your future, partner agent programme your success · opportunities for them to live better today...

Ready?The future is exciting.

Your future, your success

Partner Agent Programme

“I’m really excited to offer you the prospect to be the pioneers of the Vodafone Partner Agent programme here in the UK.”

Chris Wilkins, Head of Franchise

Across all Vodafone European markets, the vast majority of our stores are owned and led successfully by Partners – bringing this opportunity to the UK means people, like yourselves, have the chance to build a successful business with the backing of our global brand Timing couldn’t be better with the launch of exciting products like our V by Vodafone range. This brings Vodafone’s award winning network to life through the range of exciting, new and innovative products which we are first to market with in the UK. When you add this to our existing range of the latest handsets, Sim offerings and our Home Broadband proposition it really does make us stand out on the high street- all of which to help bring more customers through your doors. Good luck on your journey with Vodafone and the Partner Agent programme.

Our valuesOur story A trip down memory lane

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The franchise opportunity Getting the ball rolling One last thing FAQs Contact UsWe can help you growCould you be our next partner?

NI G E R I A • A L B A N I A • G H A N A • N E W

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BIQUE HUNGARY •

CZECH REPU

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E S O T H O • I T A LY • M A LT A • I N D I A

Ours is a story of investment, innovation and award-winning customer service.

We’re one of the world’s leading mobile communications providers, operating in 26 countries and in partnership with networks in over 55 more. We have almost 444 million customers and around 19.5 million in the UK. Pretty impressive, right?

But we believe our success is down to more than hitting big numbers – it’s about being passionate about what we do. Calls made on our network can make a big difference to someone’s day – making them laugh, or smile, or delivering life-changing news. We’re proud to be part of that, and always have been.

O u r s t o r y

A U S T R A L I A • K E N YA • N E T HE R

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• ROMANIA • SPAIN •

EGYPT

UK • S

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A • TU R K E Y • D R C O N

GO

O P E R A T I N G I N 2 6 C O U N T R I E S

Our story A trip down memory lane

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Our values The franchise opportunity Getting the ball rolling One last thing FAQs Contact UsWe can help you growCould you be our next partner?

2 0 0 1

Vodafone becomes the first network to offer Pay monthly customers the ability to roam

2 0 1 6

Vodafone becomes the first UK telecoms company to abolish line rental for broadband

2 0 1 7

Vodafone is the first UK operator to abolish roaming charges across 50 European destinations, with the launch of Vodafone Global Roaming

2 0 0 1

The first 3G voice call is made over Vodafone’s initial 3G network of 3 radio base stations in the Thames Valley

2 0 0 2

Vodafone launches the first European GPRS roaming service

2 0 1 7

Vodafone open their first Partner Agent store

2 0 1 8

The first UK operator to abolish roaming charges across 50 European destinations and most recently, Vodafone have made the UK’s first ever holographic phone call using 5G

1 9 8 5

The first call is made from St. Katherine’s Dock in London to Newbury on 1 January 1985

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The first network operator in the UK to launch pay monthly analogue package

1 9 9 1

Vodafone and Telecom Finland make the world’s first international roaming call

A t r i p d o w n m e m o r y l a n e

Our values The franchise opportunity Getting the ball rolling One last thing FAQs Contact UsWe can help you growCould you be our next partner?Our story A trip down memory lane

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As you can see, we strive to be the ‘first’ as much as possible. With the internet, digital technology and mobile innovation driving unimaginable change, we aim to lead at every opportunity.

Our values The franchise opportunity Getting the ball rolling One last thing FAQs Contact UsWe can help you growCould you be our next partner?Our story A trip down memory lane

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Speed, simplicity and trust are at the core of our business. By being quick to deliver and clear in what we say and do, our customers will continue to believe in us.

At Vodafone we exist to connect people, creating opportunities for them to live better today and build a better tomorrow. In order to achieve this, we ensure we are always:

Our franchise systems, otherwise known as the Partner Agent Programme, are set up all over the world. 80% of our global retail estate has seen investment and there are already 88 Partner stores in the UK (as of Feb’19). We’re using the skills we’ve learnt over the last 20 years to give our partners the best chance to shine.

O u r v a l u e s

Ready to connect with others

Ready to shape the future

Ready to be our best

We want partners who share this

vision and passion


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The franchise opportunityOur values Getting the ball rolling One last thing FAQs Contact UsWe can help you growCould you be our next partner?

C o u l d y o u b e o u r n e x t p a r t n e r ?

