Minster Cleaning – A Family Team Wins “Franchisee of the Year”!

When you think of commercial cleaning, you don’t immediately think of a family business. But the trend that Minster Cleaning is seeing in their franchises dispels that myth.

Minster Cleaning was started in 1982 by current Chairman, Alan Haigh, and his wife Glynis. In 1992, Alan franchised Minster Cleaning, and the network grew from there. Today, Alan’s sons are company directors.

Now, more than 40 years on from the start, nearly half of Minster Cleaning’s 36 branches have family members working together.

Families come in many shapes and sizes and the same is true of the families working together at Minster Cleaning. Some franchisees have brought their children into their businesses, some bought businesses with their spouses, and some work with their parents.

James Lofthouse brought his two sons Ed and Charlie into his Minster Cleaning Sheffield franchise when they were 20 and 18 respectively. James says “Running a successful cleaning franchise with my two sons has been a rewarding experience. Trust is the cornerstone of any successful partnership and I have been able to rely on them completely. Another great advantage has been the shared commitment to our business goals. Knowing one day they would have the opportunity to take over the business has given them a strong sense of purpose”. In June 2024, Ed and Charlie bought Minster Cleaning Sheffield from James – a first for the network and something that fills James with an immense sense of pride.

Minster Cleaning has many couples working alongside each other day to day.

Neil and Janet Campbell bought Minster Cleaning Staffordshire in 2014. Neil says, “We have a fairly good work-life balance, but the business does at times dominate the conversations at home. We try hard to ensure that any work challenges do not spill into our personal life”.

Paul Dunn and his wife Kirsten run Minster Cleaning Edinburgh and take this a step further. “One thing we are very strict on is not to talk about our relationship at the office or our work at home. That is not negotiable. 8 years later and I wouldn’t change things for the world”.

Mike Parker, Managing Director of Minster Cleaning says “We are very fortunate that many of our franchisees take such pride in their business with us that they feel confident in bringing family members into the network. For me, this proves their confidence in our brand and our business model”.

Initial start-up cost for a new territory is £20,000 + VAT which covers licence, training, computer hardware, stationery and a marketing launch package. In addition, a minimum of £35,000 working capital plus personal drawings is required. Finance support is available from leading banks subject to status.

Minster Cleaning have resale opportunities available in Essex, Hertfordshire and Nottinghamshire. The resale fee is £10,000 plus VAT in addition to the purchase price of the business.

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