As the world’s largest specialist sandwich provider, Subway currently has more than 1,600 stores in the UK and Ireland, over 300 of which are open, or in development, in non-traditional locations such as on forecourt sites or within convenience stores.

Uckfield is not only the first site in the UK to host a Subway store in partnership with Applegreen, it is also the launch of the new Applegreen brand design in the UK. This new site will service the busy town of Uckfield as well as the many commuters travelling into London and Brighton.

Trevor Haynes, area development manager, Subway and Ireland, commented: “This is a very exciting time for our brand, with a great deal of demand for our stores on forecourts and within convenience stores in the UK and Ireland.”

Adrian Grimes, head of food  for Applegreen said: “The opening of our first UK Subway store and the launch of the New Applegreen brand design in the UK is an exciting step for the Applegreen and the Subway brand partnership.

“Applegreen is well-known for providing good value, high quality food and coffee on the go.  The Applegreen food team is constantly looking for innovative solutions to help our busy customers through their day.  Therefore, with its convenient, fresh approach, a Subway store is a natural complement to our existing forecourt offer.”
Subway has more than 38,000 locations in 100 countries.

The Post Office is planning to franchise a further 70 of its branches as part of its efforts to transform its retail network and return it to profitability.

The new branches will offer the wide range of Post Office products, including travel, financial and mail services.

There are already more than 10,000 Post Office branches which operate either as franchises or through some other form of agreement with retailers.

Metro Bank has announced the appointment of Francine Allen as head of franchise finance.

Allen will be responsible for growing Metro Bank’s franchise financing, and developing working partnerships with franchisors and franchisees. She will report to Jason Oakley, managing director of Commercial Banking.

Before joining Metro Bank, Allen spent over a decade with HSBC, working closely with established franchise communities, top multi-unit operators and franchisors.

“We are delighted to have Allen on board to develop and grow franchising for Metro Bank. Our strong customer service ethos, speed of delivery and sector specific capability makes our proposition a strong choice for the franchise community. Her appointment demonstrates our commitment to working in close partnership with this community and we want them to know that we’re open for business and here to help,” said Oakley.

This appointment comes at a significant time for Metro Bank and follows the opening of the bank’s 16th store across London and the South East. Metro Bank plans to grow to 28 outlets by the end of 2013, and 200 by 2020.

The British Franchise Association (BFA) has announced the finalists for the 2013 BFA/HSBC Franchisor of the Year Awards, supported by Express Newspapers.

The awards, now in their 24th year, showcase the UK’s most exceptional franchisors that are driving business success through best practice, innovative strategies and building strong brands.

There are three categories for the awards and the finalists for each are listed below:

The BFA/HSBC Franchisor of the Year Award is presented to the franchisor who demonstrates the most outstanding all-round performance.

• Agency Express – estate agency board contractors
• Dream Doors – kitchen face-lifts
• Driver Hire – recruitment agency in transport and logistics personnel
• Home Instead Senior Care – home care
• ServiceMaster – cleaning services
• Water Babies – baby swimming classes

The HSBC Franchisee Support Award recognises the excellent initiatives that franchisors have in place to provide the best possible levels of support for their franchisees, helping maximise their potential.

• Barking Mad – petcare with host families
• Belvoir Lettings – property lettings
• Monkey Music – pre-school music classes
• O2 – phone retailers

The Express Newspapers Brand Builder of the Year Award highlights the innovative methods franchisors are adopting to effectively develop their brand to boost their potential for the future

• EnviroVent – home improvements and energy saving
• Revive! – automotive paint repairs
• Signs Express – signs manufacturer

The finalists will be presenting their franchise’s success to the judging panel in May.

The winners of each category will be announced at the BFA/HSBC Franchisor of the Year Awards gala dinner on Thursday, 4th July, at the Honorary Artillery Company, London.

Judges’ comments
Commenting on the awards, Brian Smart, director general, BFA, said: “We’ve been delighted to see such an array of franchises stepping forward to compete to be crowned BFA/HSBC Franchisor of the Year. It’s refreshing to hear such positive success stories at a challenging economic time and we have been extremely impressed with the high levels of drive and passion franchisors hold for these businesses.”

Cathryn Hayes, head of franchising, HSBC, said: “This year’s franchisors have demonstrated pioneering attitudes through implementing and directing fresh strategies to help support their franchisees. The HSBC Franchisee Support Award highlights the support franchisors provide to their franchisees, ultimately facilitating best business practice models and driving exceptional results across franchises of all sectors and sizes.”

Seán Hammond, head of franchising, Express Newspapers, added: “The Express Newspapers Brand Builder of the Year Award champions the franchisors who have implemented clever and innovative strategies to boost their brand recognition despite the highly competitive environment. This Award offers a platform for high-performing franchisors to receive prestigious recognition not only at industry level but also to showcase their success amongst their peers and clients.”

For further information, visit www.thebfa.org or call the BFA on 01235 820470.

The new look was launched with the first journey being made from the company’s Birmingham head office to its Middlesbrough depot where the rebranded linehaul vehicle was welcomed by franchisees Glen and Steve Watson.

The Watson family has run the Middlesbrough depot since 1984 when parents Rita and Ron Watson first took over the franchise. 

The rebrand will now be rolled out across Interlink’s fleet of 2,500 vehicles and 97 depots and will include new uniforms for staff, signage and marketing materials.

While the new branding retains the familiar Interlink look and feel, the refresh features a redesigned company logo and a bolder use of colour to create a contemporary and striking visual identity.

On the larger line-haul vehicles, the new look makes more prominent use of the company’s corporate blue and red, bleeding the colours onto the cab and over a larger area of the trailer. While the collection and delivery vans feature a much larger Interlink Express logo which helps to create a striking livery.

The brand refresh follows a period of sustained growth for the franchise operation which is split equally between B2C and B2B traffic. In 2012, Interlink Express enjoyed a record year, making over 19 million stops, an increase of 20 per cent on the previous year.

Dwain McDonald, Interlink Express’ CEO commented: “Interlink Express is a thriving and profitable business. Our success has been driven by our extensive use of innovative technology like our one-hour delivery timeslot service, Predict, which enables up to 97 per cent of parcels to be delivered right first time. This coupled with local franchisees who are in tune with their local business customers, means that we are able to provide a first class, flexible service.

“We have a highly visible presence on the UK’s roads, so it is essential that we maintain a strong corporate identity. While retaining the core elements of the Interlink Express brand, this refresh reflects the dynamic future for our business and gives us a really striking visual identity to match the strength of our customer service.

“This is just part of our ongoing, long term investment in the Interlink brand to make sure we have the best technology and service proposition possible for our customers. It is important that our fleet looks great, that all the vans are new and that our staff are professional and look smart. That’s what helps to differentiate us and it is something we are absolutely committed to.”

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Six successful franchise businesses have gained well-deserved recognition by winning accolades at the prestigious Franchise Marketing Awards.

Now in their eighth year, the Awards celebrate the industry’s most innovative and effective marketing campaigns.

An independent panel of judges has recognised the achievements of franchise businesses across a variety of categories covering all aspects of marketing including Best PR campaign, a new category introduced for 2013.

Marketing plays a vital role in attracting customers, as well as potential franchisees, to the business. A well thought out marketing strategy can help franchisors stand out in what is an increasingly crowded marketplace.

The winners  were:

• Best Website – Dyno
• Best Print Advert – GreenThumb Lawn Treatment Service
• Best Online Marketing Campaign – Cash Converters
• Best Franchisee Marketing Support – Wagging Tails
• Best Overall Marketing Campaign – Mac Tools
• Best PR Campaign – A-Star Sports

Adrian Goodsell, head of franchise sales at Venture Marketing Group comments:

“This year’s awards again attracted a host of impressive entries and have shown that franchise businesses, whether well-established or start-ups, are forging ahead with innovative and exciting marketing campaigns to promote their business.”

The winners were announced and presented with their accolades at The British & International Franchise Exhibition at Olympia, London.

The new store at the Liphook Services, on the A3 northbound towards London, will be the blueprint for further stores which are planned to open across the country as Starbucks grows its franchising business.

With British coffee drinkers becoming more discerning, customers now want great coffee wherever they are, whether they’re travelling, at home, or in store. The partnership with 23.5 Degrees will see Starbucks taken to new places where local Hampshire and Dorset customers need and want high quality, convenient coffee.

Mark Hepburn, company director of 23.5 Degrees, said: “This partnership with Starbucks represents our company’s progression with a brand we feel mirrors our own values, sincerely caring about the people in our business, and committed to consistently delivering for the customer and the local community. We are proud to be opening the first Starbucks franchise store in the UK, combining our knowledge of local businesses, real estate opportunities, and franchise experience, with the support and expertise of the Starbucks business team to drive growth, create jobs, and provide quality products where customers need and want great coffee.”

Kris Engskov, managing director, Starbucks UK & Ireland, said: “The UK is one of the most important markets for Starbucks. There are plenty of opportunities throughout the UK for great coffee, and franchising will help us to build the Starbucks brand in those towns and locations we have not yet had the opportunity to serve. We’re proud to partner with local entrepreneurs, who share our values and commitment to doing what is right for our customers, to build our business and bring jobs to local communities.”

Over the coming months, 23.5 Degrees will open stores in Portsmouth, Bournemouth, Farnborough, Trowbridge and Southampton, amongst other locations and is expected to create over 100 new jobs in the Dorset and Hampshire area.

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The second keynote speaker at the British Franchise Association (BFA) annual conference has been confirmed as former BBC director-general, Greg Dyke.

Dyke, who runs several businesses of his own, including three golf clubs and a hotel in Sheffield, joins political editor Nick Robinson at what will be the sectors’s largest annual conference to date. The event takes place on July 4-5, at Senate House, London.

Brian Smart, director-general of the BFA, commented: “With Greg joining Nick Robinson as one of our keynote speakers, the scope and importance of this year’s franchise conference is confirmed. This is now a must-attend event for everyone in the franchise community.”

After an early career as a journalist, Dyke started his broadcasting career in 1977 at London Weekend Television, where he would later return as group chief executive after senior positions with TV-am, TVS and Pearson Television.

He guided the launch consortium of Channel 5, later becoming its chairman, and has had spells as a director with Channel Four, ITN and BSkyB. He was also a non-executive director of Manchester United football club in the late 1990s.

In his four years with the BBC from 2000-2004, he had a significant impact on the corporation. He started four new digital television channels; five new digital radio channels; opened two new BBC regions; launched the BBC’s interactive television services; and helped create Freeview, a new free-to-air digital platform.

He also made major commitments to expand the BBC’s education services and to improve the cultural diversity of the workforce.

In March 2008 he succeeded the late Anthony Mingella as chairman of the British Film Institute and in December 2009, became chairman of ATG, Britain’s largest theatre group.

He was also an advisor on leadership to the NHS, and had his autobiography, Inside Story, published in 2004.

The conference provides delegates with a comprehensive agenda aimed at both new and established franchisors, as well as BFA affiliate members. Main theatre sessions are interspersed with a choice of smaller, more focused workshops, and plentiful time in which to network with colleagues.

The evening of day one of the conference, also sees the announcement of the BFA/HSBC Franchisor of the Year award winners at a black-tie gala dinner.

Franchisees were invited to provide anonymous feedback about their experience with their franchisors and the training and support they provided. The franchisors were then shortlisted for the 2012 Best Franchise Awards and interviewed by a judging panel headed by Richard Holden, head of franchising at Lloyds TSB Commercial.

The Best Franchise programme, now in its second year, had 50 per cent more franchisors participate in 2012. These were from a wide range of business sectors, offering franchise opportunities ranging from £2,000 to £325,000.

The winners were announced at the Best Franchise Conference in Oxfordshire. The event included 10 best practice seminars designed to help franchisors improve their support, franchise systems and network performance. The keynote speaker at the conference was Nick Holzherr, 2012 Apprentice finalist.

The judging panel comprised:

• Richard Holden, head of franchising, Lloyds TSB Commercial
• Graeme Payne, partner, Field Fisher Waterhouse
• Carl Reader, partner, Dennis & Turnbull Accountants
• Derrick Simpson, director, Franchise Resales
• Suzie McCafferty, franchise consultant, Platinum Wave
• Gary Rigby, franchise consultant, Franchise Development Services

Richard Holden said: “We are delighted to support the Best Franchise Awards, which recognise outstanding franchisors and will help drive up industry standards. The UK franchise market continues to display strong growth, reflected in the shortlisted nominees, and plays a vital part in the UK economy. We would like to congratulate all the winners and finalists and wish them the best of luck.”

Steven Frost, partner, Smith & Henderson, a leading independent franchise consultancy, which coordinates the programme, said: “The Best Franchise Awards are based on what really counts – the experience of thousands of actual franchisees. The winners, therefore, have the best franchisee support, franchise systems, and ultimately, the best franchise opportunities in the UK. We should congratulate them on their achievements.”

The winners:

Best Training and Support
TaxAssist Accountants – WINNER
Finalists: McDonald’s Restaurants and Music Bugs
Sarah Robertson, business development director of TaxAssist Accountants, said: “We are very proud to have won the Best Training and Support Award for the second year running. It’s an award we can celebrate with our team who work hard to support and train our network of accountants and their staff all year round.”

Best Franchise System
McDonald’s Restaurants – WINNER
Finalists: Home Instead Senior Care and Water Babies
Dean Chapman, head of franchising at McDonald’s, commented: “We are thrilled to be presented with the Best Franchise System Award. This achievement is testament to our dedication as a business to being a leading franchisor and to the collaborative approach that we take with our franchisees.”

Best Growing Franchisor
Cloud Bookkeeping – WINNER
Finalists: HomeXperts and Right At Home
Mandy Bagot, founder of Cloud Bookkeeping, said: “We are delighted to win Best Growing Franchisor and knowing that it was awarded based on franchisee feedback and a panel of six judges makes it even more special! Our head office team and our franchisees jointly work hard to get our brand known and to expand our network and it is great that this has been recognised by winning this award.”

Best Mid-Size Franchisor
Water Babies – WINNER
Finalists: Puddle Ducks and Music Bugs
Steve Franks, managing director of Water Babies, said: “The single most important driver in our success is people, and our ability to be the best is fundamentally underpinned by a core cultural belief that our people can do extraordinary things – and very often do – that ensure we continue to learn, develop and evolve as a dynamic and progressively thinking organisation.”

Best Large Franchisor
TaxAssist Accountants – WINNER
Finalists – McDonald’s Restaurants and ActionCOACH
Sarah Robertson, TaxAssist Accountants said: “We are thrilled to have won these two prestigious awards ahead of some very strong competition. The awards are even more meaningful because they are based on independent research which identifies what our network truly feel about the support and training we provide.’”

The 121-shop chain will continue to be run as a franchise. It was founded in 1983 by Tim MacAndrews and Don Kennedy, two young partners who were among the earliest franchisees of Kall-Kwik, the design and print retailer.

They learnt franchising from their franchisor, Moshe Gerstenhaber, who was one of the most enthusiastic and passionate founders of UK franchising, and they have for 30 years surprisingly remained one of the few franchisees who have had the ambition to develop as successful franchisors.

Timpson also owns 200 Max Spielmann photo shops, mostly based in the North. Snappy Snaps stores are in central London and the South-East.

James Timpson (pictured), chief executive of Timpson, commented: “We will continue with the Snappy Snaps brand and its successful franchise format. Since buying Max Spielmann four years ago we have transformed it from a traditional photo processor into a very successful photo retailer, specialising in passport photos, portraits and photo gifts.

“Snappy Snaps has always kept ahead of trends in the digital photo market and its geographical distribution is a perfect fit with Max Spielmann.”

