"Sweet Appeal" Franchise

[Feldon]

I have an opportunity to purchase a "Sweet Appeal" franchise as a resale. This particular franchise is a charity fundraising based business with at least 60% of profits going to the Marie Curie Charity. It works by leaving honesty boxes at various locations stocked with a range of sweets and then servicing these sites on a regular basis to make sure the stock is replenished and money collected.

Has anyone heard of this franchise and heard any good or bad reviews?

 

[vvaannmmaann]

"honesty boxes"
There's your first problem right there.

"A fee of £14,995 + VAT (reclaimable)"
There's your second problem

PS they also have a dreadful website.

 

[90DC]

I've done a search and can't find anything really about the company. I've seen these boxes in offices etc. but the ones I've seen are called Charity Sweets by Sweet Causes Limited.

I'd strongly recommend having a closer look at the business and try to speak with some of the franchisors before committing to anything.

I also agree with what Vvaannmmaann says, the website lacks somewhat, especially for a company selling franchise opportunities.

 

[captaincloser]

Agree with Vvaannmmaann.
.
Also, there is business.

Then there is charity

Then there is charity as a businesss.

Don't get confused as they are all different particularly the last one.

 

[Esk247]

just....no.

i mean really...no.

you could rent a small shop for two years or build a relatively good online business for the price of just one franchise license.

 

[Rookery]

"honesty boxes"
There's your first problem right there.

"A fee of £14,995 + VAT (reclaimable)"
There's your second problem

PS they also have a dreadful website.

And the sweets aren't up to much either.

 

[patientlady]

If 60% of the profit goes to the Marie Curie charity, how much is left?:|

 

[tony84]

I was in a shop in a part of manchester the other day. I seen one of those boxes for the first time - it had a label on the front saying your only stealing from charity, please put the correct money in.

So people are basically short changing those boxes.

 

[bwhomeresponse]

15k + vat for the franchise and 60 % of the takings goes to the charity
take a good hard look at the figures
no wonder the present franchisee wants to sell
bwhomeresponse

 

[SamStones]

How can this possibly be a franchise? It just sounds crazy... if you really want to run a business and give 60% of your profits to charity just do it yourself!

If you find out any more information please do post here, I'd love to learn more about this from a personal intrigue point of view.

 

[Feldon]

Firstly I can not believe how arrogant most of these replies have been not to mention that for the most part you have not even bothered to read a little about it before posting your worthless opionions, yest worthless because without knowing the facts that is what they are.

The franchise fee is mainly for stock, 10,000 units which are sold for £1.20 and the 60% share of profit is paid for up front through the profit of cost of sales. The actual profit to the franchisee is 0.65p less any shrinkage, typically around 8% -10% less any otherheads - cost of running a car.

It may not be a great business idea and the sweets may not be the top of the range, the idea of course is to keep costs relatively low to help raise money for charity but at the same time provide a profit for the franchise.

Yes I could well use the franchise fee to start another business as one reply stated, ie a shop. I have 17 years of running and owning shops and yes I am also considering this as an alternative. What is putting me off that idea is that the high street is suffering with more closures than ever before. The risk of taking on a shop and for it failing is not worth thinking about, i've been in that situation before where the business has stopped making any money but you are tied into a lease - the rent, rates and wages still need paying and yet there is no quick get out of jail card. So forgive me for looking at other business models that might seem simple and a little bit of different from some peoples idea of what a traditional business or franchise is, but hey if it can make a good profit without having the associated risks of having a bricks and mortar business then that is a plus in my book.

I don't know as yet the figures for this particular franchise yet those are being supplied to me early next week. I do know it has been tradiong successfully for three years.

O.K rant over, it may not turn out to be the business for me but what gets me is I see the same people over and over poo pooing other ideas that they have clearly not bothered to find out about.

 

[WHARTY]

Firstly I can not believe how arrogant most of these replies have been not to mention that for the most part you have not even bothered to read a little about it before posting your worthless opionions, yest worthless because without knowing the facts that is what they are.

The franchise fee is mainly for stock, 10,000 units which are sold for £1.20 and the 60% share of profit is paid for up front through the profit of cost of sales. The actual profit to the franchisee is 0.65p less any shrinkage, typically around 8% -10% less any otherheads - cost of running a car.

