The support has been absolutely great.

FRANCHISE OWNER DIARY: Ricky & Anita Fairall

The initial appeal of SITB was the constant turnover we could expect from the machines,” says Shropshire franchisee Ricky Fairall.

“Of course, a very strong factor was the branding - it’s such a strong and prominent brand in the marketplace we knew it would only benefit our business.”As an independent financial advisor with a background in the insurance business, Ricky says he became more and more disillusioned with the industry.

“I wanted to continue working for myself but thought that it would be great if I could work with my wife Anita. She was considering changing her job and so the opportunity arose for us to start a business of our own.”

Carefully considering their options, the couple began looking for business opportunities over a two-year period. For them, most important was financial security. “We wanted something that would be near to fail safe and this led us to the idea of a vending business,” recalls Ricky. “We discovered a SITB franchise for sale and knew it was the one for us. We were very impressed and invested in the business in early 2005.”After a period of training at head office, the couple were taken on site to work with an existing franchisee.“This franchise was run by another couple,” Ricky explains. “SITB gave us the chance to see exactly what the work would be like for us. We thought that this friendly, open approach was wonderful.”

By purchasing an established business, Ricky and Anita inherited a number of pre-sited machines.However, Ricky says he was eager to invest in more machines. “SITB were great in helping us find more sites and are still helping us by advising us on possible sites in our area as and when they appear,” he reveals. “The support we have received has been absolutely great and SITB have been there every time we needed them. They don’t interfere with your business, but they are there if you need them.”