Brian Smart, the BFA director-general, said that Robinson would be one of the most well-known speakers that the event has had and that the conference would welcome “his political nous, wit, and broadcasting experience.”

Brian Smart

The centres’ advisers are being informed about the benefits in guidance prepared by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) in collaboration with the British Franchise Association (BFA).

“We are committed to helping people off benefits and into work, and self-employment can be a great fit for some claimants,” said the DWP. “We are pleased to be working with the BFA to provide expert advice.”

Brian Smart,BFA director-general, commented: “The DWP has been extremely helpful in getting this important advice out to people. Franchising time and again proves itself to be a powerful way of helping people build successful new lives, but it is vital that they are armed with the right information to avoid any potential pitfalls from the start.

“The government has shown a commitment to reducing unemployment with the most recent numbers proving very positive. Jobcentre Plus has remained an important part of that process and we hope this additional resource will help continue the trend of decreasing unemployment.”

Could I find myself having created a rod for my own back? Should problems arise down the line could I find myself in court trying to convince a franchisee-sympathetic judge that I hadn’t misled my franchise owners into believing that their territories included some equity in my franchise system? I am justified in being a little nervous?

Dr Mark Abell (right), joint head of the franchise and licensing team at the City law firm, Field Fisher Waterhouse, answers the question.

A. You are right in that there is a discernable trend for franchisors, including some who are among the longest established, to describe their franchisees as franchise owners.

Presumably the logic of this term is that a franchisee owns a franchise – ergo he is a franchise owner.

Presumably the phrase has been created, as you have suspected, by an over-creative franchisor who felt it would be warm and cuddly to give its franchisees a feeling that they owned a business, rather than just a franchised outlet. The franchisor would have seen it as a marketing ploy that would encourage potential franchisees to join and would differentiate its franchise from those of its competitors.

That seems reasonable and harmless enough. Or does it?

The short answer is a resounding, no. It is a dangerous perversion of established legal terminology that could seriously back fire on a franchisor if he ever has to litigate on an agreement in which the franchisee is referred to as a franchise owner.

That may sound a slight over reaction, even verging upon hysteria, but it isn’t. It’s a reality.  Let’s go back to basics to understand why.

Moshe Gerstenhaber, the celebrated founder of the franchised print and design firm, Kall Kwik proffered an incisive view of franchising. He suggested it was “a system leasing arrangement under which the franchisee acquires from the franchisor a licence to duplicate the franchisor’s existing and successful system of providing a product/service to the end user”.

It is not a perfect definition, but it does touch on the underlying commercial arrangement between the franchisor and its franchisees – the permissory and temporary nature of the franchisee’s rights to use the business format and other intellectual property of the franchisor.

This view is reflected in the 29 countries that so far have introduced franchise-specific legislation. All of them, ranging from France, Belgium, Spain, Italy and Sweden in Europe to China, the U.S., Brazil and Vietnam, take this view. In general terms, it manifests itself in one of two basic approaches to defining franchising.

The so-called marketing plan definition, and so-called common interest definition. The former originates from the Californian franchise law – the first in the world.

It describes franchising as existing when “a franchisee is granted a right to engage in the business of offering, selling or distributing goods or services under a marketing plan or system prescribed in substantial part by the franchisor …. in connection with a trade mark in return for  a fee”.

The community of interest definition, first found in the laws of U.S. states such Wisconsin and New Jersey, provides that there must be a common financial interest between the franchisor and the franchisee, and the franchisee is granted the right to use the relevant marks and carry on the business in return for a fee.

Both these long-standing approaches stress the temporary and permissory nature of the franchisee’s rights.

It is also not only legal definitions  that reflect this approach. The BFA’s own definition is based on that of the European Franchise Federation. This defines franchising as being a relationship whereby “the franchisor grants to its individual franchisee the right …. to conduct business in accordance with the franchisor’s concept.”

All these definitions are based on the fact that the franchisee does not own a franchise, but is granted the right to operate one and that it is temporary right. To use a conveyancing analogy, a leasehold is not a freehold. It follows from that that the franchisee is, therefore, not a franchise owner.

But so what, you may ask? What difference does it make? Well, quite a lot.

If a court was to hear a case based on an agreement that called the franchisee a franchise owner it would most likely encourage the judge, who generally starts from a pro-franchisee position (protecting the little man from the bullying approach of the large corporate), to take a still more entrenched pro-franchisee view.

That is not to say that the terms of a properly written franchise agreement would be set aside wholesale merely because of the use of the term franchise owner. It is far more subtle than that.

Consider, for example, the Natural Life case. Despite good evidence to the contrary, the court of first instance held in favour of the franchisee and that the managing director of the franchising company was personally liable. It was left to the Court of Appeal to sort things out and reverse the decision.

There are many other cases of a similar ilk. For example, the Chips Away case  in 2009 held for the franchisee at first instance, but it was emphatically overturned on appeal with a strong suggestion that the original judgment was totally wrong.

When a franchisor has to litigate against its franchisees it needs every advantage of which to avail itself. It certainly can’t afford to alienate the court through the use of soft and  inaccurate terminology.

So, using the term franchise owner is both incorrect and dangerous. The questioner is right to have been concerned about its increased use. It is something that I would warn franchisors and their advisers to avoid at all costs.

He began his career grilling burgers in the first outlet at Illinois of Ray Kroc, who eventually bought the chain from the founders, two McDonald brothers in California.

After succeeding Kroc as chief executive, Turner more than trebled its outlets and opened dozens of new markets worldwide.

He established the first McDonald’s Hamburger University and that at head office in Oak Brook, Illinois was renamed the Fred L Turner Training Center. He was also a co-founder of Ronald McDonald House Charities, which provides  accommodation near hospitals for the families of sick children.

History was his hobby and he  personally sponsored the restoration of a Dauntless dive bomber for the Pacific Aviation Museum at Honolulu, Hawaii.

Today McDonald’s has more than 34,000 restaurants.

Over the past few years we have seen a plethora of franchise-specific websites come and go. Some good, some bad and some just plain awful. In the same time frame, however, franchise-specific magazines and periodicals have withstood the battering of the online revolution, many with some considerable aplomb.

So why should franchisors continue to plough their hard-earned cash into supporting the off-line media? Well, in my opinion, magazines continue to bring a highly portable and transferable reading experience to the table. You can pick them up, read a few pages, do some work, pick them back up and read them some more.

You don’t need to recharge a magazine’s batteries, nor plug in a set of ridiculous earphones.

Rik Hellewell

Let’s face it, anybody who has purchased a magazine, directory or similar publication has to be a bit more serious about the subject than the inordinate volumes of internet button pushers. This brings me nicely to the next point.

Unless your franchise investment opportunity is featured in a top position on the first page of Google, whether it be naturally, paid-by-click, or on a third-party site, chances are that the offline media could be helping significantly by driving traffic to your own site. There are only a dozen or so of these top positions available and, as many franchisors will appreciate, you need a bit of extra help from time to time when it comes to recruitment.

The epitome of these suggested words was borne out recently at one of our regular meetings with our franchisees. When asked how many of them still bought a daily newspaper, a massive 95 per cent did. When asked why when the same headlines could be sought for zero expense via an electronic gadget, many gave the reasons I have mentioned – tangible, manageable, etc.

Now I’m not suggesting for a moment that the experiment within our own network led us to take down our extensive internet presence, not in the slightest, but the small and not insignificant test went a long way to show us that offline media is far from being dead in the water and in many cases should still play a significant part in the media mix when looking to recruit and inform prospective investors.

All of the 1,400 brands operating in the UK today are listed online in an easy to find format within numerous industry sectors.

Franchisors are currently being invited to add a Profile page to the site to tell consumers what product, service or trade they offer the public at large. The primary objective with phase one of the new launch is simple … tell the public what you and your franchisees do!

And with recent surveys suggesting that, given the choice, consumers prefer to avail themselves to franchised offerings, it makes perfect sense for all franchisors to have a strong presence on the new-look site.

As an alternative to having a profile page franchisors may prefer a link to their own website.

Making the populous aware of the numerous brands in the UK that are operating as franchises can only be a good thing. Many thousands of consumers avail themselves to products, trades and services of franchised brands every day and are completely oblivious to the fact that they are doing so! Having one central information portal which shows consumers which brands are franchised is long overdue.

And how’s this for some forward thinking … the next person to use a franchised outlet is probably somebody who just has! That’s assuming, of course, that they know which brands are franchises in the first place. Why would a consumer take the risk of using an independent operator in any given sector if a franchise has provided an exceptionally professional buying experience?

On a similar tack, there’s also a very strong possibility that franchisors will be inclined to use the services or buy products from other franchises if they, in turn, knew about other franchise offerings?

It simply makes sense, doesn’t it, to keep spending within the franchise fraternity rather than fuel the bank accounts of the independent operator?

Why not take a browse today … www.USEafranchise.com … and see how many brands you recognise as a franchisor! You may even like the idea of listing your franchisees, more about that side of things to follow.

To find out more about USEafranchise.com, please contact us via the form below.

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Guerin has been a leader in car rental in Portugal since 1989 and has offices in its major airports at Lisbon, Faro, Porto and Maderia.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car is the flagship brand of Enterprise Holdings, which also owns the National Car Rental and Alamo Rent-A-Car brands.

Beginning with Portugal, the company now plans to franchise throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. In the U.S., it has more than 5,500 offices within 15 miles of 90 per cent of the U.S. population, and in Europe has a fleet of 100,000 vehicles.

Enterprise Holdings and its subsidiaries is the largest car rental company in the world measured by revenue, fleet size and employees.

“The award underlines the continued popularity of our concept of only using the highest quality ingredients and 100 per cent fresh dough to create a top quality pizza with a better natural flavour,” said Dave Galvin, the UK franchise sales manager. The American-based  international franchisor has 4,000 stores in 33 countries of which 200 are  in the UK.

Already supplying products to over 72,000 customers across the world, Labels4Kids wants to grow the business by enhancing its profile in individual countries using franchisees’ local knowledge and expertise of their own markets.

Established in 2004 by Ann-Maree Morrison (pictured), Labels4Kids has grown year-on-year with a current turnover of over Euros 370,000.

Frustrated that her three boys not only had a tendency to lose things, but frequently came home with other children’s belongings, Morrison spotted a gap in the market for high-quality labels that would be durable and not fall off once applied to clothes and other items.

Following years of research, Morrison set about designing and manufacturing her own range of labels which were fit for purpose.

Using UK-based suppliers, Labels4Kids has grown a reputation for delivering a quality range of products which cater for the day-to-day realities of family life, for example, its dishwasher-proof vinyl labels have become a best seller.

More recently, the business launched a dedicated Labels4Kids website for the French market, a move it expects to deliver a 10 per cent increase in annual turnover. It is this market-specific strategy which Labels4Kids aims to replicate with its franchise network in order to make it the global leader in personalised labels.

Morrison said: “The Labels4Kids selling point is the quality of its products. We have created a brand and market position on the basis that we can deliver products that work and meet customer expectation. The next step for the business is strengthening our foothold in individual countries by offering country licenses to approved franchisees. As a master franchisee, there would be responsibility for the development of the Labels4Kids brand and e-commerce site ensuring that the business is communicated more effectively with local market knowledge.

“It is a very exciting time for the business and we are looking forward to sharing our award-winning formula with like-minded business people across the world. We are particularly keen to hear from people in France, Germany, Spain,as well as elsewhere in Europe, Canada, South Africa, the Middle East, Asia, New Zealand, Australia and beyond.”

Labels4Kids was recently recognised in the Online Retail Awards 2012 from a field of international entries. It won Online Retailer of the Year in the Children category and a commendation for its innovative and easy-to-use website.

For further information, please complete and send the form below.

The shortlisted franchisors were selected based on feedback from over 2,000 franchisees, gathered through an industry-wide study of franchisee satisfaction.

Franchisees were invited to complete the anonymous Franchise Satisfaction Benchmark survey and rate the training and support provided by their franchisor, the franchise system and their overall franchise ownership experience. The top franchisors have then been shortlisted for The Best Franchise Awards 2012, sponsored by Lloyds TSB and supported by Franchise World magazine.

The programme, now in its second year, had 50% more franchisors participate in 2012. These included £bn companies and a wide range of business sectors, offering franchise opportunities ranging from £2,000 to £325,000.

There are five award categories and the finalists are highlighted below:

Best Training and Support:

• McDonald’s Restaurants
• Music Bugs
• TaxAssist Accountants

Best Franchise System:

• Home Instead Senior Care
• McDonald’s Restaurants
• Water Babies

Best Growing Franchisor (open to franchisors with less than 15 franchisees or franchising less than two years):

• Cloud Bookkeeping
• HomeXperts
• Right At Home

Best Mid-Size Franchisor (open to franchisors with 15-49 franchisees):

• Music Bugs
• Puddle Ducks
• Water Babies

Best Large Franchisor (open to franchisors with 50 plus franchisees):

• ActionCOACH
• McDonald’s Restaurants
• TaxAssist Accountants

The winners will be announced on Thursday, 29th November at The Best Franchise Conference in Oxfordshire. This includes ten best practice seminars designed to help franchisors improve their support, franchise systems and network performance.

Franchisors shortlisted for Best Growing, Best Mid-size and Best Large Franchisor awards will present to a judging panel on 20th November. The panel includes:
•    Richard Holden (right), Head of Franchising, Lloyds TSB
•    Graeme Payne, Field Fisher Waterhouse
•    Carl Reader, Dennis & Turnbull Accountants
•    Derrick Simpson, Franchise Resales
•    Suzie McCafferty, Platinum Wave
•    Gary Rigby, Franchise Development Services

Richard Holden said: “We are delighted to support The Best Franchise Awards, which will recognise outstanding franchisors and help drive up industry standards. The UK franchise market continues to display strong growth, reflected in the shortlisted nominees, and plays a vital part in the UK economy. We’d like to congratulate all the finalists and wish them the best of luck.”

Steven Frost, Smith & Henderson, which coordinates the programme, said, “The Best Franchise Awards are based on what really counts – the experience of thousands of actual franchisees. These shortlisted franchisors therefore have the best franchisee support, franchise systems and ultimately, the best franchise opportunities in the UK. We should congratulate them for their achievements.”

More information about the awards can be found at www.bestfranchiseawards.co.uk

These women, who are making their mark in diverse fields ranging from performing arts to live music production and bag design, demonstrate that with self-belief and determination it is possible to achieve your goals, whatever the odds.

Lisa Tobias, aged 31, from Glasgow has been chosen as a finalist in the Demeter category, for women aged 26 to 35.

Having represented Scotland nationally as a gymnast, Lisa Tobias had ambitions of becoming a PE teacher, but gave up studying when she realised the future that franchising offered while working part time at Domino’s Pizza. Having secured a bank loan at the age of just 23, she became franchisee of Domino’s in Kilmarnock and her business grew steadily. Realising this was where her skills lay she acquired a second outlet in Ayr and now boasts a portfolio of six across Scotland.

Lisa is not only one of Domino’s youngest franchisees but the company’s most successful female in the UK and Ireland. Five of her stores hold Domino’s coveted ‘five star operational evaluation report rating’ and she is a previous ‘Gold Franny’ award winner for her business acumen and success, beating off competition from Domino’s franchisees in over 65 countries.

Despite the worst recession for decades, in 2010 Lisa’s business achieved like-for-like sales growth of 14.2%.

Lisa visits her stores regularly and is a great role model for other staff, having worked at every role within Domino’s. She frequently speaks at educational events and conferences in order to inspire young people to start their own business, informing them about franchising as a route, and demonstrating that university is not the only option available.

