Franchise uses a good finish to build success

Harold Prinsloo, MD, Pick & Build.

So claims the company's MD Harold Prinsloo, who suggests the company's focus on quality finishing is what distinguishes this business from its competitors.

The company forms part of the Real Africa Brands franchise stable, a group with experience in aligning business developers and investors with key opportunities in the franchise arena. The stable covers a number of sectors including construction, real estate, travel, and consumer goods, all considered lucrative industries for small-to-medium business development.

“A key differential quality inherent to us is that we concentrate primarily on finishes, since it represents the bulk of most projects' costs and therefore the ideal opportunity to secure savings for our developers, contractors and home improvers.

This reinforces another unique aspect of the business, the fact that we have been able to cap a lot of unnecessary expenses (due to low infrastructural investment) which once again translates into substantial savings,” says Prinsloo.

To this end, the company has formally initiated a number of supply agreements to streamline its service offering to market.

Foremost on this list is the company's deal with the Blue Zone Group, owner of Blue Zone Imports, and a 30% stakeholder in Pick & Build. ”We chose this route because the Blue Zone Group is a developer with substance that possesses key skills, which, backed by a solid track record in the industry, reinforces our supply and our ability to keep up with trends in the market,” adds Prinsloo.

The implications are positive locally, he continues, but the alliance has also taken root abroad in the form of an office called Urban Building Solutions in mainland China. A South African, Jerry Kuafmann, heads this organisation, which is claimed to represent a solid pathway into the international trading market.

“This relationship cements our turnkey solution offering to the client. Yes, many of our products are imported from China. The perception that imports from this country are of inferior quality is an unfortunate generalisation. The Chinese market is well known for its innovation and rapid production of top-quality material,” says Prinsloo. “And if you are not already importing from China, the chances are that you are not optimizing your profit.”

Prinsloo also confirms the existence of an imminent agreement with a South African public mining company that is in the process of establishing a large cement manufacturing plant in South Africa. This affiliation intends to position Prinsloo's company as one of the top four cement suppliers in the country over the next five years. He says it represents an exception to their traditional focus on finishing products, but he feels that what borders on desperation in market demand, and his company's ability to deliver value through their franchise network, warrants their involvement here.

The Pick & Build franchise has also announced a manufacturing contract signed with Re-Tek Coating Technologies, part of the Re-Tek Engineering Group.

According to the deal, the coating technologies company will be exclusively manufacturing a comprehensive range of SABS-approved Pick & Build branded paints.

Prinsloo says he believes the deal will further elevate his company's competitive market profile as it owns and distributes a complete SABS-approved range of paints to the developer and home improver market.

“Re-Tek has over seventeen years experience in the manufacture, supply and application of paints to industry. It is well known for heavy industrial coating technologies, which provided a solid platform from which to launch into the decorative market. This will allow franchisees to engage the paint contractors market with accredited applicators,” he adds.

He says that in the first three months since its inception as a franchise in the market, his company has sold more than 20 branches; that challenge now is to grow the business without compromising quality.