Vehicle repair firm recognised as one of the best franchises in the UK

A business owner’s bold decision to relocate his vehicle paint repair firm from London to Staffordshire has proven to be a choice well-made, after his franchise was lauded as one of the best in the country.

Scott Gosbell’s business Revive! Stoke, which operates out of a 50+ UK-wide franchise network, has been recognised as the best franchise in the region after clinching the Federation of Small Business’ (FSB) prestigious West Midlands ‘Franchise of the Year Award’. Scott and his team will now be entered for the national FSB Business Awards ceremony in Blackpool on 9 May, where they will discover whether they have won the national award.

This success comes after Scott relocated his young family, and business, to rural Staffordshire after five years operating Revive!’s West London franchise from 2013 to 2018. Despite making a financial success of the business, Scott decided that the bustling lifestyle in the capital wasn’t right for his family, and when he saw the opportunity to move to rural Staffordshire – he leapt at the chance.

The business has since gone from strength to strength following the move to Staffordshire in 2018 – with his franchise covering Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyne, Stafford, Cannock and surrounding areas.

After impressive growth, doubling from 2022 to 2023 (+116 per cent), Scott purchased the neighbouring Stafford territory to expand his already booming SMART (small-to-medium-repair-technique) repair business, which employs four repair technicians and a full-time administrator.

Scott credits the growth of his business to demand from Staffordshire’s rural communities for a mobile service, which sees one of the team visit the customer’s home or place of work to repair bodywork and alloy wheel damage.

Business owner, Scott Gosbell, commented: “London was no longer the place for us, so it wasn’t a difficult decision. Our home now is in a little country village. We have more space; people are more friendly, and our family has a far better quality of life here.

“We are particularly glad to have been able to cater to motorists in the counties’ towns and villages, who would otherwise be inconvenienced by having to drive to a bodyshop miles away and wait for their car to be repaired. People’s cars play an important role in their lives, so we are always happy to do our bit and keep the people of Staffordshire’s cars looking good as new.”