A decade has passed since this Awards programme launched with the objective of raising the profile of women across the length and breadth of the country who not only contribute £130bn to the UK economy but who also create jobs, wealth and prosperity. Household names including Hilary Devey and Jo Malone have been recognised, as well as dozens of extraordinary women from across the UK. By unearthing these women, role models have been created for a new generation of women.

The winners will be announced at a lunch ceremony at London’s Dorchester Hotel on Wednesday, 5th December 2012.

For further information visit www.everywoman.com/ewawards.

Audits are carried out by external certification bodies and it can take up to two years for a company to prepare for inspection.

The team at Fastsigns Sheffield, the signage, graphics and visual communication franchise, run by Paul Allison, were delighted to be told by the examiners, ISOQAR that they were a shining example of good practice.

Auditor David Wilcox of ISOQAR, said: “This company takes their Quality System very seriously and they are good at inter-communication, through daily and other regular staff meetings. An impressive new system of gaining customer perception and feedback has been recently introduced where the company monitors its performance daily.”

Allison, added: “We are delighted with the feedback from ISOQAR, and very pleased with our new Customer Service Standard which we introduced in April. Between them, our staff, have over 70 years experience with Fastsigns. They are very focused on giving excellent advice and good service.

“Our aim is to meet customers business objectives and increase their business visibility through the use of all types of signs and graphics including, floor and vehicle graphics, point of purchase and digital signs, labels and decals, architectural and interior décor signs, printing, promotional products and wearables, mobile marketing and other related marketing services.”

If your tour of the recent franchise exhibition in Birmingham didn’t turn up a handful of franchises in business sectors of interest to you, or leaves you short of general advice on the franchise sector, get a copy of the new 2013 edition of the British Franchise Directory & Guide.

The new edition provides complete listings by business categories of more than 1,400 franchise businesses, both British Franchise Association members and non-members, offering franchises in the UK.

With a foreword by Sir Bernard Ingham, the 29th edition of this popular franchise directory carries exclusive articles from the leading authorities on the main aspects of the business to provide a how-to-guide for both prospective and practising franchisees and franchisors.

There are, for example, specimens of the most common forms of franchise contract – a single unit franchise and a master franchise – written by the leading franchise solicitor, Mark Abell, of Field Fisher Waterhouse, the City law firm. These provide an informative guide to the obligations of the two parties – the heart of a franchise. To order, click here.

The judges were impressed with Ellwood’s determination and passion for his business, which has grown from strength-to-strength over the past 15 years. Over the last year, Ellwood has implemented innovative new systems to boost productivity, including investing in a new onboard computer system, a larger showroom and new payment methods. Not only have these systems contributed to an extremely successful business year for Ellwood, but they have also improved customer relationships.

Pictured from left: Sean Hammond, Keith Ellwood and his wife Kathleen, Cathryn Hayes, and Brian Smart.

Ellwood commented on his achievement: “Winning this award and receiving the recognition from the industry is a fantastic feeling. I really enjoy running my franchise, this year more so than ever, and I’m looking forward to building on this success with potential opportunities and driving my business forward.”

Cathryn Hayes, head of franchising at HSBC, said: “This year’s finalists have clearly demonstrated a passion for their business – support from their franchisor and other franchisees in their network means that they are not in business alone which has allowed them to really focus on delivering excellent customer service, a common thread running through their stories. Keith demonstrated how tenacious customer relationship management can help shape business growth. His enthusiasm for his business is clear and his work over the past 12 months has propelled his business towards a phenomenal future.”

Also celebrating their achievements were:

• Silver Award – Ron Mounsey, McDonald’s Restaurants, who has been a McDonald’s franchisee for 14 years, was praised by the judges for his work within the community to address antisocial behaviour.
• Bronze Award – Eve Kay, Jo Jingles, was honoured in recognition of her efforts in expanding the franchise across the whole North West region, in a difficult economic environment.

Sean Hammond, head of franchising at Express Newspapers, said: “It’s great to see so many enterprising franchisees come forward and showcase great business practice We were blown away by the stories of the people behind the brands. Many congratulations to all of the individuals we have seen over the course of the awards who have set such a high business practice standard.”

Brian Smart, director general of the BFA, added: “Each year we are captivated by the stories that are showcased by franchisees. It’s brilliant that these awards can highlight such great ethical business practice among the industry and recognise the work of so many talented businesspeople.”

Ellwood took home £5,000, provided by HSBC, along with his title, while Mounsey and Kay won £3,000 and £2,000 respectively.

The five regional winners, each taking away £500, were:

• London and the South East: Gurpreet Bains, Driver Hire
• Scotland and Northern Ireland: Keith Ellwood, Autosmart
• Midlands and North Wales: Steven Prime, Esquires
• North: Eve Kay, Jo Jingles
• South West and Wales: Ron Mounsey, McDonald’s Restaurants

Autosmart is now toasting double success following its win earlier this year at the BFA/HSBC Franchisor of the Year awards, achieving a rare scoop of both awards in the same year.

Its systematic growth is due to a rigorous franchise programme, masterminded by Mark Walton, the head of the firm. With the opening of Newcastle City, Roomzzz is on track to achieve its forecast of double figures by 2014.

Walton says: “Roomzzz is known as a burgeoning contender in the franchise market with our success widely documented in the national press as is its well publicised year-on-year growth rate of our current locations that is testament to our strategy.”

This Autumn sees the firm surge forward to its fifth site in six years.Newcastle City is in Friar House in the city centre, a large Georgian house originally built in the 1700s. The Roomzzz Aparthotel has undergone a sympathetic restoration of the Grade II listed building and will house 14 lifestyle- driven and luxurious apartments, suites and penthouses. Read more …

At a time when going it alone can be even more challenging than ever, franchising offers the freedom of being a business owner, coupled with the support of an established brand and fellow franchisees.

It’s not surprising that franchising is expanding even in the current economic climate, so there are now more than half a million employed in franchising in the UK and over 40,000 outlets, according to the latest NatWest/British Franchise Association (BFA) Survey 2012.

Aspiring entrepreneurs who want to find out more about opportunities in this growing industry will find all the advice and information they need, as well as a host of business ideas, at the exhibition.

The UK’s largest franchise event offers a variety of career opportunities to suit every budget and lifestyle. Exhibitors range across industries such as food and drink, finance, retail, property, care, travel and more. These include brands such as McDonald’s, Banana Moon Day Nursery, Muffin Break, Cash Converters, Lawn Keeper, Mac Tools and Home Sale Bureau. Visitors can meet with franchisors to find out what is on offer, and hear from existing franchisees to gain an insider’s account of running a franchise.

BFA accreditaion
Visitors can also have confidence in all the franchise businesses showcased at the National Franchise Exhibition, as it is exclusively supported by the BFA and only features companies that meet the association’s code of ethics.

As well as meeting franchise businesses, visitors can also receive guidance and support from experts including banks such as HSBC and NatWest, accountants, solicitors and franchising experts. Valuable advice will be on offer at the exclusive free conference which has a packed programme of seminars by the BFA on key franchise-related topics as well as talks on high-level investment franchising, hands-on franchising, executives in franchising, growing your own business and franchising your business. Real franchisee stories give visitors the chance to ask franchisees directly about the realities of changing from employee to operating a franchise business.

Other features at the event are the Franchise Starting Point which offers free one-to-one advice from industry insiders and the Business Plan Clinic, facilitated by Franchise Finance, which helps budding franchisees get to grips with the all-important business plan; the key document in a franchisee’s application for a business loan.

Visitors with children will be well catered for with a free Children’s Activity Centre, hosted by award-winning franchise, The Creation Station.

Adrian Goodsell, franchise exhibitions manager at Venture Marketing Group, the organisers of the exhibition, comments: “A visit to the show is the perfect introduction to the world of franchising, showcasing the wide range of business available and putting visitors in contact with experts who can help them progress their career in the franchise industry.”

The exhibition is open from 10am each day, closing at 5pm on Friday and 4pm on Saturday.

To register for The National Franchise Exhibition, call +44 (0)844 257 8668, or visit www.franchiseinfo.co.uk.

Callers can purchase tickets by credit card for £10 each or £8 each for two or more. Admission on the door is £15.
Visitors can, however gain FREE admission by using the promotional code NFEDD when they register online at  www.franchiseinfo.co.uk.

Currently, such transactions make up 80 per cent of sales with the Manchester Central store supplying cartridges to a wide range of companies. His store’s turnover has also increased by 40 per cent, leading to it winning Business-to-Business Champion award.

Pictured, Kirby receives his award from sponsors Paul Hadfield, Delacamp, the supplier of components for laser printer cartridges.

Spurred by the desire to be his own boss and build a retail legacy from scratch, Kirkby opened his store at Bury New Road, Prestwich, 10 years ago. With a strong background in manufacturing and engineering, he felt that Cartridge World would enable him to utilise his experience to pursue his ambition, whilst benefitting from a comprehensive franchise support package.

Business was going well and keen to invest further in the store, Gary hired a friend of 20 years, Craig Dixon who had extensive sales and marketing experience. Together they decided that the best way to grow the business would be to focus on the business sector. Working hard to target, win and retain customers from a variety of businesses, the five person team, led by Craig, achieved excellent results.

Kirkby explained: “We ensured that the store was top of all internet search engines, which generated around 250 calls a month. It was then down to the staff to provide excellent customer service to our clients by taking the time to find out their individual business needs and showcasing high quality, great value products in order to build up brand loyalty and encourage repeat business.

“We invest a lot of time in listening to our customers and identifying their individual needs, which helps to cement our trusted reputation.”

Another important factor for Kirkby is the store’s involvement in the local community, including events, schools and charities. The store, for example, has sponsored the fifth annual Glaston-Bury festival in support of Bury Hospice.

Kirkby opened a second store at Bury last year and it is already seeing its turnover increase each month.

“We plan to develop and increase the business in the two stores by targeting larger companies and continuing to provide great products with first-rate customer service,” said Kirkby. “We hope that by replicating the business model, we will achieve the same level of success at Bury as we have at Manchester Central.”

It attracted aspiring entrepreneurs, who had researched franchising as a career prospect and were ready to talk seriously with potential partners. The organisers had carefully matched the interests of these prospective franchisees with appropriate franchises and set up one-to-one meetings.

The event met the approval of exhibitors, such as Steve Welsh, managing director of Kare Plus, who said: “It supplied the best of the best – the cream of the crop. There were genuine hot leads which had done their due diligence. We met serious prospects, who I know will buy our franchise.”

Philippe Rechsteiner, chief financial officer of La Pataterie, commented: “It exceeded our expectations in the quality and quantity of meetings. The appointments system was extremely helpful, and I liked the format and location.”

The mood was businesslike but relaxed as visitors made the most of the opportunity to meet face-to-face with exhibitors. Visitors could be confident in their meetings as the event was exclusively supported by the British Franchise Association. Only franchise companies that had met its code of ethics were allowed to exhibit.

Visitor feedback
A visitor, Jimil Shah, a CAD designer in the civil engineering industry from Stanmore, commented: “This was the first event I‘ve been to and I was impressed by everyones helpfulness. There was a very co-operative attitude, not a hard sell. I’m interested in both web design and the property business and  went away away with several good ideas to consider seriously.”

Another visitor, Andrew Stansell, a submariner from Watford, added: “I had appointments with a wide variety of businesses. After getting a good first impression at an earlier exhibition at Olympia, I wanted in-depth conversations with some companies and the chance to meet several in one day. Preparation and research are important. I particularly liked the appointments system.”

Adrian Goodsell, franchise exhibitions manager of the organisers, Venture Marketing Group (VMG), commented: “Franchise Opportunities Live was a new and different way for prospective franchisees to progress their research into franchises. It proved a tremendous success.

“VMG is continually working to ensure that it provides innovative and effective forums for potential franchisees to meet their ideal franchise. It prides itself on providing the best independent advice and guidance to visitors.”

The next franchise exhibition is the National Franchise Exhibition, NEC, Birmingham on Oct 5-6, organised by VMG.

The franchisor says that the popularity of the dish has waned and that Jalfrezi is now the most popular curry and that Indian takeaway food is in second place behind Chinese.

The company said: “After scouring the UK, we’ve counted over 48 different variations on the recipe for the Chicken Tikka Masala, but now you can add an extra one to that list as we’ve just invented the definitive masala recipe. Guaranteed to send your taste buds into a tizz and leave you smacking your lips in satisfaction, Spice2 Go has set the standard for the masala and now we’re making it our mission to have every man, woman and child sample our mouth watering masala!”

The franchise is suitable for newcomers joining the market and also fast-food operators looking for a new brand of a different type of food.

For further information, please complete and send the form below.

Comprehensive training and ongoing support
As a Kare Plus franchisee you will receive comprehensive training to enable you to provide high quality, fully trained healthcare personnel to care providers including the NHS, private hospitals and independent nursing homes, as well  as delivering specialist elderly care in the home to best practice standards, compliant with Care Quality Commission directives. Our package includes:

• An initial residential course.
• Ongoing support from highly experienced business and clinical professionals.
• A unique, purpose-designed IT system to keep your business compliant, guide you through all necessary processes and ensure you operate efficiently and profitably.
• Assistance with recruiting and delivering specialised training to your first staff.
• Sales and marketing training and support.
• Access to lucrative national account contracts with private care homes and the NHS.

Why Kare Plus?
Currently, Kare Plus is tendering for NHS contracts worth in excess of £140m nationwide. We have established links with the NHS and are one of only a few franchises with a licence to supply the NHS. We are also on the Preferred Supplier List (PSL) of leading independent groups of hospitals and nursing/care homes nationwide.

Kare Plus is perfectly placed to help you tap into these opportunities and achieve healthy  profits from delivering valuable services to your local community.

For further information, please complete and send the form below.

“I had been looking for my next long-term challenge and when the opportunity to become a director for such a fresh vibrant company came about I jumped at it. I have been aware of the firm for a number of years as I’m a close friend of Colin Poole, SureLet’s managing director. I’m taking on this role looking to soak up the skills, experience and market-leading knowledge of the SureLet team and hopefully impart my skills in the business world into their model,” said Vickery.

He continued: “I liken the work with rugby, as in the lettings industry, team spirit and family atmosphere go hand-in-hand with raw skill and a hard work ethic. Once you’re welcomed into the family you have a support network that you can constantly call upon. SureLet have this in abundance, the franchising team are on hand to help you and give you support every step of the way.”

Poole, welcoming Vickery said: “Having Phil on board is the icing on the cake as far as I’m concerned and I’m looking forward with a refreshed sense of optimism to the future of SureLet. We have a vision to become recognised nationally by our competitors and peers as a dominant and dynamic lettings franchise company and we’re going to achieve it.”

This year marks SureLet’s 10th anniversary. The company was set up in 2002 by Colin and Kelly Chick and started franchising in 2003. There are now 24 franchises across the UK from Exeter in the South to Manchester in the North.

For further information, please complete and send the form below.

Average turnover is more than £700,000 for each of the 41 franchises.

“Our awards recognise those who have made outstanding achievements during   the year, but all have  successfully weathered one of the worst recessions in history and are well placed for the future,” said Parker.

“They have shown that resilience and man-management skills, together with Minster’s proven business model, add up to a formula that really stands the test of time.”

Secure future
Turning to the prospects for prospective franchisees, Parker said that they could all look forward to a safe and secure future. “We are full members of the BFA, and when you take one of our franchises you are not buying yourself a job, but the opportunity to create a large business and a genuinely valuable asset.

“We provide our franchisees with a well-trusted brand and a comprehensive range of support services which cover the main day-to-day business activities, such as IT, accountants, marketing and training, as well as offering professional advice on employment law, health and safety, and environmental legislation.