It may not be a great business idea and the sweets may not be the top of the range, the idea of course is to keep costs relatively low to help raise money for charity but at the same time provide a profit for the franchise.

Yes I could well use the franchise fee to start another business as one reply stated, ie a shop. I have 17 years of running and owning shops and yes I am also considering this as an alternative. What is putting me off that idea is that the high street is suffering with more closures than ever before. The risk of taking on a shop and for it failing is not worth thinking about, i've been in that situation before where the business has stopped making any money but you are tied into a lease - the rent, rates and wages still need paying and yet there is no quick get out of jail card. So forgive me for looking at other business models that might seem simple and a little bit of different from some peoples idea of what a traditional business or franchise is, but hey if it can make a good profit without having the associated risks of having a bricks and mortar business then that is a plus in my book.

I don't know as yet the figures for this particular franchise yet those are being supplied to me early next week. I do know it has been tradiong successfully for three years.

O.K rant over, it may not turn out to be the business for me but what gets me is I see the same people over and over poo pooing other ideas that they have clearly not bothered to find out about.

There are a few of these honesty box ventures available at the moment and some of the franchisees do ok out of it from what i have heard( i am in vending) however if you want a little more info about it then maybe Pm Vending revolution (Barbara Fellowes) she is a moderator here and although she doesn't operate honesty boxes i believe she knows somebody who owns or runs one of those franchises(may be wrong) but PM her she is very friendly and really knows her stuff. Tell her Lee from Vend and glow sent you.

 

[Feldon]

Thanks Wharty, will do.

 

[captaincloser]

Suggestion for OP

Think twice before coming onto a public forum because you are not always going to read exactly what YOU want to hear.Its a 2 way street. I, for example did look at the website for this company and it was a fright. I also feel the charities can do this stuff for themselves without a middleman and certainly not 2 middlemen,the franchise and yourself.

It beggars belief why you cant do this yourself and give all the money to charity if, indeed, philanthropy is your motivation.

I am 100% behind all the posters on this thread who warned against this and suggest UKBF no place for someone who wants soley to hear how great an idea is.The website and content are enough surely for scepticism to kick in ?

Last week on here you were planning to open a shop possibly, before that you were going to be an energy assessor..and so it probably goes on.

I'd leave it till next weeks idea......and fully expect a vitriolic reply which is all a part of UKBF for me.

 

[Vending Siting Services]

Hello

I would recommend against any business that operates with the honesty boxe formula, please take my advice as sound and from personal experience.

Having been in vending now for over 20 years, we trialled honesty boxes some 10 or 11 years ago and done a pilot of 100 boxes in Thetford, Norfolk, way before honesty boxes were in existence. We bought good plastic containers with a lid which contained a cash box. We called our scheme "Nosh Box" and we placed good quality sweets in there, Cadburys chocolate, Walkers Crisps, Giant Cookies, small KiOra orange juice drinks and many other popular lines of confectionery and drinks.

Placing the boxes is dead easy, you just walk into the site and leave them the box and tell them that you will be back next week to service it, we got 100 boxes out within days.

We done our first visits just one week after we dropped them off and we did collect a lot of money with relatively little shortage, the odd pennies that were short we just ignored. We replaced the contents of the box and came back the following week. On our second and subsequent visits, the level of theft grew. When a site initially has a small shortage they normally replace the odd 30p or 50p or take it out of petty cash. Those sites subsequently suffered enormous losses and they were very reluctant to replace the monies and suggest we remove the box from site which we gladly did.

We had 1% success rate of the box being spot on! I recall this site as it was a small printing company by a level crossing and the wife of the owner used to be our 'Nosh Box Monitor'.

Unless someone takes FULL responsibility for the honesty box the business does not work and it will be VERY rare to find an individual in any company who will take that responsibility - how can they, they can't be at their desk all the time.

All our honesty boxes were removed from site and we gave all the surplus stock to our local Children's Hospice in Norfolk who were having an opening day which they were very grateful to receive the goodies.

Honesty boxes appear in many of our sites, and the sites of our Franchisees. They appear and within a few visits they disappear. I speak to many honesty box operators who share their experiences with me and believe me NOTHING HAS CHANGED.

