Award Winning Recruitment Franchise Agency In Darlington For Sale

Darlington, County Durham, UK

Asking Price:: £50K - £100K

Turnover:: £200K - £500K

Net Profit:: On request

The business covers a large territory, consisting of the DL1–17 postcodes, and primarily supplies temporary workers (e.g. drivers) to a wide range of clients across many sectors.
Driver Hire is the UK’s largest specialist logistics recruiter, with over 100 offices nationwide.

Established for 40 years, Driver Hire has found success as a recruitment business due to its proven formula, which combines a market-leading brand name, robust business systems, and comprehensive training and support.

Driver Hire is also one of the UK’s most successful and highly respected franchise brands:

bfa HSBC Franchisor of the Year Silver Winner in 2022 & 2023 and Gold Winner in 2019
Elite Franchise Franchisor of the Year 2023
Regular Finalist (15 out of the last 19 years) and an eighttimes award winner in the bfa HSBC Franchisor of the Year awards

As a Driver Hire franchise business owner, you’ll specialise in providing staff and services to the transport & logistics sector, serving professional clients in both private and public organisations.

Customer sectors are very wide-ranging and include haulage, parcel delivery, retail, construction, oil and gas, recycling, and local councils, to name just a few.

The number of potential customers for our franchisees is huge. Essentially, any company operating a fleet of vehicles could benefit from the transport services and drivers supplied by Driver Hire.

Looking back at the last financial year, 2024/25 Driver Hire achieved the following:

Average turnover was £1.3m, and top offices generated over £3m turnover.
77% of Driver Hire franchises achieved sales of over £750,000
56% of Driver Hire franchises achieved sales of over £1million
15% of Driver Hire franchises achieved sales of over £2million

Financial details and profit figures for Driver Hire Darlington can be provided following an initial conversation.

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Property Information

Location:: This business is currently operated by Driver Hire (the franchisor), based from its Bradford head office.

Premises Details:: The new business owner will need to lease premises located in the DL postcode territory. This could be a serviced office on an industrial estate, for example.

Business Operation

Expansion Potential:

Demand for temporary drivers is huge, with this market alone estimated to be worth £3b-£4b per annum, in the UK. Even though Driver Hire is the UK’s largest specialist provider, it still holds a relatively low market share.

Therefore, the Darlington business still provides plenty of scope for significant growth.

In addition to supplying temporary staff (drivers and non-driving staff), Driver Hire franchisees can generate revenue from providing permanent staff, and promoting other Driver Hire products.

Competition / Market:

The recruitment sector (including logistics recruitment) is a thriving and competitive market. Our franchisees benefit from an extremely strong brand, proven business processes and extensive support. Combined with the hard work, motivation and commitment of the franchise owner, Driver Hire has a competitive edge which helps ensure its franchisees consistently succeed.

As mentioned earlier, the average full year turnover of a Driver Hire business (single office) for 2024/25 was £1.3m and top offices over £3m.

Reasons for selling:: The business is currently operated by Driver Hire (the franchisor), who is looking for a local person to take the business to the next level.

Trading hours:: Typically, 08.30 –16.30 office hours, with 24/7 on-call provided by your business.

Employees:: The business is currently operated by staff based from Driver Hire's head office in Bradford. The new owner will need to employ at least one new member of staff.

Years established:: Driver Hire is a well-established service provider in Darlington, having supplied customers from 1992 to present, and with a dedicated Darlington office since 2011.

Franchise Information

Franchise opportunity:: Franchise Resale

Franchise terms:: The successful applicant will sign a new 5-year agreement with the Franchisor, with a right to renew for a further 5 years.

Other Information

Support & training:

As you would expect from a leading franchise, Driver Hire (the franchisor) provides you with a comprehensive support package, helping you to plan, launch and develop your business to its maximum potential.

The initial training includes a 2-week Foundation Course, and typically, time in a Driver Hire office - helping to get you off to a good start. Once you take over the business, and over the coming months, you will then be guided and supported by your Driver Hire Area Development Manager).

Support from the various Driver Hire head office teams (c 70 staff) is available during offices hours: marketing, national accounts, IT, finance, compliance, and HR.

In addition, you will have plenty of opportunities to learn from fellow franchisees, through regional meetings, Driver Hire’s online forum, and simply from talking over the phone (especially with your neighbouring franchisees).

Driver Hire’s support is one major reason for its external recognition. Driver Hire is an eight-times bfa HSBC Franchisor of the Year award winner, including the Franchisor of the Year Gold award in 2019, and Silver in 2022 and 2023.

Driver Hire is ranked the top recruitment franchise in the Elite Franchise Top 100 list for every year from 2018 to 2025 (and currently placed 5th across all franchise brands).

Driver Hire is a full British Franchise Association member and Graham Duckworth, Driver Hire’s Franchise Sales Director, holds the bfa’s ‘Qualified Franchise Professional’ certification.

Financing available:: Funding for Driver Hire franchises is available through major banks and other lenders. We will gladly provide further information and recommendations.