Primeast: Franchising and Globalisation
Primeast is a relatively small consultancy, based in Harrogate in the UK, specialising in leadership, change management and teamwork since 1986. During the last decade or so its operation has gone global at the request of clients. These include the biggest publicly owned company in the world and the biggest family business in the world.
The logistics of meeting their needs with 99.9% reliability is a fine art based on careful logistics and maintaining good relationships with an amazing network of over a hundred trainers, coaches, facilitators and consultants around the world.
According to managing director, Russell Evans,
“Most of Primeast’s network relationships have remained simple – between us and the individual. But every now and then operational circumstances prompt smarter ways of working. For example, when one of our clients decided to establish business service centres in Eastern Eurpope, we forged alliances with two organisations based in Prague and Budapest who are now formally Primeast offices.”
“Similarly, Primeast has recently enjoyed significant work in the growing economies of Africa, including Nigeria, Ghana, Chad, Malawi, Botswana, Cameroon, Egypt, Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe. In the process we made a contact in Malawi who became an enthusiast member of the Primeast team and who now runs our Southern Africa operation.”
“For us, growing international offices is a function of operational need and the right relationships. We ask three questions:
- Is there good synergy between our values?
- Is there a commercial benefit to both parties?
- Does everyone want to work together to make this work for the long-haul?
If the answer to these questions is positive, we make things happen.
Not all our international offices are built on a pure franchising model. Our agreements with them are all slightly different, reflecting market conditions, geography and other commercial needs. They all took time and careful dialogue to put in place. But the main thing is they are all regarded as equal members of the Primeast family of businesses.”
Russell Evans,
Managing Director, Primeast.