I have noticed many companies offering this form of so called Franchise and they do rely upon new entrants coming into the market and their churn rate is massive. Just look at businesses for sale and you will find many Franchisees trying to offload their businesses.

The only person who makes money on this scheme is the confectionery packer who will buy very cheap and make good margins on the confectionery they sell to their Franchisees.

If you were to look into the Charities Act, you will see that quoting a % of profits is ILLEGAL and I do know Trading Standards are trying to clamp down of this form of selling as it is misleading.

The Charities Act states that you have to confirm the exact amount of the £1 which is going to the charity. Quotiing 'profits' is meaningless, misleading and illegal.



Think twice before parting with any money for the honesy box type of business. You can find out yourself for relatively little money by following my advice:

• Why not trial the business on 10 boxes.
• You can source these types of boxes for relatively little money.
• Place any products you wish into the box and have a menu so people know what they should pay or keep your offering to £1.00
• Run those 10 boxes for two months and then you will find out for yourself what does happen in reality.
• This will cost you less than £200 to do.

Trust me, you will thank me and your money would not be lost and you will not be another statistic of someone who entered into a business model in good faith only to find that it is flawed.

If the honesty box model worked, we would have launched it as a franchise MANY years ago.

If you have any further questions on the honesty box forumla, please post your questions here and I will do my best to answer them so that everyone can benefit from the information.

Kind regards.

Barbara Fellowes

ps - I do know the MD of one of the major honesty box franchises who has now retired and we used to speak very frequently. He knew the model was flawed and now they do offer vending machines as part of their franchise.

 

[Feldon]

Thanks for your honest and well written response Barbara, shame there are not some more thoughtful and helpful people like you on this forum.

I have no problem with negative reponses as long as they are constructive and not just thrown up with out even taking the time to look at all the information.

As for CaptinCloser well I think you should maybe keep your opinions to yourself................................. no doubt you will not and you will pop with other un-helpful advice and comments, sad really.

 

[captaincloser]

I have no problem with negative reponses as long as they are constructive

But you do have a problem, thats obvious. These little 'businesses' are all but scams and usually simply wolves operating in sheep's clothing. The charities commission would hopefully be down on you like a ton of bricks.

I can just imagine you becoming a millionaire from this and having the biggest house in town...and the townsfolk baying at the gates of your Lollipop mansion

 

[Feldon]

Barbara

I have sent you a pm.

 

[Feldon]

But you do have a problem, thats obvious. These little 'businesses' are all but scams and usually simply wolves operating in sheep's clothing. The charities commission would hopefully be down on you like a ton of bricks.

I can just imagine you becoming a millionaire from this and having the biggest house in town...and the townsfolk baying at the gates of your Lollipop mansion

Still not really being helpful or constructive with your comments i see, maybe I could suggest some anger managment therapy

 

[captaincloser]

Still not really being helpful or constructive with your comments i see, maybe I could suggest some anger managment therapy

Do you have a figure, even a rough figure, with regard to how many customers in any shop check the small print on a charity collection box as they pop their small change in or buy some ticket/trinket/sweet?

You know what I mean ? Check to see if they are dealing with a charity or a franchisee of a charity box 'business' franchise.

I don't think., but its only a guess, that many people would know they are funding the lifestyle of a franchise business and its money collection franchisees ? And my guess is that is how the franchise is being sold...that it will make you a wealthy entrepreneur or have I got that wrong ?

Just another angry thought.

And yes, you certainly can suggest anger management therapy. Excellent, where and when ?

 

Still not really being helpful or constructive with your comments i see, maybe I could suggest some anger managment therapy

I would guess you could recommend someone?

Earl

 

[bwhomeresponse]

surely if you decide to give to charity, you expect everything that you give to go to that charity. not a middleman or franchise. charity franchise something does not quite sit right.

 

[captaincloser]

I would guess you could recommend someone?

Earl

Oi Earl. There's a queue forming for this anger management course.Get in line.

 

[Feldon]

Duplicated in error, please ignor

 

[Feldon]

Maybe I should start a Angry Management Business .

