From Wrapit anguish to bliss with gift shop
For Nicola Reading, setting up a franchise with an established national company such as Wrapit seemed to remove some of the risks associated with starting out in business.
“I did feel a lot more security starting a franchise, in that I had this huge company behind me and was part of a national network of franchisees. If ever I needed help or support, it was there, and during the time I was with Wrapit, everything was fine. However, I never, ever thought it would end like it did,” she said.
After five years of successful trading with Wrapit, Mrs Reading was devastated to discover in August last year that the company had gone into administration.
Having run her own wedding list company before joining Wrapit, Mrs Reading’s experience ensured her own franchise became one of the strongest performers in the group – but that counted for very little when the group collapsed.
“It was a terrible time, absolutely awful. I had to let two of my four staff go, and I lost everything – thousands of pounds. I never, not for a second, believed anything like that would ever happen,” said Mrs Reading, who becomes visibly upset at her recollections.
“I had irate customers coming in wanting to know what would happen with their wedding lists and I really didn’t know what to do. I had no answers for them. No one talks to you when a company is in administration.
All I got was a letter – I felt totally helpless.”
However, as well as her Wrapit operation, Mrs Reading also ran her own gift shop, Bliss Gifts, from her premises in Duke Street, Darlington.
Although Wrapit had collapsed, she still felt there was life in the other part of her business.
“I had put my life savings into the business – I couldn’t just give up.
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