“I have always envisioned running my own business and when the Vodafone Franchise program (Partner Agent Programme) was launched I was interested from the outset.” Steven Marshall, Partner, Lancaster store


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We are looking for passionate, committed entrepreneurs who share the Vodafone values and goals to join our Partner Agent network. We want our Partners to be hands on and involved in the day to day running of the business. Investing in one of our stores means you become an ambassador of a big-name brand with all its support, while keeping the freedom of being your own boss. After all, you’re not a franchisee, you’re our partner.

Candidates must be

• A strong leader and communicator

• Optimistic and motivated

• A team player

• Results driven

• Have financial aptitude

• Adaptable

It is not essential for you to have retail experience, however knowledge of the retail industry is a must.

Preferable experience includes:

• Franchising

• Sales

C o u l d y o u b e o u r n e x t p a r t n e r ?


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T h e f r a n c h i s e o p p o r t u n i t y

“Vodafone are really open with us; they share their successes or things they would have done differently.”Julian & Lucy Fernando, Partner, Windsor & Maidenhead stores

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The franchise opportunityOur values Getting the ball rolling One last thing FAQs Contact UsWe can help you growCould you be our next partner?Our story A trip down memory lane


No upfront costWe don’t ask for any upfront fees. All you need to do is demonstrate you have access to funds that cover the cost of running your business for the first 3 months, which typically ranges from £60k-£100k. (We’ll provide specific financial details for your chosen stores once you have signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement.)

Every month, you’ll receive a commissions payment from us for last month’s sales. We handle everything else, including marketing, building maintenance, point of sale, IT support and staff training, so you can concentrate on what you do best – running a successful business.

We’re nationally recognised by the main players in the banking business. They know our model and often offer bespoke Vodafone Partner Agent arrangements. We can put you in contact with the banks should you need to secure a loan to cover the funds needed to start you off (subject to status).

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Fully established storesYour store comes stocked, staffed and ready to go, so you can hit the ground running from day one. Most of our Partners start with one or two stores then, once they’ve got themselves up and running, they take on further stores. You could end up running as many as three Vodafone stores!

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We’ve got you covered

The rewards are yours

We let you focus on hitting your targets and managing your team – everything else is covered by us. With over 20 years’ experience, Vodafone knows what works and what doesn’t, so we have all the tools to be able to support you and your business to reach its full potential.

On average, you could earn between £45k and £100k per year depending on the number of stores you take. These figures are uncapped, so it’s completely in your control to earn even more.


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W e c a n h e l p y o u g r o w

“It’s been a real positive journey so far and I wouldn’t change it for the world, I would definitely recommend anyone to get involved.”Neil Witney, Partner, Newport, Havant and Eastleigh stores

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Our story The franchise opportunityOur values Getting the ball rolling One last thing FAQs Contact UsWe can help you growCould you be our next partner?Our story A trip down memory lane

Before you sign on the dotted line, you’ll go on a 2-day workshop with Franchise Finance. This workshop consists of:

– Introducing you to a business plan and a financial projections template which you will use to produce your own business plan with the assistance of a tutor.

– General training on business finance and accounts to enable you to monitor your business performance using key performance indicators.

– Guidance on the following: Business Objectives, Market Information, The Competition, USP’s, Marketing Strategy, Staffing Structures and projected sales figures for the first 3 years of your business.


Quality training


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You’ll spend one month shadowing a fellow Partner or Store Manager providing you with the best training possible to hit the ground running once you own your own store. Your local Regional Manager will work with you on a regular basis to assist with monitoring the performance of your business and your KPI’s. You will be sent targets and a new rate card on a monthly basis with which you can use to set performance targets for your team.

Further training will be provided should you or your team need it and online training material is provided on a regular basis to keep you up to date.

You will be assigned a local Regional Manager who will work with you on a regular basis to assist with monitoring the performance of the business and KPI’s. You will be sent targets and a new rate card on a monthly basis, which you can use to set performance targets for your team.

Hit the ground running


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Although a fully experienced team of staff will be provided with your store, should you ever need to recruit more staff our recruitment team at our headquarters will provide you with extensive support. We’ll advertise the role and assess candidates before booking them in for a face to face interview with you. You will then provide us with feedback and successful candidates will be processed to offer.

Once all the necessary Security Watchdog checks have been carried out, a start date will be confirmed and the candidate will be scheduled to attend the next induction date. All new starters will be booked onto the Vodafone 12-week induction programme and attend the 4-day classroom. All new starters will also need to complete 7 Mandatory training modules, and an additional 2 are available if you have a new manager start with you.


Recruiting the best talent


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In store marketing collateral and POS will be provided to you free of charge, and will be sent directly to the store – all you need to do is implement it. You will receive a marketing collateral package on a monthly basis with e-instructions on our online forum, Fuse, explaining where POS needs to go and how you implement the promotions in store.

