Founded in 2001, The Maleux Group is a Melbourne-based glass company that is looking to franchise the glass restoration arm of its business, Unscratch the Surface.

“At the moment we have four full time employees and two contractors who service Melbourne and we can’t keep up with the demand.

“We keep pushing work out to over a month and clients want the job done now, which is why we are looking to franchise the business,” says sales and marketing manager Stephen Williams.

Unscratch the Surface specialises in the removal of scratches from windows, kitchen splashbacks, shower screens, mirrors, glass fencing, balustrades and public transport, among others, and they cater to the needs of both domestic and commercial clients.

“In commercial we take the scratch out of the glass and also put a film over it to protect it from being scratched again.

“The glue goes into the scratch to clear the glass up, but then should someone scratch it like that again business owners can simply peel the film off and put another layer on. The idea is they scratch the film rather than the glass which is much cheaper,” explains Williams.

He says the practice of glass restoration is an environmentally friendly one. “The environmental benefit is that we physically stop landfill because we eliminate the need for glass which would otherwise be smashed up and put in landfill to be completely replaced.” 

The brand is looking for franchisees that can service and manage their own territory, and national expansion is on the cards.

“We are initially looking for five franchisees in Melbourne, five in Sydney and four to five in Brisbane, along with other parts of the country,” Williams says.

Unscratch the Surface was called upon to repair this glass panel. Image: facebook.com/restoreglass

Franchisees do not need an apprenticeship or any prior experience in the business of glass restoration. “Zero experience is required. We educate franchisees and provide them with quality tools to make sure they pick the skills up.

“Attention to detail and customer service are the two most important qualities we look for in a franchisee, because problem solving is our primary aim. Customers ring us with a problem, and we solve that problem.”

Initial training spans one week, and ongoing training is also provided. “We communicate new techniques to franchisees via emails, phone calls and conferences and teach them all of those new techniques.

“The industry has only been around for four years, so as new techniques emerge we will continue to pass them along to all of our franchisees,” Williams explains.

Support staff, including Williams himself, will be on hand to assist franchisees when they open their business.

“When franchisees come on board my efforts as a sales and marketing person will be focused on ensuring they are completely comfortable and their business is up and running before I walk away.

“If we were to sell a franchise in Darwin for instance, all of my efforts would be focused up there. We would travel up there, facilitate training and look at all the different marketing avenues and techniques that are best suited to that location,” says Williams.

The finished result. Image: facebook.com/restoreglass

Unsratch the Service uses customer relationship management software, a tool that is designed to help franchisees and their staff manage their workflows. 

“It tracks from the initial meeting with the customer right through to the invoice stage and winning of the job.

“At any time the franchisee can push a button and see exactly how many quotes in dollars they have out there and how many jobs they have won but are yet to do, among others.”

Unscratch the Surface franchises start at $55,000 excluding GST, and there is a 10 percent royalty fee, along with a five percent marketing fee.

Williams says there has never been a better time to invest in an Unscratch the Surface franchise as the brand’s services are in high demand. 

“There is a trend towards houses and buildings using more glass, particularly large glass panels which can be incredibly expensive to replace, so people are looking for alternatives to completely replacing it.

“Glass restoration is a huge demand market with little competition – our biggest competitor is people not knowing that we can repair glass – they are constantly ringing glaziers who tell them they need to replace the glass which is not true.”