Chris Wootton of the Poppies franchise helps to clean up the industry

Wootton has taken up a specialist advisory role with the DCA to raise the standards of the sector

Chris Wootton, managing director of Poppies cleaning franchise, has taken up a specialist advisory role with the Domestic Cleaning Alliance (DCA) in order to help raise the image and standards of the sector.

“Until the formation of the DCA, the industry had no regulation and no central voice,” explains Wootton. “I’ve been the owner of a cleaning business for almost 25 years and the owner of the Poppies cleaning franchise since 2018. I can vouch for the fact that, individually, there are a lot of business owners out there trying to do the right thing. But it’s only by joining forces and uniting under one banner that we can truly create a change. When the opportunity arose to join the DCA in this capacity, I jumped at the chance.”

Part of the British Cleaning Council (BCC), the DCA was established in March 2014 to take responsibility for a previously unrepresented sector of the UK cleaning industry. The association gained immediate popularity amongst cleaning companies nationwide and now supports over 175 members. Today, the organisation remains the only body representing the UK domestic cleaning sector to sit on the board of the BCC and hold a seat at bi-annual meetings of the Health & Safety Executive Cleaning Industry Liaison Forum.

The specialist advisory panel is made up of solo cleaners, independent small businesses and now, with the addition of Poppies, a national franchise network. Wootton and his fellow industry representatives are working alongside the DCA to develop a series of best practice guides for the sector. 

Under Wootton’ ownership, the Poppies franchise is a member of the British Franchise Association. As both a franchisor and the owner of his own Poppies cleaning business in West Lancashire, Wootton understands the value and importance of trade associations only too well.

“By sharing collective knowledge and experience, every brand and every business owner stands to gain. As a result, employees and customers will feel the benefits too,” says Wootton. “It’s a principle that I champion as part of the franchise industry and, after close to 25 years in the domestic cleaning industry, I’m passionate about supporting the DCA and BCC too. This is a voluntary role and it’s something that I’m both pleased and proud to undertake on behalf of Poppies and our network of franchisees.”

The first Poppies franchise was launched in 1984 and is still going strong! Today, the 22-strong franchise network provides high-quality cleaning to over 6000 homes on a weekly, fortnightly or monthly basis in line with clients’ individual needs. Generating an impressive combined turnover of more than £5m, the Poppies franchise offers an exciting opportunity for prospective business owners to capitalise on an industry worth £4.7bn.

“We’re delighted to have the support of Chris and the Poppies brand,” says DCA director, Stephen Munton. “The addition of such a well-established, national franchise network to our knowledge base is a great advantage. As an organisation, we recognise the challenges faced by our members and strive to provide advice and resources to support legitimate cleaning company owners in their quest to run their service to the best of their ability. By developing a strict code of conduct and best practice guidelines, we enable our members to uphold standards and ethics which set them apart and build trust and credibility with the public.”