Hawke's Bay brothers making ripples as Domino's youngest franchisee owners

Liam Stops, 24, left, and Kaedyn Stops, 24, bought their first store in Rotorua at the Redwood Centre when they were just 19 and 18. Photo / Supplied

Two Hawke's Bay brothers are taking off in the world of business as they start to build a pizza empire, and they are only in their 20s.

Kaedyn Stops, 25, and younger brother Liam Stops, 24, bought their first store in Rotorua at the Redwood Centre when they were just 19 and 18, making them Domino's youngest franchisee owners.

Since then they have purchased stores in Rotorua and Taupo and, as of April this year, Domino's Whakatāne.

The brothers' pizza journey started over a decade ago when they managed to get part-time jobs at a Domino's in Napier thanks to their sister.

"We both started when we were 12 years old and I think back then it seemed to make it easier for us at a younger age than our sister, who was 16 at the time," Liam Stops said.

"That was a big help for us because they saw her as a good, honest worker and didn't mind bringing us on board as well."

Both worked their way up from dishwashers to handling customers, and finally managing staff.

In Year 11 and Year 12 the Stops dropped out of high school to focus on Domino's and by age 15 and 16 the brothers became store managers in Napier and within three years they owned their first restaurant.

The brothers are equal partners in their business, and through a financing deal with Domino's they were able to buy their first store in 2013.

By selling their cars and joining their savings, they raised about $40,000 and Domino's came to the table with $450,000 as a loan with an interest rate of about 12 per cent, which they have since been able to transfer to a bank.

"We were keen to own our own stores and our Dad was keen to help us get there and advised us a lot of what we needed to do."

He said they learnt a lot from their father about running a business, having had his own, Headstone World, in Hawke's Bay for many years.

"It was a bit daunting at first to put everything you have into something but Domino's had a lot of faith in us because we had shown what we could achieve by the work we had done in Napier," Liam Stops said.

Across their four stores, the brothers' have 90 employees.

NZ General Manager Cameron Toomey, left, DPE Group CEO Don Meij, Liam Stops, Kaedyn Stops and Domino's Aus/NZ CEO Nick Knight at this years Domino's conference. Photo / Supplied

Liam Stops said they were in store about four day a week, taking on all jobs, from dough-making to scrubbing floors, hiring staff as well as health and safety training.

"We employ people of all ages but we like to get some of the younger kids in and help them learn more about the workforce and teach them work ethic and show them that there are opportunities out there and it's just a matter of looking for them."

The Stops have had huge success with their store and in 2016 the brothers won best retail business in the Westpac Rotorua Business Awards.

This year the pair were recognised for their outstanding leadership at Domino's annual conference, winning the Leadership Eagle Award.

The award is highly sought-after within Domino's, with only a handful given across its 800 plus stores in Australia and New Zealand each year.

"We've never had a bossy managerial style. We're knees down scrubbing floors with them and that's what's different. Our staff work with us, not for us," Liam Stops said.

The brothers also look to live a balanced lifestyle with the two former Junior Hawke's Bay Golf representatives making sure they get back on the greens as much as they can in their spare time.

"When we bought our first store we were doing nearly 80 hour weeks and working hard to build the business. It's sometimes hard to get a little bit of time off but we always make sure we do," Liam Stops said.

"Our Dad always reminds us whenever we head back to Hawke's Bay or he comes up to us to bring out the clubs and go play a few holes."

The brothers said their focus was to grow their existing stores rather than investing into any new sites but also try to enjoy the next few years as well.

"We sort of want to slow down a little and enjoy what we are doing and build what we have but also spend that extra time we have with our family and friends."