Retail franchise Howards Storage World has signed a master franchise in the UK. The first store will open in Edinburgh in October 2009 with another 100 stores anticipated for England, Scotland and Wales over the next 10 years.  

The UK master franchisees, Martin Brown and David Smith have experience in investment banking and commercial real estate. Brown said Howards Storage World responds to a growing demand for stylish and functional home storage solutions.  

“We conducted extensive research into franchising opportunities before discovering Howards Storage World and we immediately saw a highly specialised brand offering that wasn’t available in the UK. We are very optimistic about the market demand for home storage products and see strong potential for this brand to succeed throughout the region.”  

CEO Dirk Spence, above, is confident the Australian brand will fair well in the UK.  

“We’re very excited to be expanding into the UK. Consumers today prefer a specialty retail environment and Howards’ success is largely due to our commitment to delivering great range, quality and service. We continue to strive to excel in these areas and feel consumers in the UK will welcome our highly specialised service offering,” he said.  

The Howards Storage World franchise began in 1997 with the first store located in Northbridge, Sydney and there are now 64 stores throughout Australia and 81 stores internationally. Franchises currently operate in Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Singapore, Ireland and in the Middle East including Dubai and Saudi Arabia.  

Master agreements have been signed for the Benelux Region of Western Europe and the Philippines with stores set to open later this year, and a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed for Scandinavia which encompasses Norway, Sweden and Denmark.