Page 22 - Print21 magazine Sep-Oct 2022

Print Profile
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“Operations are the heart of the business, the front line. The purpose of the support office is to clear
the path for the operations team
to be able to help our franchisees. When they go to a store to do what
I call, a structured store visit, they must add benefit. It’s not a flag- waving exercise, it’s not a finance management thing, and it’s not a discussion about technology. All those things are what the support office does. The operations team must add real benefit to the franchisees and it’s my job to remove the layers to make sure they do. That’s the way I operate.”
One of his first actions was to increase the operations team with a dedicated manager for NSW in support of the national operations manager. He confirmed the board had approved the appointment.
Buy for the group
A universally recognised benefit of being part of a larger group, such
as a franchise, is its buying power. Jarrett is about to consolidate the supply chain for Snap, negotiating with suppliers on behalf of the entire group. This is a radical first. Currently the stores buy ad hoc, each store owner dealing with industry suppliers without the leverage of the entire group. He admits that while most franchisees appear to like the idea, some are sceptical, waiting to see how it will turn out.
Biggest print franchise in the country: Snap has 120 stores here
leasing advisory group. It’s a layer of protection for our franchisees when dealing with property. So far they’ve worked with four of our franchisees on their leases. It’s part of ensuring their protection and getting the right arrangements in place.”
Protecting the brand
Jarrett is protective of the Snap name, which he sees as a “heritage brand.” He plans to revamp the marketing, and he wants to refocus Snap on its traditional printing orientation. Some years ago it removed the word ‘print’ from its name, and while Jarrett is not about to rush in and re-brand, he has plans.
He says, “Snap is a fantastic brand, owned by a third generation of the same family. But it has relied on that brand for a long time and has not truly evolved.
“My understanding is that print needs to be attached to our brand, that Snap goes with print. We
are the professionals in the print industry. Customers need to know that you come into Snap for top- level professional printing with a value proposition attached to other services to help drive your business as a true business partner. But first I’m of the view that Snap needs to be aligned with print.
“I want to get Snap back to top
of mind. Before we do anything significant to the branding of the Snap world it will be researched to get a clear understanding. When you’re a brand with such heritage, you need to be extremely precise and look to the future and the impact it will have in years from now.”
Doing the research
Jarrett comes across as an executive with a sharp focus on the value of doing the research before making any decisions. One of his first major projects is initiating research into the expectations of Snap customers.
“I can’t go and make significant changes until I fix what we’ve already got. The first priority is to make us strong and stable, to get my franchisees protected and on the right path. Research takes away the assumptions, and concentrates on what the customer needs. Customer research is all about defining what are the expectations of customers.”
He is clear on the value the franchise can deliver in terms of growth and market orientation. He nominates providing appropriate tools in terms of technology, of relationships with suppliers and marketing as the most significant areas of assistance.
He says, “One of the key benefits we can offer is to introduce new customers and additional products. Our business managers are looking at increasing the customer base
for our franchisees, ensuring they become regular customers that we can manage. That’s a big benefit.
“It’s not easy and you have to be consistent, you have to understand your target and why you’re there.
At Snap, part of what we’ll be
doing is a complete revisit of our market plan. I’ve done this in
every brand I’ve ever worked with. It’s scientifically driven through research to understand exactly what the proposition is, and who your customers are. Then through the science of market-plan mapping
we can truly look inside the demographics of each territory, so you now have a clear target.
“You look at your existing network and make sure they’re up to date with what’s happening in their territories. The market plan will also give us a future plan of where Snap should be. I’m not about to put a figure on that growth, but ask me the question two years from now.
“One thing you should know about me, I’m not a caretaker; I’m here to grow Snap.” 21
“Franchisees aren’t experts in negotiating and understanding rents and leases.
I bring in the experts in those fields.”
Jarrett is also seeking to add a layer of protection to the franchisees in relation to such activities as rent and leasing. In the aftermath of
the Covid rent amnesty he believes landlords are poised to claw back returns on their investment.
“Government support during Covid was significant. It was really very good, but that’s gone now. We've got to work with our franchisees
on discovering what their true positioning is. We’ve also got landlords to deal with who want to claw back their losses. We’ve got to manage that for our franchisees.
“Franchisees aren’t experts in negotiating and understanding rents and leases. I bring in the experts in those fields. I work with a group called Franklin Shanks, a
22 Print21 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022