“Our office cleaning system is an essential service that is based on repeat custom and its broad client base spreads the business risk. Our large territories give franchisees virtually unlimited growth potential and with the UK office cleaning market valued at £7bn there is plenty of scope for them.”

For more information on Minster Cleaning Services, click here.

Co-founded by Will Davies, who was previously an investment banker, in 2004 as Aspect Maintenance in South-West London, the firm has doubled its business each year to reach an annual turnover of £12m.

“The time is now right for our business plan to be developed throughout the UK and we believe a national franchise programme is the best way,” said Davies. “In the current financial climate, banks are reluctant to lend to start-up businesses, but franchisees of proven business models can open terrific opportunities for the right kind of managers.”

Bev Regan, head of franchising, commented: “It is imperative that all our franchisees, moving forward, do credit to the brand we have spent so long building up.”

Aspect provides one call property care for all maintenance issues, covering everything from the drains to the roof. Its motto is “fix, support and refresh.”

For further information, please complete and send the form below.

Franchisors, upgrade your presence in these two media listings which provide the widest choice of franchises in Britain, either in print or on the web, for those who want to start their own business in franchising.

To give your entry prominence among the 1,400 franchise systems listed, we offer a wide choice of packages across both media starting from as little as £295.

The 29th edition of the directory, published by Franchise World, will be launched at Britain’s largest franchise show, the BFA-sponsored National Franchise Exhibition at the NEC, October 5 and 6.

For further information, please click here.

The winners of the Awards in each category were:

BFA/HSBC Franchisor of the Year Award

• Gold – Autosmart
• Silver – Home Instead Senior Care
• Bronze – Driver Hire

HSBC Franchisee Support Award

• Auditel

Express Newspapers Brand Builder

• Cafe2U

Following a rigorous judging process the five winners were revealed at a ceremony held at the Telford International Centre. The successful franchisors were praised for being the most enterprising, ethical franchisors in the UK today, regardless of business sector or size.

Brian Smart, director general of the BFA, said: “Congratulations to all our exceptional winners. The judging panel was presented with outstanding examples of fresh thinking, brand development and franchisee support, confirming that it has been another great and innovative year in UK franchising. Now in their 23rd year, the Awards continue to inspire the next generation of franchisors and franchisees by highlighting the success and best practice driving our industry.”

About the winners

Gold – Autosmart
Autosmart is the largest manufacturer and supplier of professional vehicle cleaning products to the automotive trade in the UK. The business received the Gold Award for its commitment to investing in research and development in order to diversify its product offerings and cut costs. As a result, Autosmart saved its customers 30% in costs and still achieved record sales of £37.2 million, whilst maintaining the quality of its products.

Sophie Atkinson, managing director at Autosmart International Ltd, said: “Winning Gold in the BFA/HSBC Franchisor of the Year Awards is fantastic motivation for our staff and franchisees who have all worked so hard over the past year to put us in this position. We have been franchising for more than three decades and are committed to adapting and changing our business model to meet the needs of franchisees, customers and the auto industry to provide the highest quality products and services whilst continuing to build on the efficiency of the business.”

Silver – Home Instead Senior Care
Home Instead Senior Care is the fifth largest care provider in the UK and offers a range of one-to-one tailored services and home visits for the elderly. The company’s vision is to lead a change in the way care is provided to the elderly across the UK and worldwide. Home Instead Senior Care was recognised for introducing high standards and personal touches to all its practices – from increasing home visit times from 20 minutes to an hour, to its highly selective recruitment process and in-depth training programme.

Bronze – Driver Hire
Driver Hire is the UK’s largest specialist transport and logistics recruitment company. The judges recognised that, as a result of diversifying its services to further support its franchisees, Driver Hire has now become the UK’s leader in providing the Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) for HGV drivers and has trained 5,000 drivers within the first three months of 2012.

HSBC Franchisee Support Award – Auditel
Auditel is the largest cost and purchase management consultancy in the UK. The business was praised for its effective training programme and creating a co-ordinated suite of systems and tools, which saved time on administration and helped contribute to franchisees increasing their client list by 66%.

Cathryn Hayes, head of franchising at HSBC, said: “Auditel is a fantastic example of how implementing new and innovative financial tools and technology in line with the needs of franchisees can build up the overall business. As a result, Auditel has tripled its network of franchises over the past seven years, they’ve boosted their client list by 66 per cent and continue to provide strategic support to each of their 177 franchised businesses within this. Auditel are a prime example of a franchisor that is passionate about helping franchisees realise their dreams.”

Express Newspapers Brand Builder – Cafe2U
Cafe2U is a mobile coffee provider and the first franchise of its kind to take refreshment directly to its customers in remote areas such as business parks and industrial estates. 20 million cups of coffee are being consumed every day in the UK and Cafe2U has received the Express Newspaper Brand Builder Award for its success in bringing the premium coffee business to the workplace door, building its brand on high quality and reliability.

Sean Hammond, head of franchising at Express Newspapers, said: “Cafe2U has experienced huge success expanding the business into new markets across the world. First launching in Australia, the business successfully tapped into the growing coffee phenomenon in the UK and now the U.S. The judging panel was highly impressed with Cafe2U’s investment in product offerings and its commitment to strengthening the brand – a well-deserved winner of the Brand Builder Award.”

For further information, visit www.thebfa.org or call the BFA on 01235 820 470.

The other two symbolic stores are in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Penang, Malaysia. The first Domino’s to open outside the U.S. was 27 years ago.

The Cologne store will be the eighth in Germany and opened by Domino’s Pizza Group, the holder of the master franchise for the UK, Republic of Ireland and Germany. The franchisee, Abdul Mumtaz, also has a store in Bonn, as well as several in the UK. The opening of the Cologne store was celebrated with a guest appearance of Pali Grewal, a UK franchisee, who successfully defended his title last month in Las Vegas, as the world’s fastest pizza maker at Domino’s. His record for making three large pizzas is just 39.1 seconds.

Domino’s Pizza Group’s chief executive officer, Lance Batchelor, said: “We are delighted to have the honour of opening the 5,000th international store. Our plans in Germany are progressing well and opening a global milestone like this will help raise our profile as we continue to expand in the region.”

Founded in 1960, Domino’s is one of the world’s leading pizza delivery brands. The company operates a global network of more than 9,350 stores (4,350 in the U.S.) in 70 international markets and has a singular focus – the home delivery of pizza, freshly made to order with high quality ingredients.

A new-style franchisee recruitment event that is a hybrid of pre-booked appointments, presentations and an exhibition – Franchise Opportunities Live – is being introduced by the Venture Marketing Group at the Radisson Blu Edwardian hotel, Heathrow, on Friday and Saturday, September 7 and 8.

In another innovative step, Venture will initially carry out substantial research among exhibitors to ascertain their franchisee profile, capital requirement for their units, and the territories they have available to match them with potential franchisees, who register for the event or are listed on its extensive database of prospects.

This sophisticated matching process will pre-qualify applicants for their target franchise, check that they match the franchisor’s requirements, possess the necessary liquid capital, and are ready to commit to a deal.

Applicants, who match a franchisor’s requirements will be booked for one-to-one meetings with their chosen franchisors. Hot prospects will be offered overnight accommodation at the luxury Radisson. All pre-qualified visitors will also be invited to an ice-breaker networking event on the Friday night.

As with all Venture franchise exhibitions, Franchise Opportunities Live will be exclusively for British Franchise Association (BFA)-approved franchisors. This provides a guarantee to visitors that the exhibitors meet the ethical business standards required by the BFA, the industry’s only government-approved self-regulatory franchise body.

“This means visitors can be confident about investing in the brands they meet,” says Venture. “Exhibitors for their part can be assured of our commitment to promoting both the event and the industry as a whole.

“The essence of Franchise Opportunities Live is to match franchisors with well-informed prospects.”

In addition to the one-to-one meetings, the event will include all the usual features of Venture’s popular shows – presentations by exhibitors, seminars by BFA franchisors and its officials on buying a franchise, a business plan clinic on how to effectively apply to the banks for a business loan for a franchise, and franchisee panels at which successful franchisees describe how they joined and developed their business.

Adrian Goodsell, franchise exhibitions manager at Venture, comments: “This is a new and different way for prospective franchisees to progress their research into franchise opportunities.

“It is a valuable step in the process, enabling visitors to refine their choices by meeting key franchise businesses, receive advice and guidance, and network in luxury surroundings. This is targeted and structured to be of real benefit for those who are seriously considering making the move into franchising.”

The hotel, which is close to West London, is easily accessible, only five minutes from Heathrow airport with an extensive car park.

Britain’s franchisors were strongly represented at the inaugural global master franchise forum held by Franchise Pool International in Venice.

The forum introduced franchisors to specialist franchise brokers and consultants from across Europe who could help them find master franchises in their targeted countries.

A well-known UK franchisor who attended said: “This innovative concept allows the participants to develop relationships at a pace that may not have been possible before, drawing on international expertise and achieving their growth strategies.”

The UK member of Franchise Pool is the International Franchising Centre, part of Britain’s largest franchise consultancy group, the Franchising Centre.

Farrah Rose (pictured), a director of the International Franchising Centre, said she was delighted with the enthusiasm shown by UK franchisors for the event. “Many are actively seeking growing overseas markets and this was reflected by the strong UK representation,” said Rose. “One UK franchisor has already found a European master franchisee as a result of attending and there are more deals in the pipeline.

“The success of this two-day meeting was due to the fact that it wasn’t a side show, but an independent event in its own right, entirely focused on matching franchisors with master franchisees across Europe. Those who attended were committed and serious about international expansion and this was borne out by the immediate results.”

Franchising continues to outperform the economic downturn with turnover up by eight per cent to £13.4bn and nine out of ten units trade profitably, according to the 28th annual British Franchise Association (BFA)/NatWest survey for 2012.

The number of franchise systems grew to 929 and franchise units by four per cent to 40,100 employing 594,000, an increase of 73,000. Some 35 systems withdrew from franchising, but it was adopted by 64.

Some 90 per cent of franchisees reported satisfactory relations with their franchisor – the highest proportion for 10 years.

Two-thirds of franchisors made their start-up costs for franchisees more straightforward by rolling them into one single figure. This ranged from £14,000 for a personal services unit to £105,000 for a catering unit.

The mean turnover per unit increased by four per cent to £349,000 and a larger proportion of units reached over £500,000.

The mean age of franchisees reached 49, compared with 47 last year and 46 in 2005. The gender disparity continued to fall as women account for 38 per cent, whereas in 2006 the figure was 16 per cent.

A growing proportion of franchisees (27 per cent) had multiple units compared to 22 per cent in 2010. Half the franchisees with hotel and catering businesses had multiple units.

Brian Smart, BFA director-general, said: “The last few years have put crippling pressure on businesses, creating some of the toughest trading conditions that many have ever seen.

“However, yet again we see the franchise sector proving its value by generating new sustainable business start-ups, jobs and revenue for an economy that desperately needs them.

“For those who are considering franchising, this is obviously an encouraging sign, but we also stress the importance of thorough research and consideration before making any commitments.”

Graham Jones, head of franchising at NatWest and RBS, commented: “The franchising model offers the benefit of appearing to be a larger business with standardised products and quality expectation, advantages all heightened in a downturn.

“Expectations for growth are high in the sector, and we have invested in the largest specialised team of managers of any bank to ensure this growth happens.”

The survey continues to be conducted for the BFA by BDRC with the sponsorship of NatWest.

To purchase the full report, call 01235 820 470 or visit www.thebfa.org.

The fleet delivers pizza dough and ingredients from Domino’s production units (commissaries) at Milton Keynes, Penrith and Naas to more than 700 take-aways and delivery stores three times a week.

The company has a two-year contract for the vehicles with Euroway. The graphics are by Domino’s creative agency, Big Communications.

The business was launched by a young Northumberland entrepreneur, Sarah Pittendrigh, who founded it in 2008 with support from Business Link after facing bankruptcy following the decline of her employer, an event organising company.

She began franchising two years ago and is now aiming to franchise internationally and reach 30 franchisees by the end of next year.

She discovered the market for her dressings for events such as balls, weddings and corporate functions, whilst helping to organise her brother’s wedding and operates the South Northumberland and County Durham territory.

She has been chosen Newcomer of the Year in the North-East Business Awards. The judges were impressed with the simplicity of her business proposition and its excellent financial strength.

“We did hundreds of events last year and we are now hoping to take the business into Europe and maybe even beyond,” she says. “I couldn’t have wished for a better start, even though people said I was mad to set up in a recession.”

For further details, please complete the form below.

Black, who followed his athletic career by going into business with another athlete, compared it to franchising.

“There are some similarities between franchising and my own success,” he said. “If the right fundamentals are in place and you can get people to master them, then they can put their own stamp on thebusiness and maximise its success.”

Other speakers included Richard Holden (Lloyds TSB, sponsors of the Week), Hugh Davidson (Water Babies franchisee), David Weir (energie Group) and British Franchise Association chairman, Michael Eyre (Blazes Fireplace Centres).

The breakfast, also sponsored by Lloyds TSB was supported by Platinum Wave franchise consultancy, whichfranchise.com and Business Franchise, attracted nearly 300 attendees.

Dan Archer has been appointed franchise director of Envirocare, the commercial grounds maintenance service. He joins from Home Instead Senior Care and was previously with X-Press Legal Services and Signs Express.

Envirocare, which has 13 branches in the North and Midlands is a management-style franchise in which franchisees employ teams to carry out the service. “The business has benefitted from the rationalisation of public sector spending,” says Archer. “As budget cuts have led local authorities to outsource services, we have seen strong growth.”

Archer has been in franchising 15 years, mainly in the business-to-business sector, and has been on the British Franchise Association board.

Envirocare franchise costs £43,000 plus indicative working capital of £10,000. Turnover can reach £500,000 with net profits of more than 30 per cent. The business development manager is Lindsay Roxburgh.

“It’s particularly pleasing when our managers decide to buy into the business and make it their own,” said Graham Duckworth, the franchise sales director. “It’s a great advert for the value and potential offered by the franchise.”

The Cambridge office has been bought by two managers, John Rigg and Mike O’Dell, who ran it for the franchisee for 10 years.

Rigg said: “This is one of the leading franchise businesses with a successful track record going back nearly 30 years. When the opportunity to purchase the franchise came up, it just felt like the right think to do.”

The second branch to be sold, Belfast has been acquired by Diane Maxwell (left), who has worked there for four years, initially for a franchisee and then latterly for the company. She was promoted manager a year ago and in the past 12 months has increased turnover by 10 per cent.

“I believe in Driver Hire and its brand strengths,” she said. “When the opportunity came along to buy I was very excited. My experience has shown me that this is a very lucrative and profitable business.”

Driver Hire has nearly 100 franchised offices and is the largest firm in its field supplying permanent and temporary drivers to both the public and private sectors.

To learn more about the Driver Hire franchise opportunity, click here.

The franchisees, Richard Pawlowski and Darren Wightman, who have signed a 10-year site deal, hope to open two units in the Washington area by the end of the year.

Pawlowski is already a multi-system franchisee with 36 casual dining units in three U.S. chains – Cosi soup and sandwiches, Qdoba Mexican and Bugaboo Creek steakhouses.

Wightman was a former executive chef of the sushi brand in the UK.

YO! Sushi in which diners sit in front of a conveyor belt (travelling at eight cms a second) offering a choice of dishes has 61 restaurants in the UK, and franchises in Ireland, Portugal, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Norway annually serving 3.5 million customers internationally. Its first international site opened in Dubai in 2003.

