Anglo tidies up on Silica franchise

Anglo is to franchise the Silica name, starting with some of the 20 stores acquired from Escom's administrators.

"You have to take these opportunities as they come along," said Stuart Tidy, Anglo chief operating officer. "After setting up the Aptiva centres, full franchising is the next logical step for us."

The 20-plus Escom outlets, dotted around the UK, were chosen by performance and "on commercial instinct", said Tidy. Other premises which would also be included in the franchising scheme are under consideration. Anglo is recruiting experienced shop owner/managers to operate the franchises, which will benefit from a centralised ordering system and a full merchandising service, said Tidy.