Well constructive or not I think I will not be going down this route. Forums can be a very useful sounding board. To be honest I don't know all the answers which was why I orginally posted the thread.

One thing I would point out though is that even charities have overheads and costs involved. The Marie Curie Charity have also endorsed this particular franchise which I don't think they would be willing to do if it would jeopodise their standing or damage their charity. The aim of the business was to help raise money for charity and to this aim it does as well as living for the franchise and franchisee. I think where if falls down is the honesty part and the loss of stock and for that reason, I'm out.

So thank you for your answers, (whether I agreed with them or not) and just so you know I bear no grudges etc Captaincloser

 

[vvaannmmaann]

Feldon.If you want to do it,then get on and do it.I for one could care less if you don't listen to me or what other people say.Who knows we could all be wrong about it.
Just don't say that you were not warned about it.

 

[GraemeL]

I have an opportunity to purchase a "Sweet Appeal" franchise as a resale. This particular franchise is a charity fundraising based business with at least 60% of profits going to the Marie Curie Charity. It works by leaving honesty boxes at various locations stocked with a range of sweets and then servicing these sites on a regular basis to make sure the stock is replenished and money collected.

Has anyone heard of this franchise and heard any good or bad reviews?

Having read through this thread, I have to say it almost sounds like you are promoting the franchise yourself. Like it or not!


G

 

[vvaannmmaann]

Having read through this thread, I have to say it almost sounds like you are promoting the franchise yourself. Like it or not!


G

Or worse - he's already paid his £15k + vat

 

[Feldon]

Feldon.If you want to do it,then get on and do it.I for one could care less if you don't listen to me or what other people say.Who knows we could all be wrong about it.
Just don't say that you were not warned about it.

If you read my earlier reply you will see that I will not be pursuing this now.

GraemeL - I was not trying to promote, just to find out peoples views on whether they had heard of it, good or bad. I guess most people do not find it a good business model, which is fine, which has helped me see this in a less positive way and clarify my thoughts.

 

[captaincloser]

So thank you for your answers, (whether I agreed with them or not) and just so you know I bear no grudges etc Captaincloser

What ? So we don't get no anger management course ? I have all me pencils ready and a sketch-pad. Sir Earl won't be impressed either. Typical...this makes me soooo angry

It would not be for any of us to stop you of course....Just think it's one of those franchises the world does not need and yes, the charities need every penny and frankly seem to close their eyes to some of the third party practices.

Don't let any old codgers like Captaincloser put you off following exactly what you want to do...thats what is good about UKBF..you often see both sides of the coin in these exchanges.

cc

 

[vvaannmmaann]

If you read my earlier reply you will see that I will not be pursuing this now.

GraemeL - I was not trying to promote, just to find out peoples views on whether they had heard of it, good or bad. I guess most people do not find it a good business model, which is fine, which has helped me see this in a less positive way and clarify my thoughts.

A quicker U turn than a Government Minister.

 

[Cobby]

I for one could care less

Couldn't. You couldn't care less. This is one of the worst Americanisms around, it's awful and highlights the mess they are making of our language. If you could care less, then you care.

*replies with 'I could care less', hahaha*

Honesty boxes appear in many of our sites, and the sites of our Franchisees. They appear and within a few visits they disappear. I speak to many honesty box operators who share their experiences with me and believe me NOTHING HAS CHANGED.

No, you're wrong.
A friend of mine is a franchisee of one of these charities and I've chatted to him at great length about it - there are upsides and downsides, as with any business.

Firstly, honesty boxes most certainly do work. In the right circumstances. People give money to get sweets/snacks and a percentage of that money goes to a charity. Having a charity involved is the key to avoiding shortages - a bag of slightly naff sweets you can buy in the newsagent isn't worth the £1 asked. If some of that £1 is going to a charity then in the mind of the public the whole equation changes; they get to give to charity, feel good about it and also get some sweets.

However, shortages are always a problem because human beings are human beings. I used to live and work in Thetford, and I'm not surprised your boxes went short. Drive through there too slowly after 6pm and the locals will have the wheels off your van before you roll to a stop. Yours was a flawed experiment, sorry.

