Driving through global expansion

A company that can claim to have founded its own industry, NOVUS has been providing an alternative to replacing windscreens in the USA for 34 years and has established its operations in 42 other countries. Now the company is seeking to further expand its presence across Europe by granting Master Licences

Text: NOVUS Senior Vice President Keith Beveridge

Best known for inventing windscreen repair, NOVUS® Auto Glass Repair and Replacement is the world's leading auto glass service franchise. NOVUS has been ranked the number one licence opportunity in its category (Windscreen and Glass Repair) every year for the past 14 years by Entrepreneur magazine.

Since 1972, NOVUS has become internationally recognised as a superior provider of windscreen repair and replacement. NOVUS has a network of over 2,000 locations worldwide that serve insurance companies, commercial fleets, new and used automobile dealerships, automobile and truck rental companies, government agencies and the retail marketplace. NOVUS Auto Glass Repair and Replacement service is available to millions of people in over 42 countries in Europe, North and South America, Asia, Africa, Australasia, and the Middle East.

As the inventor of windscreen repair, NOVUS revolutionised the auto glass industry by offering a convenient, economical alternative to windscreen replacement. "Repair First, Replace When Necessary"® is NOVUS's philosophy that distinguishes itself from the average auto glass shop in the eyes of insurance companies, fleets and consumers. A NOVUS windscreen repair can be completed in approximately 25 minutes and is backed by a lifetime guarantee that ensures the repair will restore strength and clarity to the glass, halt the further spread of damage, and pass vehicle inspection for as long as the customer owns the vehicle or the NOVUS licensee will refund the cost of the repair. Over 25 million NOVUS repairs have been performed worldwide, which has allowed NOVUS to become so widely recognised and respected as the inventor and premier provider of the windscreen repair process that its name is virtually synonymous with windscreen repair.

For windscreen damage that is too large to be repaired, the NOVUS business model also includes high quality auto glass replacement services. The replacement of windscreens and other auto glass parts allows NOVUS licensees to qualify as full-service auto glass companies capable of fulfilling every customer's auto glass needs.

Supplementing the core businesses of windscreen repair and replacement, NOVUS offers its international partners other products and services to help make their businesses more profitable. NOVUS is the world's first automotive service company to specialise in the surface restoration of motor vehicles. Specifically, SRP Scratch Removal, SRP Paint Restoration and NOVUS Plastic Polish are natural additions to this business model. As the industry evolves, NOVUS is committed to employing its considerable research and development capabilities to find new opportunities for its international associates.

With over 30 years of experience, NOVUS's reputation for product and service excellence sets it apart from the average auto glass service provider. In fact, NOVUS holds more windscreen repair patents than any other company in the field and the NOVUS windscreen repair system has passed every windscreen repair test in the world. The equipment and resins are manufactured by NOVUS to its own exacting standards, bringing to its customers the very best that windscreen repair and replacement technology has to offer.

NOVUS's pre-eminent position in the marketplace is not only based upon longevity, but upon evolving full-time, in-house research and development efforts, front line training programmes, hard-hitting, franchisee-developed marketing programmes and the dedication of licensees and investors who want to maximise their opportunities to build equity for themselves and their families. The NOVUS network is composed of individuals who desire to build opportunity guided by the benefits of a corporation that has employed its financial capabilities to perfect a system that empowers entrepreneurs to achieve their goals. NOVUS offers its licensees an established, successful business, the world's best windscreen repair system, fixed or mobile locations, and equally important, the continuing advice, expertise, services, supplies and equipment of NOVUS.

The increasing world vehicle population will strengthen the demand for NOVUS Auto Glass Repair and Replacement services, as will the necessity for an environmentally friendly solution to windscreen replacement, such as windscreen repair. Windscreens are not biodegradable and windscreen repair allows windscreens to continue to be used.

The NOVUS international expansion strategy is to grant Master licences for territories or regions. The Master licensee is then responsible for developing their market by recruiting, training and supporting the licences for that area. The NOVUS goal is to establish a long-term relationship with our licensees. NOVUS seeks individuals with an entrepreneurial spirit to become Master licensees to develop the NOVUS windscreen repair and replacement concept in a specific territory and manage a network of sub-licensees. NOVUS's most recent expansion includes appointing a Master licensee for Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, which has plans for development of 40 total locations by 2007. NOVUS is currently seeking Master licensees in Western and Eastern Europe.

Whether repair or replacement, the "NOVUS Difference" is readily apparent in the results created by our superior training programme, equipment and the NOVUS licensees' determination that every job will be done correctly the "first time, every time". NOVUS customers know the name NOVUS is their assurance of the highest quality, most convenient auto glass service available anywhere.