Commenting on the U.S. launch, Alison Vickers, business development director, said: “Breaking into the U.S. is the natural next step for the business as we expand our international presence. The Washington restaurant is the first of many as we are in discussions with several experienced multi-unit franchisees in casual dining to take us to other large U.S. metropolitan areas, including Chicago, Boston and Miami.”

The firm is looking to nearly double its number of locations in the UK with the addition of 80 new free-standing restaurants over the next three years, in the process creating up to 400 new full and part-time jobs.

The announcement comes as Baskin-Robbins celebrates the official opening of three new shops in London. Nigel Travis (pictured below), Chief Executive Officer of Dunkin’ Brands, Baskin-Robbins’ parent company, and Giorgio Minardi, President of Dunkin’ Brands International, have travelled to London to attend the openings.

“Baskin-Robbins takes pride in delighting guests the world over with its rich library of ice cream flavours and wide array of frozen treats,” said Travis. “With the development of these additional restaurants, even more ice cream lovers across the UK will be able to enjoy our premium ice cream, ice cream cakes and frozen beverages, all served in a fun environment and at a great value.

“This is also great news for the British business community,” Travis continued. “Baskin-Robbins’ further growth in the UK provides an excellent opportunity for those looking to develop a franchise business. It also means hundreds of new jobs, which we are particularly pleased to be supporting.”

Baskin-Robbins currently has almost 100 locations in the UK, including free-standing restaurants as well as concession locations in other shops and movie theatres. On a worldwide basis, Baskin-Robbins has more than 6,700 locations in nearly 50 countries around the world.

Franchise opportunities for Baskin-Robbins are available throughout the UK. Baskin-Robbins is currently seeking entrepreneurs with a strong financial background and a passion for their local communities who are interested in developing multiple shop locations. For more information about franchising, please visit www.baskinrobbins.co.uk/franchising.

The three new venues in London will feature Baskin-Robbins’ new international restaurant design, which includes relaxing lounge-style seating, textured walls reminiscent of Baskin-Robbins waffle cones, an expanded topping station, interactive LCD menu displays and improved dessert displays for modelling ice cream cakes and sundaes.

There is an EU Cookie Law that came into effect on May 26, 2011. This relates to the use of Cookies on websites and, according to a recent study, 95 per cent of UK businesses are not prepared for it, reports Liam Patton, Mayfly Internet Marketing.

What’s it all about?
As much as this new law frustrates me, I will try to explain it in very simple terms.

Cookies are a type of file that is stored on internet devices (PC, tablet, phone) and used by almost every site. Ever wonder how a site remembers your login details, or how fields in a form are already completed when you started typing?

This is through Cookies. They are also used to track website visitors (Google Analytics), and remember which products you have added to your shopping basket. They are also used if you have social sharing tools on your site such as Twitter and Facebook. Many sites won’t work properly without them.

More advanced Cookies will remember which sites and products you have viewed, thus building your user profile. This information can then be used in re-targeting. Re-targeting works by remembering which products you have been looking to buy, and displays them on other non-related sites.

Why has this EU Cookie Law been introduced?
A very good question. There are some who feel that the web is very intrusive and by collecting all this data, sites hold too much information about a particular user, without them giving their consent. The new law aims to increase online security and data privacy by giving users more control over what data can be held about them.

This law actually came into effect in May last year, but everyone was given a 12-month grace period to get their house in order. By doing nothing, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), who has been tasked with policing it, has warned of heavy fines. So, do not ignore the new law. This applies to everyone who runs a website.

What’s next?
Firstly, I advise you to find out what Cookies are being used on your site. Then decide whether they are necessary for the site to run and if you need to ask permission to use them.

Next you should update your privacy policy. You might also need to have users consent to the Cookies. Getting their consent is the difficult part, as the methods to achieve this could really harm your site’s traffic and conversions.

I have seen sites with pop-ups asking users to tick to agree the site’s new Cookie regulations and I have seen banner links, footer links, and intro banners to name a few. Another concern is what if the users share an internet device, who is to say that both of them have agreed or disagreed with a site’s Cookie policy?

From a design point of view, I have not seen a suitable, yet subtle solution. The policy implies that just displaying your Cookie policy will not be enough. You will need the user’s permission.

Let’s be honest, most internet users have no idea what a Cookie is, and if they are asked to agree to a site’s cookie regulations by ticking an “I agree” pop-up box, they are going to leave the site pretty quickly.

Some high profile sites have already introduced their policies with BT.com being one of the more prominent. The ICO (www.ico.gov.uk) is due to offer more guidance.

I think that this is a very tough law to comply with, especially to get it right and avoid driving away your site’s traffic. I believe a browser solution would work best, so let us hope that Internet Explorer, Firefox, and the rest release something very soon.

The advice in this article is my own. Visit the ICO site above for a definitive guide, and if necessary seek legal advice.

“We’re always looking for convenient ways for our customers to order,” says Simon Wallis, sales and marketing director. “Mobiles currently account for 14 per cent of online sales.”

Domino’s, has a master franchisee with a total of 732 stores in the UK, Ireland, and since April last year Germany, where it has the majority stake. Globally, the U.S.-based franchise has 9,350 stores in 70 international markets.

What began as a single Chorley-based networking group quickly grew across the northwest with groups from Wigan to Stockport.

The formula has now become so successful that John is franchising his business and creating exciting opportunities for other entrepreneurs up and down the country.

Following a career in both accountancy and industry, John launched Bizset Networking 18 months ago when in his capacity as an accountant, he became acutely aware of the value of making local business contacts.

John comments: “Having a good network of connections is hugely important for any business owner as it provides people to call upon when you need referrals, advice or specific expertise. As Bizset has evolved, we have honed our offering to ensure attendees get the most out of every event and are able to build an extremely strong network of relevant business connections. All meetings are structured, relaxed and informal to provide every attendee with the opportunity to learn about each other whilst not allowing for any awkward silences! And it is working. We have facilitated a whole host of business deals so far and witnessed hundreds of meaningful and rewarding business connections being made.”

A year and a half on, Bizset Networking now has 12 separate networking groups meeting every two weeks across the North West.

John continues: “We received such great feedback from attendees that a few people approached me, keen to host their own groups in their own area and this is how the franchising opportunity was born. We are now able to offer small business owners the rare opportunity to invest in their own group. As well as obviously earning a significant amount of additional income from this, owning a franchise also provides a great opportunity to raise your profile in the local community and make some extremely valuable connections.”

Bizset Networking is an inclusive networking group that empowers attendees to build new business relationships and generate new opportunities. Bizset operates a mix of morning and evening meetings in various locations across the UK.

For more information about attending a Bizset Networking meeting near you, or to find out more about becoming a franchisee, please complete and send the form below.

She explains: “I came across Longcroft when I needed somewhere for my two cats to stay and was so impressed by how special it was I knew straight away that I would love to run a business just like it.”

Gill was able to very quickly agree the franchise terms with franchisor Abi Purser, who developed the concept of the cat hotel, then set about obtaining planning permission.

Gill explains: “We put together a very comprehensive application and permission was granted without any problem. The hotel was finished within seven weeks.

“I was fortunate in that Abi was able to negotiate commercial arrangements for the fixtures and fittings on my behalf and this was all completed within our projected budget. During this process Abi was taking bookings for us so we had clients lined up for Easter and beyond.”

Although it is still early days, only having opened in April, but Gill firmly believes that this is a fantastic franchise opportunity with excellent franchisor support, including a very impressive website from which she has already received many enquiries and bookings, together with an outstanding ongoing strategy.

For further details, please complete and send the form below.

The British Franchise Association (BFA) has announced the 14 finalists in the BFA/HSBC Franchisor of the Year Awards 2012, supported by Express Newspapers. The shortlisted franchisors were selected from a range of business sizes and industries across the UK and represent sectors as diverse as home cleaning services to global telecommunications.

The awards, now in its 23rd year, showcase ethical and innovative business ideas and the inspiring people behind them. They bring to life the stories of the exceptional franchisors supporting their franchisee network and building strong brands – serving to motivate the next generation of franchisors and franchisees.

There are three categories for the awards: The BFA/HSBC Franchisor of the Year Award; The HSBC Franchisee Support Award; and The Express Newspapers Brand Builder of the Year Award. The shortlisted franchisors in each category are highlighted below:

BFA/HSBC Franchisor of the Year Award, supported by Express Newspapers

• Autosmart International – van-based sales to automotive industry
• Driver Hire – recruitment agency specialising in transport and logistics personnel
• TaxAssist Accountants – accountancy and tax
• Home Instead Senior Care – one-to-one, non-medical care for seniors in their homes
• McDonald’s Restaurants – quick service restaurants

HSBC Franchisee Support Award

• O2 – retailing of mobile phones/telecommunications
• Jasper’s – corporate catering
• Countrywide Signs – estate agency ‘For Sale’ boards service
• Maid2Clean – management agency for domestic cleaning
• Auditel – cost management consultancies

Express Newspapers Brand Builder of the Year Award

• EnviroVent – home improvements and energy saving
• Wiltshire Farm Foods – home meals delivery service
• Cafe2U – mobile espresso coffee service
• Mac Tools – van-based sales of automotive tools

The finalists have been invited to present to the judging panel, face-to-face, on the 15th or 16th May 2012. The winners in each of the three categories will be announced at the 23rd British Franchisor of the Year Awards gala dinner on 21st June 2012 at the Telford International Centre.

Judges comments
Cathryn Hayes, head of franchising at HSBC Bank, said: “What these businesses have in common is the implementation of innovative practices that are driving industry standards. The HSBC Franchisee Support Award recognises these outstanding franchisors for the strategic direction and support they offer their network of franchisees. Their stories are an inspiration to businesses of all sizes across the UK.”

Brian Smart, director-general of the BFA, added: “We are seeing businesses challenge industry standards and employ ethical business practices in order to inspire future franchisors and franchisees. Our finalists are being recognised for doing just that. The BFA/HSBC Franchisor of the Year Awards offer a chance for UK franchisors to be acknowledged for these successes and we very much look forward to showcasing the best of the best at our gala dinner in June.”

Seán Hammond, head of franchising at Express Newspapers, said that the judges had received a high standard of entries and had seen a real focus on franchisors building and maintaining their brand. “The BFA/HSBC Franchisor of the Year Awards, supported by Express Newspapers, provides a platform for the most innovative and inspiring brand builders to share their successes and be rewarded for their achievements.”

For further information, visit www.thebfa.org or call the BFA on 01865 379 892.

Encouraging Women into Franchising (EWIF) held its annual awards ceremony in London. The event was well attended as the organisation continues to grow and enhance its reputation as a positive force for women in business.

EWIF is the organisation dedicated to encouraging women into franchising. Its members come from all areas within the franchising industry and include franchisors, franchisees, banks, consultants, accountants, solicitors, media providers, exhibition organisers, and other associated businesses.

What does “Encourage women into franchising” mean in practical terms? Well, its members offer free advice to women who are considering becoming franchisees, want to franchise their own business or to franchisors that feel they have an underrepresentation of women in their network.

One particularly happy winner of an award was Shirley Hughes of The Franchise Careers Centre who won Woman Service Provider of the Year. A delighted Shirley said: “Having been a finalist last year it is very satisfying to win the award in 2012. EWIF is clearly a positive force within franchising and it is good to see such great support for women entering the business world.”

Pictured, Shirley Hughes receiving her award from the EWIF judging panel.

The company’s quarter-inch thick agglomerate material is engineered to fit over existing surfaces and looks superb, so is perfect for the ‘instant’ makeovers featured on TV, while its skilled head office fitters are thoroughly familiar with adhering to tight filming schedules.

Undoubtedly its most fruitful partnership, albeit on a purely informal basis, is with TV property queen, Sarah Beeny, and her artist husband, Graham Swift. Given understandable limitations on product placement, the scope for free TV brand exposure is minimal, but the company says the association pays off in other directions, all to the benefit of its franchise owners.

“Sarah is a skilled interior designer and Graham is a talented artist with a broad understanding of the principles of colour, so they take our product in exciting new directions and extend the applications beyond kitchen makeovers,” says chief operating officer, Danny Hanlon (right). “In their hands, it becomes a whole palette of interior finishes, from classy to eclectic, as indeed it does with other professional designers and architects.”

Talking point
One notable installation featured in the first series of Sarah Beeny’s Restoration Nightmare and still a talking point for visitors to Rise Hall, is the emerald green bathroom serving the Tepilo Suite. It showcases Granite Transformations’ Dream Green glass agglomerate, which satisfies Sarah’s ‘green’ ethos on both counts, the dramatic colour and the high recycled content.

Having discovered from Danny that the agglomerate backing could be shaved away to produce a translucent surface, she commissioned backlit Dream Green bath panels that allow fluorescent lighting to filter through and create an eyecatching, bejewelled appearance.

“That was an inspired idea and one customer requested exactly the same design for his own bathroom,” says Danny. “It’s not to everyone’s taste, but if customers see the bathroom on the  website or a showcard, they ask about the material and look at a sample – then probably opt for cream or white!”

More to everyone’s taste perhaps is the refined Palm Desert quartz panelling, chosen by Sarah and Graham for the main bridal suite. A subtle mix of oatmeal and warm golden brown with flecks of white, grey and black, this surface exudes restrained elegance and Sarah used it to excellent effect for panelling a corner bath, creating stylish surrounds for his’n'her wash basins and boxing in a toilet and adjacent storage units. The look is ‘modern boutique hotel’, which is sure to inspire customers when planning their own bathrooms – and franchise owners when consulting on commercial contracts.

“Sarah and Graham kindly allow us to take photographs at Rise Hall and, although this is naturally more restricting than studio sets, it provides excellent shots of real-life installations,” says Danny. “They also approve PR stories for the trade and consumer press, so our franchisees get the benefit from the resultant publicity. You’d be amazed just how appealing Sarah is to picture editors!”

Sarah and Graham were particularly excited about the large slab sizes and water-resistant properties of Granite Transformations’ agglomerate materials, which they exploited in a number of bath and shower rooms. “We found the sheet slab sizes brilliant, as the fewer grout lines there are, the better a bathroom wears and the longer it takes to look manky,” says Sarah.

Most visually dramatic is the Pennine Suite’s shower, which is clad entirely in Black Star recycled glass, creating a virtually seamless finish that is impermeable to water. Floor tiles, made from the same material and laid on moisture-resistant, dimensionally stable board, complete the imposing ‘night sky’ look and highlight the product’s different decorative applications.

An adjoining shower room finished in granite Rosso Alpi, with its mix of rose pink, brick red, terracotta, deep brown and downy white, provides a complete colour contrast and again illustrates the material’s hardwearing and non-porous technical characteristics. While for the TV show’s second series, Mocha Real from the same granite range was used for complete wall and floor cladding in the Farndale bathroom, exploring yet another décor direction.

Further fittings
Nor does Granite Transformations’ involvement with the Rise Hall restoration end there. After using these luxurious agglomerates to transform at least eight separate interiors, Sarah and Graham are currently talking with Danny about fitting out a further four bathrooms and, perhaps most intriguing of all, transforming cloakrooms in the large former Gymnasium, which will be used for wedding receptions and other events.

“Our relationship with Sarah Beeny benefits both parties, I’m sure. They get access to our whole portfolio of agglomerates and use them on a project where recladding and refinishing are critical, because they don’t want to rip the existing structure apart, yet want the rooms to look totally beautiful,” says Danny. “As a brand, we are also associated with kitchen makeovers, so it’s good for our product to be used in other contexts. Rise Hall additionally acts as a high profile reference site when our franchise owners are talking to architects, interior designers and commercial property developers.”

Effective marketing support is one of the benefits of being a franchise owner, since few independent businesses can come close to the marketing power of well-established franchising organisations. But it’s not just about spending on TV and press advertising.

