Doutor Sofá, founded in 2013, in Joinville, Santa Catarina, and one of the largest cleaning franchise chains specialized in upholstery in the country, went through the pandemic with lightness and growth. The brand participating in Franchising Brasil — a sectoral internationalization program carried out through a partnership between ApexBrasil (Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency) and ABF (Brazilian Franchising Association) — currently has 212 units and plans international expansion to 2022.
The digital operation of the company, which since the beginning has been operating 100% online, enabled a better preparation to manage the business during the pandemic. The units are managed in the “home office” system and customers are prospected through digital marketing. The period even had a positive impact on the demand for the services offered by the company.
“Only few adaptations were necessary in our business model during this period.’’ In addition, Covid-19 has brought extra concern to all people in terms of cleaning, which has increased the demand for this type of work. In addition to not losing any franchise, dozens of franchisees acquired new units throughout this pandemic period”, Raphael Quadros, director of Business Expansion at Doutor Sofá, points out.
In 2019, Doutor Sofá took another big step in its expansion when it started its internationalization process, which was made official in 2021. The expectation for 2022 is to strengthen the brand with the opening of 50 new units in Brazil and another 15 new international units. “We noticed the great demand for companies specialized in upholstery cleaning in different parts of the world. In several countries we visited, people have the habit of replacing the sofa when it gets very dirty, and the same happens with mattresses and chairs. For this reason, we decided to invest in the expansion abroad”, Quadros mentions.
The key markets for the international growth of Doutor Sofá are neighboring countries such as Paraguay and Uruguay, as well as Spain and the United States. For the next 24 months, the company is preparing for more challenges and should receive more franchise operations in new countries on the expansion list, such as Portugal, France, Italy, Chile and Argentina. For the brand’s operations abroad, specific strategies were adopted according to the profile of each country. Spain was awarded a Master Franchisee, and soon another unit will be inaugurated in France.
“We chose this format in Spain due to the peculiarities of that country, considering the local language variations and the great growth potential, which requires a closer presence to the franchisees due to the number of openings planned in the next two years”, Raphael concludes.
Awards and certifications
In 2019, Doutor Sofá was elected the best franchise in the segment in the country by the magazine Pequenas Empresas Grandes Negócios. With its own management system, the company stands out for the quality of its services and the wide support offered to franchisees. This support encompasses all aspects of franchise management, from service pricing to customer after-sales, including the company’s direct role in prospecting customers for each franchised unit, one of the brand’s huge differentials.
“Our marketing team maintains the management of campaigns on social networks, being responsible for more than 70% of the chain’s revenue. In addition to campaign management, all our franchises receive all digital content ready for social networks. In this way, we simplify the operation, so that franchisees can focus their energies and attention on what matters most: Excellent service, quality in the provision of services and excellent administrative management of their unit”, Raphael says.
The chain business also has its own management software, which allows franchisees to manage their business in the palm of their hand, increasing control and allowing them to make strategic decisions based on company data. The company also recently launched the SOFÁFLIX platform, which offers more than 250 training courses for franchisees and unit salespeople, focused on operational training, commercial management, financial management, among others. “Our competitive advantages are responsible for the very high level of satisfaction, which placed Doutor Sofá among the five brands with the most satisfied franchisees in Brazil”, Raphael explains, citing the survey published by the “Guia de Franchises PEGN 2021” (Franchises Guide PEGN 2021), carried out by Serasa Experian, which involved more than 400 participants.
About Franchising Brasil
Franchising Brasil is a joint project of the Brazilian Franchising Association (ABF) and the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil), which aims to support the internationalization strategy of Brazilian franchise chains and their international trade promotion. The initiative was conceived to promote this recognized business model in the main international markets.