Greater London Enterprise Awards 2020

54 | Greater London Awards 2020 55 | Greater London Awards 2020 Best Curated Furniture Boutique 2020 The Hub is a curated furniture boutique working with clients across the region. Following the firm’s well-deserved success in the Greater London Enterprise Awards 2020, we got in touch with Rebecca Loughran to find out more. At The Hub, the team often discover items of furniture for clients. Alongside this, they also have a “watch list”, which is a free service for clients who are looking for specific piece of furniture. Going into further detail, Rebecca begins by providing us with a brief overview of the firm and offers more insight into some of its services. In the shop, and our workshop, we have the sample books for high end upholstery fabrics. The choice can be overwhelming, but with years of experience in using the fabrics we can offer advice on the best fabrics for your application. Often, we find furniture yet to be finished, so you can choose your own. While managing projects, we advise clients on all decorative items, colours, and textures to make sure your perfect pieces fit perfectly in their surroundings.” The Hub has always maintained a focus on sustainability, and as Rebecca goes on to explain, taking this approach has enabled the firm to distance themselves from some of its closest competitors. “Having searched the world for special items which are sympathetically restored, we will polish, but not over polish. Naturally, we aim to retain the glory in the design, and we select useable beautiful fabrics to suit modern day life whilst maintaining our focus on sustainable living.” In addition, the firm’s rental service for vintage and antique items has allowed clients to sell and rent out their homes as Rebecca points out. “Rental services are offered to developers, homeowners and tenants, you deserve to maximise your property potential and enjoy the place you call home. If you are selling or renting out your home and want to maximise your move, make the most of the space with professional help and supply. If you are in transit, go for short term enjoyment and hassle-free furnishings and moving, choose ‘Hub Rental’.” With the quality of the final product being the most important element, all employees should take their time when tasked with a project as Rebecca explains further. “This business is all about Sep20751 patience, nothing can be rushed. If you are heavy handed in forcing creative choices, they will not be correct and ultimately the customer may not be totally happy with their purchase. If our clients love what they buy, they usually tell their friends all about it. However, this soft and considerate approach does not translate into delivery, once the choices have been made, delivery is key. This does not mean mass produced or putting tradespeople under unnecessary stress, but it does mean paying people their worth.” Despite the outbreak of COVID-19 this year, with more people spending time at home the business has seen a rise in the demand for its services as Rebecca informs us. “Whilst the pandemic is a terrible blight on all our lives, we have seen a definite trend in people buying more consciously. This could be due to the fact they now have more time to consider their requirements, less time on the “buy click buy”, and more time to think about their ideal piece and its origin. A piece that has been around for 100 years, deserves consideration and being unique requires thought.” Finally, Rebecca discusses the benefits of the firm’s location before outlining some of its plans moving forward to 2021. “As a London based business, we have access to a community of diverse cultural backgrounds. Moreover, diversity helps people consider the smaller retailer and using independent stores. Looking ahead, despite the gloomy current situation we feel we can thrive. By encouraging the traditional trades, we can create work for the local community and make it easier for people to get superior quality items, all sustainably sourced.” Company: The Hub Contact: Rebecca Loughran Web Address: www.thehubworks.co.uk Aug20629 Best Full-Service Franchise Consultancy - UK With offices across the UK, Ireland and Dubai, Accentia have an established network containing over 20 years’ experience in franchising in place. To start, Paul provides a brief overview of the firm and offers more insight into its client base. “With over three decades of experience behind us and multiple awards, we offer a wealth of experience and know what it takes to run a successful franchise. At Accentia, we can offer a ‘Start to Finish’ service that comprises everything our clients need to launch and run a franchise, or simply a service where we provide all of their marketing materials, thereafter they deal with their own marketing and recruitment of franchisees, the choice is theirs. The overall goal of Accentia is to boost our client’s business through franchising and dramatically increase their earning potential and value of their businesses.” Across the UK there are many businesses involved in franchise development, however as Paul goes on to explain, to keep its position at the forefront of the industry it’s important to offer clients something different and unique. “To suit each of our client’s businesses we can create bespoke packages. Rather than just setting up their franchise, we help find potential franchisees as well. Finding the right partners for a business is what makes Accentia different. First we market their franchise and then chase their leads and qualify them. All of this is supported by our bespoke CRM system ‘Accelerator.’” Regarding the firm’s internal culture, teamwork is one of the core values which employees try to adhere to when working towards its goals as Paul explains further. “As a multi- franchise brand operator ourselves, we uniquely understand the challenges that our clients will face and know exactly how to overcome them. Accentia Regional Directors receive unlimited day-to-day support from both myself and the whole of the head office team, no matter their question or problem there is a team behind them constantly. Franchisees and clients are both aware that being both a franchisee and a franchisor takes equal amounts of respect and understanding of the business, teamwork is absolutely vital in the franchising sector.” Finally, Paul discusses the benefits of the firm’s location before outlining some of its plans moving forward to 2021 and beyond. “London is a fantastic place for business, the population density and diversity both in the commercial and retail sectors means that there are endless opportunities. The transport infrastructure also gives an enormous advantage as all connections are only a short ride away, maximising networking reach. Currently, we are seeing huge growth which is set to continue. Employment uncertainty drives people towards finding their own source of income which is the perfect opportunity for them to buy into a franchise. Recently, we have started a new online franchise business learning platform ‘The Franchise Learning Centre’ which gives people the opportunity to learn first-hand from our knowledge and experience. “Adding a Greater London SME Enterprise Award to our other achievements means we now have three under our belt. As the leading franchise consultancy in the UK, we hope to pick up further accolades in the near future.” Company: Accentia Franchise Consultants Ltd Contact: Paul Mitchell Web Address: www.accentia-franchise.co.uk Founded in 2014, Accentia is a full-service franchise development and consultancy firm. Following its success in the Greater London Enterprise Awards 2020, we got in touch with CEO Paul Mitchell to find out more.