GREEN-HOUSE GROWTH
A Palmerston North business looks to expand
A mother and daughter who had no business or fast-food experience before opening their takeaway salad bar are celebrating three successful years by taking the leap into franchising.
The Green House, owned by Gill Yorke and her daughter Emily Blanchett, opened its doors in Palmerston North in October 2014.
The pair have been run off their feet since, despite never paying for advertising, relying on a strong social media presence and word of mouth to build the business.
Yorke said they had considered getting into franchising for a while, but put off the move until the store was established.
‘‘If we franchised after a year and this place closed, how would that look to other people?
‘‘People want to see business grow for a least a few years before franchising.’’
The pair were keen to stay in Palmerston North and franchising would ensure people running other sites would make sure they ran well, she said.
‘‘They’ve invested in it, so they will work hard to make sure it succeeds.’’
They were keen for each store to have a slightly different feel and foster creativity by letting franchisees come up with new product ideas, which would in turn benefit the Palmerston North store, she said.
Blanchett said there had been demand for stores outside of Palmerston North since they opened.
While initially keen to look at areas such as Hawke’s Bay and Tauranga, she said big cities may also be an option.
‘‘We want to make sure [franchisees] are really passionate, like-minded and want what’s best for The Green House – not just getting in for the business side.’’
Having no hospitality or business experience had created stressful moments when the business first opened, but the pair were still on good terms, Blanchett said.