Now, Feldon, the shortages my friend experiences vary from 0% in some places to 9% in others. If boxes go over 10%, words are had and if things don't improve the box is withdrawn. That's business.

He does okay out of it, not great but okay. He covers a huge area and has four members of staff, plus himself. He would do better if he didn't have to pay the franchise a percentage each month, but that's the agreement. He's smart about where he puts boxes and both he and his staff are good with people.

There's more common sense you can use to improve your business model, but I don't want to give his secrets away just in case you're in the same area. Really it comes down to the first and most important check - you need to find out why these people are selling., If it was a good franchise they'd still be running it. The only absolutely guaranteed way to make money in this kind of business is to be the franchiser.

Good luck.

 

[captaincloser]

Couldn't. You couldn't care less. This is one of the worst Americanisms around, it's awful and highlights the mess they are making of our language. If you could care less, then you care.

*replies with 'I could care less', hahaha*




No, you're wrong.
The only absolutely guaranteed way to make money in this kind of business is to be the franchiser.

Good luck.

As you are such a stickler for correct English you will love to hear that it's FRANCHISOR not franchiser.

Leaving your comments about Thetford aside..I have no knowledge of the place..you give abundant reasons for not engaging in this business.

It's a simple old fashioned British scam with the little franchise man in his little car driving round the leafy lanes and calling in to empty his mucky little 'charidee' boxes from shops who are well-intentioned and then with a fond farewell and not a backward glance driving off to the next mug retailer.A classic Toad of Toad Hall business.

The whole 'honesty box' dialogue and argument is flim-flam and a deception in an attempt to cover a basically dishonest transaction in the name of charity. Beggaring belief.

Apart from any moral issue why would anyone need a franchisor to help them run this tawdry little con ?

Your 'friend' should be ashamed. Don't even think of spinning us the 'charideee' line. It's a con. A 'con in a box' no less.

 

[Cobby]

As you are such a stickler for correct English you will love to hear that it's FRANCHISOR not franchiser.

Always happy to be corrected, thanks!

The whole 'honesty box' dialogue and argument is flim-flam and a deception in an attempt to cover a basically dishonest transaction in the name of charity. Beggaring belief.

What are you talking about? You aren't making any sense.

Apart from any moral issue why would anyone need a franchisor to help them run this tawdry little con ?

Your 'friend' should be ashamed. Don't even think of spinning us the 'charideee' line. It's a con. A 'con in a box' no less.

You're absolutely right, you don't need a franchisor to run that business, but you then have to get permission from and do the accounting for the charity yourself. At the end of the day it's a vending style business that carries a message from a charity saying "yeah it's cool, these guys give us money". That's extra money for that charity they would otherwise not have.

I actually have two friends that operate under the same franchise in different counties. Both are exceptionally upstanding and moral people, moreso than you in all likelihood (uh-oh, internet fight!), and I help them out by having their boxes in my shops.

I'm not saying anyone should or shouldn't take on this kind of business, I'm just presenting the facts to help someone else make a decision - in this case they've already decided against, so it's a bit of a moot point.

It's weird though, you have some very skewed views on the matter. To be honest it seems more like you don't understand it properly and are having a Daily-Mail-reader reaction. Perhaps if you tried thinking objectively instead of just being irrationally angry?...

 

these guys give us money". That's extra money for that charity they would otherwise not have.

Or they would have rather more if the donations did not go through a third party.

I think many people find this type business a bit objectionable knowing they are piggy backing off famous charities and would not have a viable business otherwise.

I suppose in the world of business making a buck out of a charity may be considered by some as the lowest of the low.

Earl

 

[Cobby]

Or they would have rather more if the donations did not go through a third party.

I think many people find this type business a bit objectionable knowing they are piggy backing off famous charities and would not have a viable business otherwise.

I suppose in the world of business making a buck out of a charity may be considered by some as the lowest of the low.

Earl

Non sequitur. Why would the charity have more without the third party? Are you suggesting they run the scheme themselves? You wouldn't get a scheme like this run by volunteers since it's a full time job, and full time jobs are paid positions.

