Kitchen makeover franchise firm Dream Doors has announced the appointment of Bill Owen as the company's new Director of Franchising. Owen is a well-known and respected figure in the franchise world, and has been recruited to help the UK's largest kitchen facelift retailer through a period of unprecedented growth.

Owen is no stranger to both the kitchen industry and franchising, and is the founder of Snack in the Box which, after launching in 1994, grew to become a network of more than 100 franchisees before the business was sold in 2009.

“For me this really is like coming home as, prior to franchising, I trained as a carpenter and then spent the next 18 years in fitted kitchens,” said Bill Owen, Director of Franchising, Dream Doors. “I worked with some of the best known brands in fitted furniture such as Poggenpohl, Siematic and Miele.”

Following the sale of Snack in the Box, Owen was recruited to join the leading cost purchase and supply management franchise, Expense Reduction Analysts (ERA) as its franchise director. Having completed his three-year assigned project with ERA, he then moved to global brand, Sandler Training, where he worked for two more years before his appointment at Dream Doors.

“I can really relate to the challenges facing a Dream Doors franchisee,” Owen continued. “I know what it takes to win business in a customer's home. And I know what it takes to build a successful and profitable business from scratch, having had to do it myself many times before.”

Dream Doors Managing Director, Troy Tappenden, admits that Owen has already provided valuable counsel long before he was on the payroll:

“I am absolutely delighted to have Bill on board to help us all take Dream Doors on to the next level. Several of my head office team already know him as he has been involved with me behind the scenes over a number of years, helping develop Dream Doors with experience, advice and guidance. Many franchisees who attended the Annual Conference in 2014 will have already met Bill, as he was guest speaker on the afternoon programme.”

Tappenden added: “Bill brings with him such a wealth of knowledge and experience in building world class franchise groups. His input will be invaluable, not just to me, but to the whole company as we continue to build our network with high quality new franchisees.”

Dream Doors has launched 10 new franchises in the UK in 2015 alone, and the company recently launched its first franchise in Ireland and also installed its 40,000 kitchen since it launched in 1999. 2014 saw the franchise network's turnover top £20M for the first time and is on target to top £25M in 2015. The company is recruiting new franchisees in selected areas across the country, and currently has four attractive resale opportunities in the Lake District, Teeside, Lanarkshire and Cornwall.