You will also be provided tools such as a Trading Toolkit which is a document that you can use to train your team on the current promotions in store. Social media strategies are taken care of by the team at the Vodafone HQ. The nationwide marketing strategy aims to push customers into all Partner stores.

Branding and marketing


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G e t t i n g t h e b a l l r o l l i n g – t h e n e x t s t e p s

“If you want to become your own boss but still have the support of a massive brand behind you then why wouldn’t you choose Vodafone? You’d be nuts not to”Neil Witney, Partner, Newport, Havant and Eastleigh stores


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Register your interest

First Interview Final Interview

We’re looking for committed and driven external entrepreneurs who want to own a small number of stores in the UK on our Partner Agent Programme. Investing in one of our stores means you become an ambassador of a big-name brand with all its support, while still keeping the freedom of being your own boss. If you think this is you, apply online at www.vodafone.co.uk/franchise now.

At this stage you will have already received the operating costs and commercial performance of the locations you have chosen. Using this information, we will ask you to present your initial ideas and plans for the business.

This is where you will present your final business plan. You will present your ideas and what your plan is to succeed as a partner.

We will then ask you to attend a 2-day course with Franchise Finance where you will meet other potential Partners and be taught how to build your business plan.

2-day course with Franchise Finance

S I X S E V E N

O N E T W O T H R E E

F O U R F I V E

Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)

We’ll ask you to sign an NDA, so we can discuss the programme with you in more detail and provide you with more specific information about the commercial opportunity.

Discovery Day

Once we’ve received your CV and application form, these will be reviewed. If successful, we’ll be in touch to invite you to attend one of our Discovery Days where we’ll provide you with more information about the opportunity and you’ll be able to ask any questions you may have.

Undergo background and financial checks


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G e t t i n g t h e b a l l r o l l i n g – t h e n e x t s t e p s

A conditional offer interest

E I G H T

4 week induction into Vodafone

Open your storeN I N E T E N


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O n e l a s t t h i n g

Unfortunately, you can’t apply for our Partner Agent Programme if you already have another business that’s the same, similar to, or in competition with a Vodafone store. This includes any business that offers services or products that are a conflict of interest with those sold at a Vodafone store.


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F A Q ’ s


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F A Q ’ s

Why have Vodafone started franchising?

With 80% of our global retail estate franchise stores, it seemed like the next logical step for Vodafone UK to follow. It has provided us with the opportunity to work with external entrepreneurs who have brought fresh eyes to the company allowing us to learn and develop with their help. We also hope it will provide us with the opportunity to open stores in new places with Partners who have knowledge of the local area and its community.

You don’t ask for any money up front, what’s the catch?

There is no catch. We simply want to provide entrepreneurs with their time to shine. As long as you can demonstrate access to funds that cover the cost of running your business for the first 3 months then this is all you need financially. If you don’t have enough funds, we are recognised by major banks who are familiar with our franchise model and will be happy to discuss a bespoke arrangement with you.

How long is the franchise agreement?

Each franchise agreement differs depending on the term of the store’s lease.

Which Vodafone stores do you have available?

We are negotiable on which areas are available but we hope you already have an area in mind already. Once you have applied, we will discuss available stores with you in more detail. Stores within the M25 are very limited.

How many stores can I have?

You can get up to three stores, but most of our Partners start with one or two and expand once they are up and running.

How much money can I make as a Vodafone Partner?

On average, you could earn between £45k and £100k year, depending on the number of stores you own. What’s more, these numbers are uncapped and it’s in your control to earn even more. The more you and your team put in, the more potential profit you could make!

Who employs my staff?

You do. You will be responsible for managing all your staff. The Vodafone Recruitment Team at HQ in Newbury will provide full support with recruiting new staff members.

Do I need to have a retail background to become a Partner?

Retail experience is an advantage but not essential however, we do require you to have knowledge of the retail industry.

Do I need to become a limited company?

Yes, in order to become a partner, you will need to create a limited company to operate from. This will happen once you have completed the assessment centre, but before we start commercial negotiations.

Will I have to quit my full time role to become a Partner?

Yes, we expect being a Partner to be your full time job. As you are responsible for your own success we anticipate you will want to be at the forefront of everything your company does.

Will we be able to purchase additional lines in accessories or only range Vodafone approved stock?

Partners will only be able to stock Vodafone approved stock as sourced by Vodafone. All stock is owned by Vodafone; you will be paid a commission on the stock you sell.


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C o n t a c t u s

Is Vodafone the next step in your career? Do you want to find out more?

Apply on the following link to get the ball rolling www.vodafone.co.uk/franchise


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your future, partner agent programme your success · opportunities for them to live better today...

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