Business Franchise Australia & New Zealand — July-August 2017

82 Business Franchise Australia and New Zealand

Australian favourite and

award winning national

franchise clark rubber has a

proud retail history spanning

over 70 years.

With over 64 stores across the country, two

individual franchise models, and a mobile

pool service franchise, Clark Rubber offers

many great opportunities to Australian

entrepreneurs.

Two Aussie men, Charlesworth and Clark,

started the business back in 1946, and it grew

so quickly it was listen on the Australian Stock

Exchange in just a few years. In 1982, Clark

Rubber was bought by the Adsteam Group,

who later sold the name and logo to Vita

Pacific in 1994. Vita Pacific, a wholly owned

subsidiary of Pacific Dunlop, then closed the

network of retail stores.

Then Chris Malcolm, a veteran of Australian

retailing, stepped in. Chris licensed the Clark

Rubber brand from Vita Pacific, and decided

that a franchise model was the best way to

grow an already established and recognised

brand. The first franchised Clark Rubber store

opened in Nunawading in 1995.

By 1998, the 50th Clark Rubber store had

opened, and the brand was once again one

of the best recognised in Australian retail.

In 2000, Chris Malcolm bought the Clark

Rubber brand from Pacific Dunlop. The store

network continued to grow and, in 2003,

Clark Rubber was recognised as the Franchise

Council of Australia’s Franchisor of the Year

in the ‘Entry Capital over $200,000’ category.

In the same year, Chris Malcolm was inducted

into the Franchise Council of Australia’s ‘Hall

of Fame’. In 2006, Clark Rubber was awarded

the Franchise Council of Australia’s highest

honour, Franchisor of the year.

Benefits as Big as the Business

Today, Clark Rubber franchisees are still

enjoying the support from Clark Rubber,

giving them the knowledge and skills they

need, as well as ensuring that they have

tangible business tools and support needed to

help them run their business.

The dedicated merchandise team works closely

with suppliers to build product ranges across

key categories of pools, foam and rubber.

In addition, they source products, develop

promotional offers and negotiate terms and

pricing, making sure that products meets the

needs of our customers and the market.

Marketing and advertising are key to the

ongoing success of any retail business. Clark

Rubber invests in brand development and

national advertising each year to ensure

continuing drive to customers and business

to franchisees. They also work closely with

all Clark Rubber franchisees to develop and

execute effective local area marketing at a store

level.

Franchisees also receive the IT infrastructure

required to manage every aspect of business,

including stock control, POS, financial

reporting and benchmarking. The Clark

Rubber IT helpdesk is even on hand to assist

with any system related issues.

A Triumph

Through Time

focUS: c l A r K r u B Be r