knobs and mouldings at preferential rates.
  5. Wood City has 5 major distribution points across Southern Africa at this stage:
    • Johannesburg
    • Pretoria
    • Port Elizabeth
    • Durban
    • Cape Town

Wood City Marketing supplies each new franchisee with a Starter Kit containing the following:

  1. A Corporate I.D. booklet will be provided and templates will be available to your local printing company on the following documentation:
    • Handwritten invoices
    • Internal orders
    • Request for credit - customer
    • Request for credit - supplier
    • Compliment slips
    • Letterheads
    • Business Cards
    The Corporate I.D. booklet will also provide you with all the necessary corporate clothing specs and will be available to your local printing/clothing company.
  2. The Wood City Express Operations Manual
  3. The Wood City Express Contracts of Employment Manual, which contains copies of all relevant staffs contracts needed by the new franchisee.
  4. The Wood City Express Labour Relations Manual - your A – Z guide on labour issues.
  5. A Preferred Suppliers Listing containing a list of our trusted suppliers with whom we have good relationships in terms of discounts etc.
  6. A First Product Order Guideline for the Franchisee just starting up.
  7. Suggested Price List for your Wood City Express.
  8. Suggested Floor-plan Layout for the new Wood City Express store.
What we do:
  1. Our in-house marketing and advertising department will assist you in your advertising efforts by providing sample material for newspaper and local home magazine campaigns.
  2. Website – Your Wood City Express will be added to the Wood City Website with full details of your location and contact details.

The franchisee can expect the following support and services in return for the initial franchise fee:

  • Assistance in interpretation and tailor making of the budget by the Franchisor.
  • Guidance on initial order and asset purchases.
  • Assistance in setting up the operating system.
  • Product support via representatives of Sonae Novobord, Laminate Distributors, Eurofittings and Raië l.
  • Operational support via Regional Directors of the WOOD CITY GROUP.
  • Financial management support via the Wood City Head Office.

The Franchisee will receive a comprehensive operating manual covering the following:

  • Internal business
  • Methods of training
  • Accounting systems