Posted:12-June-2023
Amorino's multi-unit franchisees talk about latest store opening
- Name: Peter & Kim Sandström
- Location: Marlow (105 high street) and Windsor ( 9 Peascod street)
- Franchise: Amorino
- Date launched the franchise: Marlow 3rd June 2022 and Windsor 7th April 2023
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what you were doing prior to buying your Amorino franchise business?
Kim’s career was in Labour Law in South Africa and heading up the industrial meat council. When Peter was offered an international transfer to the UK, they decided to start a family and Kim decided to be an at home mum, given Peter international travel commitments. Within this period Kim developed three properties in the UK.
Peter has spent the last 25 years in the drinks industry having built and grown some of the world’s most luxurious and well known drinks brands, such as Macallan, Yamazaki, Makers Mark, Famous Grouse and Jim Beam, to name but a few. More recently Peter held a number of CEO roles the last of which was at Angostura in Trinidad. His career has taken the family on a global adventure having lived in five different countries and Peters commercial roles have seen him visit of seventy different countries across every continent of the world. Peter has a passion for building great brands and has a deep understanding of how consumers fall in love with brands and the craftsmanship that makes brand iconic and memorable. Its is this passion and insight which led Peter and Kim to Amorino a truly iconic gelato brand.
Kim's dad was Italian and so she grew up around gelato, and so when our daughter visited an Amorino store and fell in love with the products, we started to look at the brand in more detail. An initial meeting led us to loving the model and identifying fairly quickly that it would be almost impossible to start on our own, but why try when we can buy a business like Amorino!
Buying an Amorino franchise meant we were ready to open the door and trade from day one; it was a smooth transition but hard work And the ongoing support Amorino gives is second to none. We opened Marlow in June 2022, followed by Windsor in March 2023.
Can you also tell us about Amorino?
Amorino delights connoisseurs around the world with its finest quality gelato, made according to traditional Italian methods. Amorino has become the #1 premium Italian gelato with twice the number of outlets than any other gelato competitor; we currently have 200 stores in 18 countries.
Why did you go down the franchise route? What made you choose gelato and Amorino?
As mentioned, Kim had grown up around Gelato and was always aware of the potential of running a gelato store. Having spent the last 30 years building companies and traveling around the world, we wanted to do something for ourselves, our daughters were finishing university, Peter had completed his contract with Angostura post Covid and we thought now is the time to do something for ourselves. So we started to explore something we really loved and that was gelato.
We loved the Amorino concept and it unique serve , making the brand one of the most photographed ice cream brands in the world. We were looking for a gelato but also a brand that would deliver an experience to consumers and Amorino offered this opportunity. The other key reason for choosing Amorino was the simplicity of their model. They are experts at creating exceptional gelato and consolidating everything one needs to serve a perfect Amorino gelato. This intern has enabled Kim and Peter to focus on the customer care and ensure every consumers experience is unique and to the highest standard. Once we understood the model and how it all operated we knew immediately it would work within Marlow and similar towns. While it took months to find a perfect location, we settled on Marlow being the first and this opened on the Queens jubilee on the 3rd of April 2022.
Having experienced the business for over 6 months, we knew the business plan would work and began to implement the second phase of our adventure and opened our second store in Windsor; within 10 months of opening our Marlow store. While we have only been trading for a few months the business is delivering against it targets and looks set to have a very good summer season. Once again this has built confidence in our business plan and we are set to open our third store in late 2023. The excitement and enthusiasm consumers show when coming to Amorino is brilliant and everyone leaves with a big smile on their faces knowing they have got brilliant value.
What training and support did you receive initially and ongoing?
We attended training with Amorino’s training manager Janis externally for several weeks in the London stores. During opening we had support from Head Office in Paris and trainers were sent over to train our staff and give support. Everything is spoon-fed to you in a great supportive way. Amorino have also partnered us to ensure we are successful, answering all the small little questions one has when starting a new business. This support and family element makes the business feel like a real partnership with a single common goal.
How would you describe your day-to-day role as a franchisee
I would compare ourselves to an Amorino manager, managing the day-to-day running of the stores. We are involved in all aspects of the business. We work across every aspect of the business and have done so for the past 12 months. This has ensured we understand every element of the business and train our staff to the Amorino high standards. Within Windsor we have appointed professional managers and assistant mangers to enable us to expand our business plan quicker, despite this we are in our stores daily keep staff moral high and ensuring we have the right levels of stock available at all times.
Provide information on challenges overcome as well as your key successes to date.
Opening our Marlow shop post pandemic was quite a scare. Energy crises and war in Ukraine has had a major negative impact on the economy despite this consumers still want to treat themselves. I believe our success has been offering a brilliant product at an affordable premium price for quality. One of the major challenges has been staffing levels and the availability of staff but we have over come this by employing talented school children over 16 and embraced a few Ukrainian families. This has enabled us to manage the seasonality of the business and has brought fun aspect to the business. Another key success to our business is being patient and finding the right location is everything, not to mention our personal involvement in all aspects of the business.
Has becoming a franchisee changed your life, if so how?
Owning our Amorino franchises has given us the opportunity to work together and gain control over many aspects of our life. When you work for yourselves you know every hour goes towards something for you and the family. When you are in a cooperate role there is always and endline but when you have your own business you are more in control of when you want to stop working. I played gold with my neighbour he is 92. Beat me 4&3 and he has been retired for 42 years, I personally didn’t want to do that so opening franchise was also an opportunity to extend your earing potential for years to come.
How do you achieve a work-life balance?
Often it is very difficult to achieve a work/life balance, especially during the early stages of setting up a franchise / shop. We take every opportunity on quieter days and periods to rest and switch off. Having a great team working with us definitely helps us get some well-earned rest at times. Winter si a time to rest and summer is the time to focus and maximise the business.
If you have staff, how do you retain your best staff and keep morale high and productive; how do you incentivise your staff and recognise success?
We have been extremely fortunate with the retention of the team of staff we have working with us. Our shops are a happy place and creating a relaxed yet professional working environment in which we support our staff and ensure a healthy work / life balance fosters a high level of morale.
Can you tell us about any community involvement, including any local partnerships, incentives or charity work you are involved in?
We are very much part of the community in Marlow where we have lived for over 20 years and where our first shop is located. Our customers enjoy their experience and the service they receive when visiting us in Marlow and, with the opening of our shop in Windsor, we strive to do the same by welcoming all from the local and surrounding communities.
What is the most invaluable piece of advice you could give someone looking to buy their first franchise?
Do your research, be prepared for hard work, find the best location and do something different and unique to what others are offering. The Amorino serve offers this and finally be happy every customer walking through that door is there to enjoy themselves make it memorabile because they will return 70%/80% of our customers are returning customers.
In your opinion, what makes a successful franchisee?
Being hands on in your business and looking after your staff.
What are your plans for the future?
Our plan from the outset has always been to grow our business to multiple shops as quickly as possible whilst concentrating on our existing shops to ensure smooth and successful running of our overall business.
If you had to do it all again, what would you do differently?
Be more organised and do it sooner.
Interested and want to know more about Amorino?
The Amorino profile outlines all aspects of their franchise opportunity and allows you to contact them for further information or to ask a question.
