Snack In a box franchise

[sellickbhoy]

anyone here know much about them? anything good/bad/indifferent?

seems an awfy lot of money - but i am looking for something like this as an add on to another van based business venture i'm launching this week
Franchise Package

• Your first 150 customers provided by us
• 265 self-service boxes, pre-packed with stock
• Thorough training at our head office
• Corporate clothing and stationery pack
• Vehicle livery and racking
• Comprehensive support services
• PDA plus software

Total package £23,695

 

[murdoch]

are you interested in servicing the vending machines, or taking boxes to local businesses?
or both?

if its the latter i would have thought you could set up a private local lunch/snack delivery company yourself for less, (ie instead of the franchise) or at least for a better mid-long term future, if you already have some staff and vans?

 

[telemax]

You should look on the UKBF Franchising forum. I don't know anything about them but £23.5k is a lot of money for a Van livery, uniform and a PDA. Even the customers could be acheived cold calling once a week for 6 months, which is something you'd have to do anyway to keep the franchise going.

But then again maybe the Support and training is worth the extra £18k, that's something you should find out through your due diligence.

 

[sellickbhoy]

Hi Guys

i have a van based operation whish goes directly to individual "retail" customers in the evenings - so the vans are sitting doing nothing during the day.

So i was looking for a way to get them out on the road all day - and targetting a new set of customers.

I agree with the earlier comments that I could probably build up my own "box" scheme over the next 6 months anyway, so the money required for the franchise was a bit excessive. That's why I wanted to know what they were like as a company/franchise - i.e. does what they provide justify the hefty investment (btw, it's £44k if you want a vending machine route rather than just a box route!)

If they are going to provide 150 customers on day one, then it might be worth buying it if the turnover/margin waws good enough to get a return on it over the next year or 2.

I also see the snack a can franchise is available and muhc cheaper too - think there are a few snack a can guys on here.

Be intrested in hearing comments on any or either franchise and if the outlay is worth it - or if I should just build my own box up from the outset over the next 6-12 months alongside my current operation

 

[Vending Siting Services]

I have known Snack-in-a-Box for many, many years.

Prior to their launch, many moons ago, we trialled trust boxes in Norfolk. We put out around 100 boxes - offering bars of chocolate, packets of crisps, canned drinks, giant cookies etc, all branded items - we had no problem getting the boxes out, almost 100% success rate. Within 3 months all boxes had been removed bar one of them. The trust box system I am afraid does not work very well and there is a high level of theft. I have spoken to many, many operators/franchisees of this type of business and I am afraid I would not recommend it.

Snack-in-a-Box have also gone onto the vending machine system, here you have to look at your net profits, far too low as they use chocolates from a well known brand and there are no favours on the price.

Take a look at businesses for sale, you will find many Snack-a-Box Franchses for sale.

Hope this helps, call me at my office you want more in-depth information of our trials and I can also put you in contact with a few people who have run/are running this type of business.

If you wanted to give it a go just to see how the business model works, again, give me a call and I can put you in the direction of where you can buy trust boxes, stock and also give you a good pitch to use. You can do your trials for around £200. You will make money to start with, within a couple of visits you will have stock go missing .....

Kind regards.

Barbara Fellowes

 

[sellickbhoy]

Thanks Barbara

I'll be in touch - i knew there was someone from snak in a box or snackacan on here!!

I have to admit, i didn't have any faith in the trust box idea at all - I thought i'd work it in much the same way as greeting card companies operate - i.e. i "give" the company an inventory of stock and each week I simply replenish what's gone and bill the company for it - let the management take the responsibility for it.

Would be a harder sell, but ultimately I see that as being the only way it would work.

 

[Vending Siting Services]

Offering the company an inventory and charging them at the end of each week I am afraid will not work either, they wouldn't be bothered to manage it, we've tried that too. It would be like going back to school days when a student is nominated Tuck Box Monitor, you are not going to get anyone wanting to take responsibility or having to time to do it.

When leaving vendors/trust boxes on site, it is normally done on a no responsibility basis, if the site is held responsible, the will normally decline. Doing this 20 years ago would have worked better, but times have changed out there.

Look forward to having a chat with you sometime.

Kind regards.

Barbara Fellowes

 

[Lee Jones Jnr]

Offering a commission to the member of staff in charge?

 

[Vending Siting Services]

Offering a commission to the member of staff in charge?

Nice idea in theory, but in most companies that would not be possible. Take the example of a high street multi-national, ie Sainsburys or say an independent company of solicitors.

In both cases what are they going to do with the money? They can't account for it, put it through their tills .... can you see why it will not work - we have also tried that too. Also, just imagine what the staff will say if "Linda on reception" is pocketing the money or if the Manager of Sainsburys is pocketing the money - in both instances they are making money out of their staff . Also that member of staff turns into the Tuck Box Monitor which is very hard to get someone to commit to "looking after the box".

Kind regards.

Barbara Fellowes