As Granite Transformations ably demonstrates, there is more to the marketing mix than that; it’s also about public relations, point of sale, promotions and seizing upon opportunities to project the product to best effect. Working with TV’s property guru on a whole series of makeover jobs provides just such an opportunity.

For further information on Granite Transformations, please complete and send the form below.

The site has 45 business categories ranging from traditional franchise sectors, such as fast-food, car valeting and scuff repairs, and commercial and domestic cleaning to newer systems, like diet and weight-loss, business networking and cost reduction, and buy-and-sell stores.

To visit the site, click here.

Entries are free to ensure that all franchises are included so that potential franchisees have the widest possible choice from which to select their ideal business that matches their experience, skills, aptitudes, and budget.

Advertising opportunities
Franchisors have the opportunity to upgrade their listing, including profiles of their business, franchise case histories, videos, etc., at a modest cost.

The market is researched daily and the site has been deliberately designed to make it easy and quick for visitors to select their ideal franchise from the widest and most up-to-date choice available and immediately contact the franchisor.

Visitors can also download a free eBook, Franchising Exposed by Chris Gibson, who has headed a number of successful franchise systems and now runs a consultancy, Franology helping companies to franchise their business, to guide them in making the right choice and avoiding pitfalls.

The site is additional to the long-established website of Franchise World, www.franchiseworld.co.uk, which continues to reflect the publication as it is based on daily news of the sector.

Franchisors wishing to upgrade their listing, please complete and send the form below.
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The event will enable those thinking of setting up their own business to explore options and gather all the information they need.

A wide range of franchise businesses across sectors such as property, home care, technology, food and retail will be at the event. These include Local People, United Carpets, Platinum Property Partners, Lawn Keeper, Riverford Organic Vegetables, McDonald’s, Bluebird Care, and Plug and Play Design.

Visitors can have confidence in the companies they meet, as the exhibition is still the only franchise event in the North endorsed by the British Franchise Association (BFA), the regulatory body for franchising in the UK. This means that all companies exhibiting have met the Association’s code of ethical franchising.

The event is the perfect starting point for any budding franchisee with many free features to help visitors gain answers to all the key questions they need to consider before making the step into owning a franchise.

Jane and David Allen from Leek in Staffordshire who are self-employed and visited the exhibition last year commented:  “We have found the seminars very useful and there is plenty of free advice available at the show such as the bfa and the banks.  The show has provided us with good ideas of where to look next and areas for further research.”

The Franchisee Panel is always a popular feature as it offers a valuable insight into life as a franchisee, providing an opportunity to hear first-hand accounts of the transition period from being employee to a self-employed franchise owner.

Exclusive to the British Franchise Exhibition are the Franchisee Recruitment Open Sessions held by McDonald’s. Visitors can find out about what goes on behind the scenes of one of the world’s biggest brands and investigate whether becoming a McDonald’s franchisee is right for them.

There is also an extensive free conference programme, which includes practical advice seminars by the BFA. During these sessions, a panel of experts will cover all aspects of franchising including how to find funding, where to go for legal advice and what a franchisor looks for in a franchisee.

For those with a large amount of liquid capital to invest on a high return franchise, the VIP High Level Investment Lounge is the perfect place to explore business opportunities and network with other entrepreneurs and franchisors.

The British Franchise Exhibition is open from 10am each day, closing at 5pm on Friday and 4pm on Saturday.

To register for free tickets, click on the banner above.

Most people considering setting up in business will have heard of the well-publicised statistics about the success of franchised businesses versus stand alone independents, reports Derrick Simpson, of Franchise Resales Limited.

With franchising there is a general reduction in risk due to the proven operating systems, the specific training and on-going support.

It is of course still up to you to assess whether the information and projections your prospective franchisor is providing are correct and they can be achieved by you running the particular business in question.

You need to be sure you can implement the marketing programme, deliver the sales and profits presented to you to make your business a success mirroring that of other franchisees in the system.

Further risk reduction
How then can you trim the risk element even further? How can you be sure that a particular business will operate in-line with the projections? How can you check the business will operate within a particular marketplace?

The answer to these questions is to purchase an existing business rather than starting from scratch – buying a resale business. With an existing business there is;

• A ready made customer base
• Cashflow from day one
• Trained staff already in place
• Brand presence in the local market place
• An established supplier network.
• Evidence of what can and has been done

The franchisor is there to provide training and support, assist with your launch and provide hands-on advice, just as it is with a new franchise. The business however is also already there and waiting for you to inject your energy and drive to take it on to unleash its potential.

“Hang on” I hear you say; why, if it’s so good, is the business being sold. Surely it must be failing or have something wrong with it, otherwise they would want to remain there and grow it further?

This of course is not the case.

A resale is not a sign of failure; generally people selling existing franchises are looking to move on for positive reasons. That said, a business that is in the right location for you, in the sector you are looking at but is not successful, for whatever reason, can present an opportunity for the right purchaser.

Any franchisee who wishes to sell their business will need to prepare a document describing that business, the trading history, the main costs involved, the accounts for the business so you can see accurately how it has performed and of course the asking price. This document is called either a “Prospectus of Sale” or “Information Memorandum” and it designed to give you all the basic details of the business.

Establishing the asking price is important because this can either entice you further or scare you away if it is either lower or higher than you can afford or may have expected. One tip here is to always check to see how the asking price was arrived at. Was it with a finger in the air, is it what the seller needs or wants or was it structured by a qualified valuer who can substantiate the calculation with fact and experience.

Where you really do get the best out of a resale opportunity is when the seller has been advised by either the franchisor or a specialist resales consultant company, to follow a structured process and work logically to provide the necessary detail in preparation for their sale. This will enable you to see where there is growth potential, to establish what you need to invest to launch you ownership of the business and to enable you to prepare a structured business proposal for which ever bank you approach for funding or banking facilities.

During your meetings with the franchisor they will clearly have a view about the resale businesses they have available and whilst they will most likely have engaged an external specialist, such as Franchise Resales Limited, to co-ordinate and manage their resales for them, they should still be able to advise you on the best way for you to grow and develop the opportunity at which you are looking.

This goes back to the basic concept of franchising that an experienced franchisor when combined with an enthusiastic qualified franchisee has all the ingredients to be highly successful and when this is combined with a well organised and structured sale of an existing business it truly can be a win, win, win situation.

Far too many franchisees fail to make a proper and thorough investigation of the franchise they are buying, warns Martin Mendelsohn, franchise lawyer, author and academic.

Mendelsohn (right) also criticises prospective franchisees for taking too much for granted, including their own position and attitude.

“Prospective franchisees must understand that franchising has its limitations,” he says. “It does not provide a route to automatic success for all, but it does provide a business framework which reduces, but not eliminates the risk which is inherent in establishing and running a business.

“Ultimately if things go wrong, franchisees often seek to blame someone else and that someone else must be the franchisor. That is frequently looking in the wrong direction.

“No one can guarantee success, least of all a franchisor, but no franchisee who is not thoroughly prepared in his or her own mind and wholly committed to the cause will succeed no matter how good the franchisor. Conversely, the franchisee who has entered the relationship with the right attitude may succeed even if the franchisor is below average.”

Not staying the course
Mendelsohn points out that there have been many cases in practice where franchisees have given up because they found the going hard (they were told it would be); lost their nerve because the business was taking time to be established and losses were arising (as projected in their business plan); or changed their mind and expected the franchisor to bail them out (without any promises or suggestions having been made that there would be a bail out).

There are also those who have taken up a franchise and found that the franchise was not what they thought it would be, yet their complaints were about matters which could have been ascertained by any proper objective enquiry and investigation.

“There are also some cases where the franchise is inadequately piloted and badly structured,” he continues. “That can also be discovered prior to entering into a contract, although it can be made difficult by a so-called ‘franchisor’, who deliberately sets out to mislead and deceive.

“Often those who embark upon deceptive practices will use the name ‘franchise’ wrongly to describe what they offer in order to attract interest in what is a spurious business opportunity,” warns Mendelsohn.

Prospective franchisees also need to make business decisions before entering into a franchise proposition. They should thoroughly investigate the business sector. Is it new? Will it last? Is it in decline? Is it proven as a viable business with a future?

Turning to franchisors, Mendelsohn says, “Some are excellent, some are good, some are average, some are below average, and some are downright awful. It is no different from any other walk of life.

“Too many businesses try to adopt franchising methods without properly investigating how this now well-developed business technique might be best applied in their business, and all too often on the basis of so-called professional advice, which in reality is no such thing.”

He lists as the most common reasons why franchisors fail as inadequate pilot testing, a poorly structured system, under-capitalisation, poor selection of initial franchisees, and the fact that the franchisor is a poor businessman who does not run his own business properly.

“Really sound franchises sell themselves by the excellence of the signs of success,” says Mendelsohn. “Any franchisor who does the ‘hard sell’ job on a prospective franchisee must be viewed with considerable caution.”

British Franchise Association (BFA)
Explaining the objectives of the BFA, he says, “The association hopes that by maintaining its standards of membership that it will acquire a cachet which is so powerful that no franchisor will, after it is established, find it comfortable to exist without being a member.”

He adds that the disciplinary procedure the BFA imposes on its members, coupled with the promotion of, and publicity given to, the basic standards which it expects is the major influence it can bring to bear on its members and indirectly its non-members.

European Franchise Federation code
Reviewing each of the provisions in the European Franchise Federation code of ethics, which the BFA has adopted, Mendelsohn recognises that the one which is likely to provoke most debate is that calling for the parties to exercise fairness in their dealings with each other.

“There will be many widely, strongly held and conflicting views of what is ‘fairness’ and it is likely that this issue will cause many problems. As a franchisor gets stronger and more independent, the more likely it is that what was once considered by it to be fair may subsequently be considered to be a millstone around its neck.

“Fairness is so subjective that what one person considers unfair may well, with equal conviction, be considered fair by another. It should be noted that as in the guiding principles, the code imposes an obligation not only on the franchisor to be fair in its dealings with the franchisee, but also on the franchisee to demonstrate fairness in its dealings with the franchisor.

“This means that the franchisee should not be trying to cheat or behave irresponsibly, but make a positive contribution to the relationship.”

As an example of the need for fairness, Mendelsohn quotes a situation that can arise very early in the relationship. He says that however good the pre-contractual selection process, the training of the franchisee may show that it is not suited to the business. In such a case, it is best if the relationship is then brought to an end. It would not be unethical for the franchisor to recover the direct costs incurred in dealing with the franchisee up to that point in time. The franchisor should not seek to penalise the franchisee in such a case by seeking additional compensation for whatever purpose.

The winners of the prestigious Franchise Marketing Awards (FMA) 2012 have been announced, showcasing the industry’s most innovative and effective marketing campaigns.

Judged by an independent panel of experts, the FMAs reward franchise companies that have raised their public awareness and as a result have achieved sustainable growth for their brands.

Marketing plays a vital role in attracting potential franchisees, as well as customers, to the business. There is much innovation in the sector with many franchisors embracing a wide range of media, including social media platforms, to showcase their business. A well thought out marketing strategy can help franchisors stand out in what is an increasingly crowded marketplace.

The winners were:

• Best Website – Molly Maid
• Best Print Advert – McDonald’s
• Best Online Marketing Campaign – Expense Reduction Analysts
• Best Franchisee Marketing Support – The Creation Station
• Best Overall Marketing Campaign – Dream Doors.

Adrian Goodsell, Franchise Exhibitions Manager at Venture Marketing Group commented: “The creativity and innovation we have seen in this year’s entries reflects the high calibre of marketing franchisors must use to raise the profile of their businesses and attract potential franchisees.”

The winners were announced and presented with their accolades at The British & International Franchise Exhibition on 16 March 2012 at Olympia, London.

Some 1,000 new franchise units and the creation of 10,000 new jobs a year by 2015 is the vision of Mr Franchise, a franchise brokerage service that has been launched by Iain Martin and aims to build a national network of 50 regional consultants.

With an extensive background in franchise match-making, Martin (pictured) believes he has spotted a significant gap in the market for advisory services for those wishing to acquire a franchise.

Currently, the only options open to prospective franchisees are to adopt the “DIY” approach to finding a franchise (seminars, books, exhibitions, magazines, and websites, etc.) or use a telephone-based brokerage service.

The Mr Franchise model is based on taking prospective franchisees through a structured assessment process that involves a series of face-to-face meetings. Based on these, they will be introduced to franchisors where their attributes fit comfortably, and managed through the recruitment process.

There is no charge for candidates who acquire a franchise through the service. Franchisors pay a success fee for each franchise awarded.

First franchisee
The business has appropriately been launched as a franchise, and following a trial of the system in the Black Country, the first Mr Franchise unit has been awarded to David Nelson, who has taken the Lancashire territory.

Nelson, who has been involved in franchising for a number of years as a franchisee, commented: “Having experienced the challenges associated with using the DIY approach to finding a franchise for myself, I immediately recognised the benefits of having a friendly local consultant who would be able to guide me through the franchise maze.

“I am delighted to be part of the Mr Franchise network, and although we don’t launch officially until the beginning of March, I am already finding a very positive reception from fellow business professionals in the Preston area.”

Martin believes that, with the demise of the local Business Link service, there is no easy way for prospective franchisees to get face-to-face advice, and he expects each Mr Franchise consultant to become a key member of their local professional advisory network.

Another major benefit of the service for franchisors is that the Mr Franchise business model is based on meeting prospective franchisees via referrals in their region, and whilst some internet and social media promotion will be used, it is not core to the business. As a result, Martin expects to be adding to the pool of prospective franchisees, rather than fishing in the same water as everyone else.

There are opportunities for established franchisors to become part of the Mr Franchise portfolio, but at this start up stage candidates will only be offered for the Black Country and Lancashire.

This success was recognised by the British Franchise Association (BFA) in September 2011 when Lorraine was named Franchisee of the Year for the South West and Wales region.

Pictured, Lorraine receives her award accompanied by Chris Chidley, Driver Hire, chief executive.

Driver Hire Oxford is part of a nationwide network of almost 100 offices, specialising in providing recruitment services to the logistics sector. Driver Hire supplies some 3,000 personnel each day, mainly drivers and other logistics staff, to organisations in the public and private sectors.

Recruitment and training services
Lorraine’s office now employs five staff and finds work for over 300 local people every week. On top of that, Lorraine has taken full advantage of Driver Hire’s recently launched Driver CPC training service. Indeed, she has really led the rest of the network, having delivered training to over 1,000 drivers in two years.

This has provided Driver Hire Oxford with a valuable extra revenue stream, but Lorraine has also found that she is winning new customers for her core recruitment business by offering a wider range of services.

Commenting on her award, Lorraine said: “I was both shocked and delighted to win this award. It’s a great recognition for the whole team of how far we have come over the past years.”

Lorraine wasn’t alone in being recognised for excellence in franchising in 2011. Two more franchisees (Manjit Singh at Enfield and Sarah Matthews at Lincoln) reached the BFA awards shortlist and Driver Hire itself was a finalist for the fifth year running in the BFA Franchisor of the Year awards, which it won outright in 2006.

Support and partnership
In fact, Driver Hire is one of the UK’s longest-established and most respected franchise operations. A large part of the success of its business comes from the genuine partnership between franchisor and franchisee. Driver Hire is dedicated to providing exceptional support to its franchisees – there is a head office team of 50 serving its almost 100-strong office network.

Driver Hire is a business-to-business management franchise, operating in a highly legislative and compliance-led industry. Over the years there has been an enormous investment on the part of the franchisor in ensuring that all of its franchisees have a detailed understanding of the relevant rules and regulations, but also in developing systems, processes and training that make day-to-day operations as uncomplicated as possible. This in turn enables the network to deliver market-leading quality standards.

