Refresh Renovations found its start in New Zealand in 2010. It was born from the growing customer dissatisfaction in the home renovation market. Customers were tired of projects falling behind, incidental costs growing and timelines getting pushed. By Kelsi Trinidad
Refresh Renovations found its start in New Zealand in 2010. It was born from the growing customer dissatisfaction in the home renovation market. Customers were tired of projects falling behind, incidental costs growing and timelines getting pushed. Refresh Renovations was created to provide a solution to not only keep projects on time and within budget but also deliver to the expectation of the customer.
From the start, the company was thinking globally. The issues plaguing the New Zealand home renovation industry were occurring in many other global markets. Refresh Renovations quickly established locations across Australia, the United Kingdom, and in 2019, the U.S. In 13 years, the company expanded to 93 global franchises, with seven of them based in the U.S.
Much of the franchise’s success is due to its developed systems and processes, which draw from the best practices of the construction industry. As a result, franchisees can address design issues at an early stage and align the project with the customer in their preferred time frame and budget. By addressing these issues, franchise owners can reduce the expensive changes that often come with renovation projects, while decreasing wasted labor and time.
The corporate office has developed a streamlined process for supporting franchisees in setting up their business. “We recognize that most of our candidates are coming from outside the industry,” explained Paul English, CEO and franchisor for Refresh Renovations North America. “It’s really important for us to support them in developing their local construction team to ensure that they’re going to have a solid team to deliver that value proposition of Refresh Renovations.”
In addition to the comprehensive support Refresh Renovations offers, the franchise model boasts a low overhead. Most franchisees work from home as owner-operators, so there is no cost for a physical storefront or staff. With many locations open in the U.S., there’s a great opportunity to grow a new business.
“If you look at the costs to acquire and set up a franchise, as well as their running costs, it is very low in comparison to the size of the opportunity,” said English. “Certainly, there’s a huge opportunity for the market size.”
Kelsi Trinidad