The charities are not stupid, most of the big ones allow these franchises and if they didn't think it was doing them good they wouldn't allow it. They obviously believe it is a better system than trying to run such schemes directly (perhaps the administration overhead is prohibitive?). As such it's also fair to assume that it has little to no impact on the charity's other income streams, charity drives, etc. and could actually be argued to be increasing the visibility of a charity's brand.

It is simply an extra revenue stream from people that probably would not have donated any of that £1.20 to the charity.

It might sound a little confrontational to say so, but the view of someone 'piggy backing' or somehow abusing a charity is a blinkered one. Besides, if people are offended by this, then they should be offended by anyone that draws a wage from a charity for their job, it's essentially the same thing.

 

[captaincloser]

What are you talking about? You aren't making any sense.


I actually have two friends that operate under the same franchise in different counties. Both are exceptionally upstanding and moral people, moreso than you in all likelihood (uh-oh, internet fight!), and I help them out by having their boxes in my shops.


It's weird though, you have some very skewed views on the matter. To be honest it seems more like you don't understand it properly and are having a Daily-Mail-reader reaction. Perhaps if you tried thinking objectively instead of just being irrationally angry?...

Yep, call it what you like..but the Daily Mail cannot be blamed and of course you already know of my moral dereliction and failure in being upstanding next to your buddies.

As for 'it seems like you don't understand it'...that's my point really ... I am confronting you with the fact that I do understand it and it pongs and I would sooner give the Mormon church the benefit of the doubt than have to read more justification on this type of business.

But thats just me , irrationally angry and a moral turkey......but three months in a burlesque bar and I would still not be buying this line in crock...

...and NO,no, no...drawing a salary from a charity is not the same. You have lost on that one too.

 

[Cobby]

As for 'it seems like you don't understand it'...that's my point really ... I am confronting you with the fact that I do understand it and it pongs and I would sooner give the Mormon church the benefit of the doubt than have to read more justification on this type of business.

But thats just me , irrationally angry and a moral turkey......but three months in a burlesque bar and I would still not be buying this line in crock...

...and NO,no, no...drawing a salary from a charity is not the same. You have lost on that one too.

That's your idea of a cogent argument? I was just being flippant but I guess you don't understand it.

 

[captaincloser]

That's your idea of a cogent argument? I was just being flippant but I guess you don't understand it.

No. I couldn't see the flippancy and it's a recurring theme on UKBF. Once someone is seriously challenged on their own belief/business/idea suddenly it all becomes a joke and the challenger is so often referenced as not getting the joke/not getting the flippancy/cant you see I wasn't serious etc.

I never buy that stuff, sorry

For the record I made no attempt at a cogent argument. Its a toady business...thats a statement not an argument.Take off the disproportionately large charity logo from these honesty boxes and then see if you want to buy a franchise.Or keep them on and actually give the proceeds to charity. You shouldn't have it both ways. Thats an opinion not flippancy. And...yes I certainly do understand exactly how that business model works...it remains Toad Hall stuff.

 

[Cobby]

For the record I made no attempt at a cogent argument. Its a toady business...thats a statement not an argument.Take off the disproportionately large charity logo from these honesty boxes and then see if you want to buy a franchise.Or keep them on and actually give the proceeds to charity. You shouldn't have it both ways. Thats an opinion not flippancy. And...yes I certainly do understand exactly how that business model works...it remains Toad Hall stuff.

Sorry, no, you don't get it.

"Its a toady business...thats a statement not an argument."
That's your opinion and of course you're welcome to it, no matter how wrong it is.

"Take off the disproportionately large charity logo from these honesty boxes and then see if you want to buy a franchise."
As already stated, without the charity logo it's not really a viable business model. With the charity logo it can be viable.

"Or keep them on and actually give the proceeds to charity."
This business model is a full time job - in fact much more than the 9-5 most people work. You will not find enough volunteers to work these hours consistently, if at all, and make the model work.

"And...yes I certainly do understand exactly how that business model works...it remains Toad Hall stuff."
You aren't explaining why you think that, you're just having a bit of a shouty rant. If you have an opinion without any reason for it then perhaps you should just go back to reading your tabloid.

These boxes raise money for the charity - money they wouldn't otherwise have. The charity allows it to go ahead so it's safe to assume they think the boxes are worthy. Why do you think you know more than they do?