The extensive package of support includes administrative functions such as invoicing and payroll; a bespoke IT system which takes care of bookings, candidate and customer records, and helps to ensure legislative compliance; a national accounts team, which delivers centrally-won business opportunities; a marketing team providing a steady stream of professional marketing resources; and a dedicated area development manager.

Franchisees who follow the system and operate their business effectively can take home 10-12 per cent of turnover and of course, build up significant capital value as their business grows.

If you’re considering a move into franchising, what might this mean for you? Well, the average annual turnover of a Driver Hire office in 2010-11 was £735,000 – more than twice the £353,000 average turnover for a franchise in the UK, as revealed by the latest BFA/ NatWest industry survey.

As Lorraine says: “I love being a Driver Hire franchisee and get a buzz out of doing well. I’ve got a massive amount out of franchising – and continue to do so.”

To find out more about Driver Hire’s franchise opportunity, click here.

In addition to the franchisors’ stands offering a wide range of franchised businesses with setting-up costs of less than £20,000 to more than £100,000, the show will include regular seminars and presentations explaining the pros and cons of franchising from the perspective of both potential franchisees and companies planning to franchise their business.

Franchising operates world-wide and advice will also be available on importing and exporting franchise systems for those who would like to take the fast-track to becoming a franchisor and bring a successful foreign system into the UK, and conversely there will also be help for British franchisors with ambitions to expand abroad.

Visitors will be able to meet face-to-face with exhibitors such as Cash & Cheque Express, Go Cruise, Platinum Property Partners, Snappy Snaps and Totally Clean Solutions.

The exhibition is the only event in London supported by the British Franchise Association (BFA) and only companies that have met its code of ethics are accredited to exhibit. This means visitors can have confidence in that the franchises on offer have been assessed as ethical.

An extensive conference features experts from the BFA, members from the legal and finance professions, business advisers, as well both franchisors and franchisees of members. Aspiring entrepreneurs will learn all they need to know in order to take the next steps in the search for their ideal franchise.

The conference has a wide range of over 40 insightful seminars covering topics such as high-level investment franchising, franchise resales, executives in franchising, families in franchising, growing your own business, hands-on franchising, and international franchising.

For those looking to capitalise on international opportunities in the UK, or set up a franchise abroad, the international zone will be of particular interest, providing important information on what franchise opportunities are available, how to gain funding, advice on procedures, and pitfalls to avoid.

A regular and popular feature at the show is the franchisee panel. Visitors can hear about the transition from employee to franchisee as well as true stories, advice and anecdotes from the franchisees themselves. Due to popular demand, there will be multiple sessions taking place throughout the two days.

Visitors with a large amount of capital to invest can have valuable conversations with franchised companies in the high investment VIP lounge. Sponsored by Platinum Property Partners, this feature enables people to meet and network, while also keeping in touch with their office through WiFi.

Growing Your Own Business
As part of an extensive free conference at the event, there will be a series of Growing Your Own Business seminars, where established entrepreneurs and business experts will give business tips, advice and details of their experience of setting up on their own, providing visitors with the know-how and confidence to take the plunge for themselves.

They will include William Chase, who established and grew Tyrrells crisps, turning it into a £40m premium brand. He then sold the majority share to build Williams Chase Distillery producing premium gin and vodka from his home-grown potatoes and apples.

Chase Vodka, a pure potato vodka, has gained worldwide recognition, having been awarded the World’s Best Vodka title and a double gold medal in the spirits awards in San Francisco out of 247 vodkas from 57 countries worldwide.

In his presentation, “Potatoes – an unlikely route to success” he will explain how the distillery has proved that even a boutique business can compete with larger distillers by producing quality not quantity. Chase Vodka has enjoyed success across the globe with the U.S. expected to become the company’s largest market.

Another speaker will be Sarah Lu, founder of Youdoo Doll and StartBrand-Agency, who will explain the development of her two companies, including her successful pitch on the BBC’s Dragon’s Den.

At the age of 21, she set up her first business, Shortlong Graphics with funding from the Prince’s Trust. She sold it and then worked at advertising agencies in New York.

She founded Youdoo Doll in 2007 and the create your own “mini-me” product which gained investment on the BBC programme. To date, she has produced a range of Youdoo Doll products, acting as inventor, supplier and worldwide distributor.

Last year she started the StartBrand-Agency, a business advisory, design and marketing agency, specifically targeted at new business start-ups. With her experience and flair for new enterprise, combined with the support of local and international businesses, the agency helps entrepreneurs realise their dreams. After launching only a few months ago, it already has 34 clients.

Adrian Goodsell, franchise exhibitions manager at Venture Marketing Group commented: “The current economic climate has brought with it challenges for small business owners. Our seminars and exhibition are designed to ensure entrepreneurs make the most of the support tools available and develop skills to help them achieve business success.”

Marketing awards
The winners of the Franchise Marketing Awards presented by Venture will be announced at the show.
Judged by an independent panel of experts and supported by the BFA, the awards recognise the industry’s most innovative and effective marketing campaigns. The awards include: best website, best print advert, best franchisee marketing support, best online marketing campaign, and best overall marketing campaign.

Goodsell said: “The awards represent an opportunity for franchise businesses to gain recognition for their achievements and celebrate their hard work. Past winners have found the accolade invaluable for promoting their business, as well as providing an opportunity to reward hard work and boost staff motivation.”

Award information and criteria can be downloaded along with an award entry form at www.franchiseinfo.co.uk/ awards/2012.

Full listings and guide
If your tour of the show doesn’t turn up a handful of franchises to interest you, or leaves you short of advice, pick up a copy of the 2012 edition of the British Franchise Directory & Guide, which will be on the Franchise World stand at a special show price and visit the new website, www.franchisebusinesslistings.co.uk, click the banner to the right.

The new edition, which is in a more handy, pocket-size provides complete listings by business categories of more than 1,300 businesses, both BFA members and non-members, offering franchises in the UK.

With a foreword by Sir Bernard Ingham, president of the BFA, the 28th edition of this popular directory carries exclusive articles by the leading authorities on the main aspects of the business to provide a how-to guide for both prospective and practising franchisees and franchisors.

There are valuable examples of the most common forms of franchise contract – a single unit franchise and a master franchise – written by the leading franchise solicitor, Mark Abell, of Field Fisher Waterhouse, the City law firm. These provide a guide that sets out the obligations of the two parties.

The exhibition will be open from 10am each day, closing at 5pm on Friday, March 16 and 4pm on Saturday, March 17.

The AFA is charging an annual fee of £485 to franchisors and £980 to suppliers, both subject to VAT. Franchisors have the option of including the AFA’s logo on their franchise agreement for a one-off charge of £980 plus VAT.

There are three criteria for franchisor membership – a trading history, testimonials from two franchisees, and confirmation of their commitment to the code of ethics of the European Franchise Federation.

The new body, based at Exeter, has been formed by Craig Brittain, the franchisor of Charisnack, the supplier of snacks to the workplace, who has experience in retailing with Marks & Spencer, Windsor Farm Shop, Daylesford Organic, and Dunelm soft furnishings.

“The introduction of a new association can only be of benefit to this vibrant sector of the economy,” he said.

Michelmores, a law firm at Exeter, has provided legal advice to the AFA through Richard Cobb and Anna Baker. “Its guiding principal offer franchising a viable alternative association and accreditation system to address the issues involved in a highly professional manner,” said Cobb.

The strategic relationship means that Moreland, a member of the Willis Commercial Network, one of the world’s largest insurance intermediaries, will be able to offer new, exclusive benefits to members of the BFA in recognition of their dedication to, and investment in, ethical franchising.

The company specialises in products and packages tailored to the unique requirements of both franchisees and franchisors, with innovative polices recognising the specialised risk in franchising.

Maurice Logie (right), owner and director of Moreland, said: “Franchising has always been of great interest to me. We have supported the industry for many years and have done all we can to get behind important activities such as the BFA’s Scottish Franchise Week.”

“The sector represents tenacity and stability – attributes which are attractive to our key partners in the insurance industry – and this new relationship with the bfa enables us to enhance our previous work in the industry and demonstrate our long term commitment.”

The partnership, part of a strategic drive by the bfa to engage with suppliers to the sector, will see Moreland working alongside the Willis Affinity team, creating the ability to offer the right insurance solution for any size or complexity of franchise.

Brian Smart, Director General of the BFA, added: “Moreland is now a brand well regarded in the industry and that is largely a result of the unwavering commitment by Maurice to pursue excellence in the services he provides to ethical franchising.”

“Insurance is an area of business that we all need to take seriously, whether we like it or not, and it is a great comfort that we are able to find a partner in this field as passionate about franchising as we are,” added Smart.

Williamson (right) has 20 years financial and business experience, having worked for DHL Express and Rentokil Initial Washrooms and Textiles Division, where he was based in Belgium and had responsibility for managing change across 16 businesses throughout Europe.

“I was looking for a new challenge and this opportunity with Driver Hire came along,” says Williamson. He has completed the company’s two-week in-depth training course to learn the basics of his new business.

“Our focus will be on client retention and delivering added value to our market-leading service,” said Williamson.

Driver Hire provides temporary and permanent drivers and other logistics staff to local and national organisations in both the public and private sector, when companies are short of staff due to either illness, holidays or seasonal demand.

Kall Kwik has been bought by one of its former managing directors, Nigel Toplis, and Prontaprint bought by two  former directors.

Toplis, who left Kall Kwik in 2002, will now run the network, under the name, New KK, within his Bardon Group as a licensed, rather than a franchised, operation.

Both Kall Kwik and Prontaprint have left the British Franchise Association (BFA) of which they have been long-standing supporters.

ODC was formed in 2000 after the two print networks came under the same ownership to make economies by merging their headquarters back office functions.

Franchisees of both brands have for some time been increasingly critical of the level of support from ODC. Last July a long-running dispute between a large action group of franchisees and the company was only settled through mediation and offers by ODC to increase its investment in marketing and re-negotiate their franchise agreements.

The franchisees were also given the opportunity to withdraw from the franchises without penalty and run their businesses independently under new names.

Around half the group chose the latter option and are now expected to form voluntary co-operative buying groups for materials, equipment and products, particularly paper, ink and graphics software, to regain some of the major benefits they enjoyed as franchisees.

Pioneers of franchising
Both Kall Kwik and Prontaprint were pioneers of franchising in the UK with Prontaprint having been founded in 1970 by Edwin Thirlwell and Kall Kwik in 1978 by Moshe Gerstenhaber. The two chains battled for the number one spot in the then new quick print marketplace. The two founders subsequently both made millions from the sale of their businesses, Thirlwell moving to Jersey and Gerstenhaber to Switzerland.

One of the legacies of the two chains has been to create a cadre of experienced franchise managers, such as Toplis, who now hold important posts around the sector. Thirlwell and Toplis are past chairmen of the BFA.

The brands both went on to earn Business Superbrand recognition under the ownership of the Adare print group and later an Irish investment firm. Their top performing franchisees reached turnovers of more than £1m.

Toplis has added Kall Kwik to his Bardon Group, which has three franchise systems, Recognition Express (corporate badges and awards), ComputerXplorers (computer training for three to 13-year-olds) and Zip Yard (retailers of garment alterations and repairs).

Kall Kwik was formed by Gerstenhaber as the UK master franchise of a U.S. international franchisor, Kwik Kopy of Houston, Texas, and following the appointment of administrators, the American firm approached Toplis to save the UK business. As a result, he acquired the sub-licence for the Kall Kwik trademark in the UK and Ireland.

“Although I left Kall Kwik in 2002, I was asked by Kwik Kopy to get involved after it fell into administration,” said Toplis (right). “This was something I couldn’t turn down. I believe the arrangement we have now reached with all parties lends itself to a new era for Kall Kwik and will lead to the strengthening of the brand in the marketplace.

“I have always had a very personal attachment to Kall Kwik and remain close friends with a number of its franchise owners. When I was at the company we were very proud of the work we all did in building the brand and its position as the number one quick printer in the UK.”

Mediation
Mark Abell, a leading franchise lawyer with Field Fisher Waterhouse, represented the franchisees of Kall Kwik and Prontaprint in their recent mediation with ODC.

He recalls: “Some 18 months ago we started acting for more than 120 franchisees of the two brands in a dispute about the level and quality of support that they were being provided by their franchisor.

“In May last year, 67 of the franchisees agreed to enter into mediation with ODC and, as reported in Franchise World magazine (No.184 August, 2011), as a result of the mediation the majority of the franchisees decided to exit the franchise without restrictions. They are now operating successfully as independent businesses with many of them sharing resources. However, a number of the franchisees remained committed to the brands and continued operating under them.

“The challenge for the new owners is to rebuild the brands to their former glory. I wish them the best of luck in doing so.”

Note of caution
Sounding a note of caution, Abell said that the fate of the two brands prompted one to consider the way in which franchisees of other systems might also be impacted by the continuous development of technology. The situation perhaps offered a lesson about sustainability and the need for franchisors to keep up with changes in their particular market.

“The competitive environment in sectors that are heavily based on technology, such as telecommunications, photographic services, and printing, have changed beyond recognition over the last 20 years,” said Abell. “The advent of digital and other technologies have not only improved quality, but also developed new products and channels of delivery.

“Franchisors operating in such sectors who have anticipated these shifts and rigorously implemented change management strategies throughout their network have prospered, together with their franchisees. Those who fail to adequately embrace changes for whatever reason can find the going very tough with margins falling, the development of new competitive products, and their competitors’ levels of service improving.

“In challenging times, there may be a temptation for franchisors to preserve their own margins at the expense of their franchisees by reducing the levels of support they offer them,” Abell added.

“This is something that the BFA needs to be aware of as it is likely to become more and more of an issue over the coming years. Perhaps it should even consider adding some words to its Code of Ethics to require franchisors to make reasonable endeavours to ensure that their franchisees are kept up to speed with the relevant, sector-critical technology.”

A fourth company in the group, 1st Local also went into administration. This ran company-owned stores in London (two), Bristol and Middlesbrough, and these have been closed. There have been 62 redundancies across the four companies.

To exhibit visit the members’ area of the BFA website.

The sales and international development director of the show is Christophe.Angleys@reedexpo.fr.

The thesis is the product of over five years intensive research on the laws of franchising in over 50 countries, including the 27 EU member states. His thesis, the first of its kind, will be published as a book.

Lack of data
Abell, says he started his research back in 2006 because “there is a complete dearth of objective academic analysis of how franchising is regulated in the EU, and the impact the regulatory regime has upon business.”

He continues: “This lack of objective data has made it impossible for the EU Commission, member state governments, and national franchise associations to adequately understand the impact that the current legal regimes are having on franchising and its ability to actively promote cross-border trade within the European Union.

“It also makes it difficult for both large companies, and small and medium-sized enterprises to understand how to best re-engineer their corporate business and successfully use franchising to expand across the 27 member states that comprise the EU.”

Franchising underperforming
Through a combination of empirical research and comparative legal analysis,  Abell’s thesis highlights the failure of franchising to realise its full potential to contribute to the EU’s economy due to the heterogeneous nature of law in each of the 27 member states, and the lack of any EU franchising law. It then makes a number of radical proposals to better regulate and promote the use of franchising within the single market.

Abell identifies franchising as a specific, distinct and uniform type of commercial activity with significant economic impact in the EU. It stimulates economic activity by offering significant advantages to all those involved, improving distribution, and giving business increased access to other member states. There are nearly 10,000 franchised brands in the EU, which account for over Euros 215 billion (U.S. $300 billion) turnover per annum.

