A  Cypriot Success Story

Andreas Protopapas knows a thing or two about cleaning and hygiene products. His enthusiasm for his chemical supplies business is only exceeded by his passion for Chelsea Football Club and Anorthosis Famagusta FC. So what makes an ex finance manager take the plunge into the heady heights of business ownership?

Andreas worked for 13 years with Shell in Cyprus and Ireland. After Shell closed down its operations in Cyprus he spent a short time with a local IBM distributorship. Having worked for a large company and being used to the autonomy of decision making and professional culture, Andreas decided it was time to do something completely different.

Looking through the pages of the Daily Telegraph in the UK, Andreas chanced upon an advert from a UK based cleaning and hygiene franchise. After an exchange of letters and a few telephone calls he booked a flight and visited Chemex International Ltd, a West Midlands based company.

Sufficiently impressed at the level of professionalism and the quality of the products Andreas visited a Chemex master franchisor in Ireland and a few UK franchisees before deciding to open his Cyprus based business – Chemclean Supplies Ltd.

Looking back over the last 13 years with Chemex, Andreas is quick to point out that it wasn’t all plain sailing. The first two years were hard. It was a life changing experience.

He comments “ I stuck at it and worked hard for a good six-seven years before I could truly consider myself an established and well known business in Cyprus”, he adds “ I identified a market for good quality products that set me apart from the cheap and poor quality competitors.

 I worked hard to look after my customers and gradually people started to get to know me and my products. The level of service you give your customers is of paramount importance and many of my customers have grown with me and expanded over the years. Most of my new customers come through referral these days.

When asked what made him succeed and what advice he might have for anyone setting up in business on their own he was very forthcoming and direct in his response. “ You will need patience, courage, a belief in the product and a lot of hard work. Family support  is important and you win your customers by being better than the competition”.

A Message to UK Exporters

In choosing a product from Britain Andreas had this to say, “In Cyprus we are used to the British. Cypriots appreciate good quality and they are familiar and more trusting of British products. Many British tourists visit Cyprus and I had worked for a British company for a long time. You absorb a culture and it becomes second nature. I have a soft spot for the UK. Like many Cypriots, my student days were spent in the UK and my eldest son now studies at Reading University”.

British companies sometimes forget that it is not all about price. It is reputation, quality and service that make a winner stand out from the crowd.

Moving Forward

Andreas is seeking to further expand the business over the next few years prior to hanging up his boots and enjoying more of the sun, sandy beaches and good food that this beautiful island has to offer.

Current customers include Debenhams, Café La Mode, Marks and Spencer, The Classic Hotel, Cyprus Airports (F & B), The Cyprus Import Corporation (Mercedes Importers ), Cafe Pralina, Cyprus Airways and The Cyprus Trading Corporation - with a host of other well known quality establishments that are household names in Cyprus.

Being the best has its advantages. On August 27th 2008, Anorthosis Famagusta FC became the first Cypriot  football club to reach the group stages of the Champions League, defeating Olypiacos FC of Greece in the third qualifying round.

His face beams as he recalls the victory. We met up with Andreas at the Cleaning Show at the NEC. A regular visitor to the UK he was just on his way south to visit his son and then on Sunday he will watch Chelsea play Manchester City at Stamford Bridge.

“I don’t need a good reason to come to the UK” he says “But it helps when you can combine football with business and visit your son at the same time”.