Are you looking for a business to franchise?

Are you a high net-worth investor looking for a project to capitalise? Stuart Anderson reports on a business ripe for take over, with the groundwork on the franchise concept done

An innovative new product developed in Sweden and applicable to the growing home improvement sector, Ortal Systems is seeking a buyer. Part of the way through the building of its franchise concept, this company requires a buyer that is enthused about the potential of franchising a business nationwide and ready to lead a network of franchisees.

With the ever-growing trend for urban living, green space is becoming premium space and gardens are on the decline. Combining three innovative products to create a green outdoor environment, Ortal is bringing the greenery inside with a product that is free from chemicals, weeds, snails, parasites and soil-borne diseases.

The Ortal Ecological Garden can be sited in an existing room or in a wall-attached conservatory or atrium, and creates at least 25 square metres climatised for numerous varieties of Mediterranean and tropical plants, including guavas, kiwi fruit, mangos, oranges, grapefruit, lemons, peaches, hibiscus and momasas.

Ortal has also developed its Ecological Gardening Cabinet, which can hold 100-200 edible plants or exuberant ornamentals. There is also a model for restaurants that wish to offer their customers a full range of fresh herbs and green leaves.

Finally, the Ortal Greenfilter Gardening Vitrine ameliorates the indoor climate by purifying the air of exhaust fumes, kitchen odours and exhaled carbon dioxide, which is utilised by plants for photosynthesis and replaced with oxygen, fragrance and pleasant air moisture.

These three innovative Ortal products have integrated systems and component parts which optimise the physiological processes in the plant cells, resulting in high quality specimens, earlier blossoming, a longer growing period, richer harvests and plant rejuvenation.

Growth factors such as light, irrigation and relative air moisture, ventilation, temperature and air circulation are monitored by electronic controls to allow problem-free use by non-professionals and controlling the costs. "Since 1990 the global market for non-professional gardening products has continually expanded in all sectors," reports the company. "This reflects not only increased leisure time and the greater popularity of gardening but also an increasing environmental awareness, a desire to be surrounded by living things and a growing concern over the use of pesticides and other chemicals by industrial food producers."

The business is being marketed with the assistance of Franchise Development Services, which reports: "There is no franchise gardening project comparable to Ortal on the market anywhere in the world."