Blazes - Britain's biggest fireplace and heating specialist retailer.

The potential for profit is always there for those with the will to work hard and the desire to succeed.

Blazes franchisees receive hands on support and assistance from the team of Directors and Senior Management, each with specialist skills relative to the business. Blazes annual expenditure on advertising exceeds £600,000 pa which represents substantial consumer marketing across the Blazes network. This represents substantial support for the Blazes network. We expect a mature Blazes franchisee selling both Fireplaces and Central Heating to comfortably exceed £300,000 sales per annum. Due to the strength of our buying power we can be both competitive in the fireplace market and yet retain healthy gross margins.

Buying a fireplace or central heating system is not an everyday activity. Our type of retailing is commonly known as "destination shopping". What this means in practice is that our showrooms are ideally sited in secondary locations where rental costs are not as high. The "other end" of the High Street is our favourite choice. Attention to details such as this means our franchises operate on he lowest possible cost base.

Purchasing power

Blazes' purchasing power is not only used in negotiating with suppliers of products. All Blazes franchisees benefit from discounted insurance and health care packages, low cost finance, low cost credit card handling and preferential car lease schemes. In addition, Blazes franchisees enjoy substantially reduced rates for advertising and marketing from a professional agency.

The potential for driving a Blazes business forward is huge. Our Business Building initiatives open the way to creating business opportunities with Interior Designers and new house builders. For those with the will to work hard and the desire to succeed there is no limit to the business growth of a Blazes franchisee. Blazes Fireplace and Heating Centres have been in business since the 1980?s. We have been active in the franchise market since the early 1990?s. Our success rate is without equal in the franchise industry. We enjoy the status of full and active members of the British Franchise Association.

Track record

The track record of our existing franchisees means that all the major high street banks are keen to support us. In fact we have formal loan schemes in place with NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds TSB and HSBC. Ask your bank for the details of the Blazes Franchise Schemes. Low rate business development loans are available in packages designed to match individual franchisee?s requirements.

In addition to the support we receive from the major banks our franchise package is also eligible for support from the Government's DTI Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme.

An investment into a Blazes franchise is an investment for the future. It is our aim to ensure that our franchisees enjoy a comfortable living whilst at the same time building a valuable asset for the future. To the best of our knowledge the cash requirement for the purchase and development of a Blazes Fireplace and Heating Centre franchise is the lowest entry level for any recognised retail franchise showroom business.