However, after comparing European franchising to the scale of franchising in the U.S. and Australia, Abell suggests that franchising is not realising its full potential in the EU.

The facts are rather stark. The EU has a population of 500 million and a GDP of $16.1 trillion, the U.S. a population of 310.9 million and a GDP of $14.6 trillion, and Australia a population of 22.5 million and a GDP of $1.2 trillion.

However, whilst the turnover of franchising in the EU is $300 bn (1.86 per cent  of GDP) accounting for a turnover per head of population of $600, the U.S. has a turnover of $868 million (5.95 per cent of GDP) accounting for a turnover per head of population of $2,792, and Australia has a turnover of $130 bn (10.83 per cent of GDP) and a turnover per head of population of $5,777.

In other words, franchising has over four times greater penetration in the U.S. and nearly 10 times greater penetration in Australia.

However, this is not the full story. The real situation is even more disappointing, as there is a disproportionate concentration of franchising in just five member states – the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. Of the $300 bn turnover of franchising in the EU, 83.5 per cent is concentrated in a quarter the EU member states. This is evidence that franchising is not promoting trade between member states as much as it could and should.

Inappropriate laws cause underperformance
Abell’s thesis shows that this under-development of franchising in the EU is, in part, due to the regulatory environment to which it is subject. This is primarily because of two distinct factors.

Firstly, a failure by the member states’ regulatory systems to adequately govern franchising. They fail both to adequately reinforce the economic drivers that attract franchisors and franchisees to franchising, and reduce to an appropriate level the inherent consequential risk to which both parties are exposed.

Secondly, there is a lack of homogeneity between the different legal systems which amounts to a barrier to trade between member states.

Eight EU member states have franchise laws, but no two of them are the same.

Other jurisdictions, such as Germany and Austria apply a wide range of consumer laws to over regulate franchising – despite clear statements from both the EU Commission and the European Court of Justice that this is not appropriate.

EU franchise law needed to promote the use of franchising
Abell proposes the adoption of a European Franchise Directive which will not only harmonise the approach of the EU’s legal systems towards franchising, but will also re-enforce the relevant economic drivers and reduce the inherent consequential risks to an appropriate level.

He suggests that the directive should be drafted so as to attract business to use franchising by promoting market confidence in franchising, ensuring pre-contractual hygiene and imposing a mandatory taxonomy of rights and obligations on the franchise relationship.

The thesis suggests that franchising be defined in accordance with the so-called marketing plan approach that originated in the U.S. and is found in various forms in six of the eight EU member states with franchise specific regulations. It focuses on independence, economic interest, the brand, the business-format, control and ongoing support.

It also includes a qualitative threshold to ensure that the advantages of being a franchise are only available to businesses that have a track record and that start up franchises are not overwhelmed with regulatory requirements.

A franchise that has not operated the business format for at least 12 months, or which is operating less than four outlets, will not have to comply with the obligations imposed by the directive, but at the same time will not be able to enjoy some of the benefits that accrue to a franchisor under it.

Abell dismisses as ill-conceived and impractical the proposal made by a group of academics appointed by the EU Commission to re-engineer the EU’s regulatory environment for franchising by introducing EU-wide commercial code. He also dismisses as unhelpful, uninspiring, and unoriginal the draft franchise law published by UNIDROIT.

Instead he recommends that the new directive should enable franchisors to require pre-contractual disclosure by franchisees, focusing regulation only where it is required (by excluding fractional franchisees, small franchisees, sophisticated investors, large investors, large franchisees and insiders).

New rights for franchisors
Abell also advocates the removal of the suffocating impact of EU competition law, which he states to be contrary to both the recommendations of the OECD and the ‘per se’ approach advocated by the ‘Chicago School’ of anti-trust academics.

He does this by recommending that franchisees be allowed to compete on a level playing field with corporate chains by having the right to fix their franchisees’ retail prices, and control their e-commerce activities. In academic legal circles this is big, brave stuff.

Potential franchisees need to be better educated
In order to help ensure pre-contractual hygiene, and so prevent the mismatch of expectation that causes most disputes between franchisors and their franchisees, Abell recommends that potential franchisees should not only be given access to appropriate information before they enter into the franchise, but must also be equipped to interpret that information in an appropriate manner.

This means that potential franchisees must be educated out of the psychology of failure that encourages failed franchisees to blame others for their own failures. They must understand what they are committing themselves to when they buy a franchise and the need to take and follow appropriate expert professional advice.

Abell proposes that professional advisers, such as lawyers and accountants should be required to take short on-line franchise education courses if they are to advise potential franchisees and that potential franchisees investing more than £20,000 must produce a certificate from their advisers to prove that they have taken such advice .

New role for national franchise associations
Abell suggests that national franchise associations can play an important part in educating potential franchisees about what he calls “the facts of life” of franchising – namely that they have to work hard, follow the format, risk failure, and take and follow expert advice from appropriately experienced professionals.

He proposes that national franchise associations should be funded by central government and, instead of trying to regulate franchising, be concerned with promoting both best practice in franchising and the use of franchising in the EU.

Disclosure by franchisors
Mandatory pre-contractual disclosure by franchisors is recommended by Abell.

He suggests that this should be given in a set form 15 working days before execution or payment, covering details of the identity and experience of the franchisor, the franchise network, the terms of the franchise agreement, and any earning claims. It should be in plain language and contain an appropriate risk statement.

A copy of the franchise agreement in the form in which it is to be executed should accompany the disclosure document.

There should also be a five-day cooling off period after execution.

Failure to comply with the disclosure requirements should lead to the right for the franchisee and government authorities to terminate or claim damages within 12 months of the franchisee becoming aware of it, or 24 months of the date of execution, whichever is the later if it resulted in defective consent having been given. The regulatory authorities should be able to impose penalties, including disqualification. Electronic disclosure should be permitted.

There should be personal liability for any individual responsible for the disclosure document being inaccurate.

Those disclosure obligations should also apply to foreign franchisors with no presence in the relevant member state, who should be under an obligation to disclose relevant information about analogous markets.

Misleading and deceptive behaviour
Abell suggests that misleading and deceptive behaviour should be prohibited. Such behaviour comprises failing to comply with the pre-contractual disclosure obligations and making any statement which although literally true, misleads or deceives, and is or likely to mislead or deceive.

Due to the ever-changing nature of franchising and the impact of fast changing technology on the markets he proposes that there should be a regular review of the law every five years.

He is against any suggestion that franchise documentation should be registered on a public register due not only to the practical difficulties it would give rise to in the 27 EU member states, but also due to the cost of its effectiveness and the likelihood of it making any tangible contribution to accentuating the impact of the second commercial imperative on the EU’s legal systems.

Mandatory clauses
In order to re-enforce the economic drivers that attract both franchisors and franchisees to franchising and reduce the inherent consequential risk to an appropriate level, Abell recommends that franchise agreements have mandatory clauses imposed on them.

Franchisees must not challenge the franchisor’s intellectual property, the implementation of the business format, not compete with the franchisor during the term, and for a reasonable period thereafter allow the franchisor the right to purchase the franchisee’s business on termination, allow termination for cause without compensation, allow the franchisor pre-emptive right of purchase, impose a duty of confidentiality, and purchase tied goods and services from the franchisor or its nominated suppliers.

In return, the franchisor should have  mandatory obligations. It must be the owner of, or have the right to, licence the intellectual property rights on which the franchise is based, provide a reasonable level of training, refrain from encroachment, allow the franchisee the right to sell its business (subject to the franchisor’s pre-emptive right), and not supply goods or services to the franchisee at over-inflated prices or which are unfit for purpose.

Unconscionable behaviour
In order to take account of the franchise agreement’s long term and changing nature, Abell proposes that unconscionable behaviour must be prohibited.

Unconscionable conduct is conduct showing no regard for conscience, or that is irreconcilable with what is objectively right or reasonable, taking into account the best interests of the franchise network before those of individual franchisees and the franchisor.

In order to increase certainty, details of the grounds upon which unconscionability will be judged, and examples of what amounts to unconscionable conduct should be given in the directive.

Radical new approach
Abell says: “I am advocating an entirely new and radical approach to the regulation of franchising. Most jurisdictions fail to recognise the hugely positive impact that franchising can have on both businesses and national economies.

“Their laws impose far too much of a burden on franchisors. They do not actively encourage companies to use franchising as a route to market – a route that allows them to grow with a much lower capital requirement and without the need for complex and expensive human resource management structures and a route that allows them to access strongly incentivised, high quality management with a good knowledge of the local market.

“They use too much stick and not enough carrot. The regime that I am proposing actively promotes the use of franchising by companies so that it can fulfil its potential to contribute significantly to the EU’s economy.

“Particularly in these harsh economic times, the legal systems in the EU should be encouraging companies to expand across member state borders, rather than becoming barriers to economic growth,” Abell concludes.

Definitive work
The leading U.S. franchise lawyer and chair of the International Bar Association’s Franchising Committee, John Baer, is clear that Abell’s thesis is “a monumental and definitive work.”

Baer, a partner in the Chicago office of U.S. law firm, Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale states: “Dr. Mark Abell’s thesis is not only the leading contribution to the academic study of franchising in the EU, but the paper convincingly demonstrates how franchising has failed to fulfil its potential in the EU due in part to the regulatory environment, and calls for a re-engineering of that EU regulatory environment.

“This paper is a significant achievement; it is unusual for a leading practitioner to also have devoted the time and energy needed to produce a paper meeting the high standards of academia. This is a must read for the serious student of franchising in the EU,” says Baer.

The winners will be announced and presented with their accolades at the British & International Franchise Exhibition, the UK’s leading international franchise event, on March 16 and 17, at Olympia, London.

Judged by an independent panel of experts and supported by the British Franchise Association, the FMA recognise the industry’s most innovative and effective marketing campaigns. They reward organisations that have raised their public awareness and as a result have achieved sustainable growth.

This year’s award categories include: Best website; Best print advert; Best franchisee marketing support; Best online marketing campaign and Best overall marketing campaign.

Adrian Goodsell, franchise exhibitions manager at Venture Marketing Group commented: “The FMAs represent an opportunity for franchise businesses to gain recognition in the industry for their achievements and celebrate their hard work. Award winners have found the accolade invaluable for promoting their business on a national and regional level, as well as providing an opportunity to reward hard work and boost staff motivation.”

FMA information and criteria can be downloaded along with an award entry form at www.franchiseinfo.co.uk/awards/2012.

I had wanted to work for myself for years, but didn’t want to be in an office or shop-based business. Becoming a franchisee seemed the best way forward given all the research I had done, but choosing the right one seemed like a minefield. I had one lucky escape from a franchise I nearly signed up with that subsequently went bankrupt, leaving its franchisees high and dry.

Guidance and training
That incident illustrated the importance of finding the right franchise for me and I decided the business had to be a member of the British Franchise Association, as well as being established in its sector.

Autovaletdirect met this criteria and I bought the franchise in June, 2008. Under the guidance and scrutiny of an experienced franchisee, the training was very much on the job, and my impression of the team was that the people were friendly, very informative and provided great back-up and support when needed.

For the first few weeks I was constantly on the phone to one of my trainers. I found support and advice was always available, and still is.

The experience of the franchisor, Chris Johnson, is unrivalled and second   to none in my opinion. He has operated his own car valeting business, just like his franchisees, starting the business over 20 years ago. From his experience he has fine-tuned the service we are privileged  to offer our customers.

Spending so long in retail helped me adapt to my role as franchisee because I understood the importance of good service. The franchise is all about building a customer base and working hard to consistently exceed customer expectations, and from that base has come regular demand for the service.

The first few months took some getting used to. I went from receiving a regular four-weekly wage no matter what, to earning a living through my own efforts, self-motivation, and the guidance I received from the franchisor.

Although a large percentage of the work comes through our head office, building an establishing interest from the large audience of customers in my area requires ongoing marketing activity from pounding the pavement leafleting and using our call marketing system to utilising the internet through the proven IT system we are lucky to have as franchisees.

I have, for example, even attended a lucrative charity golf event in my area, offering a free valet as a raffle prize to raise my business profile.

Successes
Since I became an Autovaletdirect franchisee, there have been some great successes. One of them was signing a national car rental firm to use our services, and another was securing work locally from several large companies that now use me regularly for their company car fleets. On top of this, I have recently won a contract from a freight company to valet the cabins of 30 of its lorries every month.

The recent launch of Caravanbrite, lifetime guaranteed interior and exterior protection for the leisure industry, has also been a fantastic success. Introduced last year at the Caravan & Motorhome Show at the NEC, Birmingham, we anticipate huge success for this unique supply-and-apply service.

As an Autovaletdirect franchisee, I have attended several paid events, including corporate track days, golf and award events for Audi, and the Motor Show at ExCel in London where, along with the Autovaletdirect network, I looked after the Alfa Romeo stand. The highlight for me was looking after the Alfa Romeo relay cars at the World Super Bikes event at Silverstone in August, last year.

After three years as an Autovaletdirect franchisee, I’ve found that being my own boss is a world away from working as a retail store manager. It’s a decision I wish I had made sooner.

You know the buck stops with you, but there is nothing more satisfying than seeing your business grow from your own ability and effort.

For further details on the Autovaletdirect franchise, click here.

There are already 160 sites attracting more than threequarters of a million unique visitors a month and Northcliffe aims to become the leading community website network in the UK.

The franchise only costs a one-off investment starting at £6,995 plus VAT, depending on territory, and according to Northcliffe could earn an income of more than £5,000 a month.

The role of the franchisee is to manage the editorial content of the site, facilitating discussions and highlighting important issues to create an active online community, whilst profiting from display advertising, enhanced business listings, and providing digital marketing opportunities for local businesses to increase their sales and online presence.

Lee Williams, general manager of Northcliffe Digital, said: “Our franchise model means that we will be looking for experienced and committed individuals, who are passionate about their local area and can use their knowledge and relationships to run the sites. We believe that the new sites will thrive in the hands of local people who can manage content and crucially attract the right local advertisers.”

Northcliffe Digital has developed two market leading regional and local brands – thisis and localpeople. These brands, in conjunction with the group’s recruitment, motoring and property networks, are leading forces in the regional and local digital market, allowing their users to access content across a wide range of different genres.

For further information, please complete and send the form below.

Andrew Withers, (centre) managing director and owner of Southern Fried Chicken (SFC) and the two franchisees, brothers Azman (left) and Amir Ali, have invested a total of £50,000 to completely refurbish the premises. The Undercover Boss programme, which aired last July, had Withers make secret visits to his franchises throughout the country and it highlighted some particular challenges at the Tyneside outlet.

Amir and Azman have been in business together 13 years together and have been running their takeaway since 1998.

Azman Ali said: “It has been an interesting process. We’ve worked closely with Mr Withers and the SFC head office to ensure that we are at the forefront of what the company as a whole is trying to achieve. We’re really pleased with the results, including a brand new shop front, redecoration throughout, and tables with fixed seating. The new branding is really fresh and makes the shop look far more modern.”

Withers commented: “The Ali family were fantastically welcoming when I visited them during the show and it was great to go back to re-open the store, which looks fantastic. “I could always see the potential in the site. The fact we have been able to progress and work together has meant a lot to me personally.”

SFC is one of the UK’s fastest growing fast-food franchises, offering quality food, hearty portions, good service, a multi-choice menu and fair prices.It has launched its new look in over 30 countries worldwide and Withers continues to focus on UK development as he looks to launch 200 new stores over the next five years.

His father, Arthur Withers, trademarked the name ‘Southern Fried Chicken’ in 1983 following a period of work on a chicken farm in Norfolk and in Greenville, Carolina, where he came across the unique SFC recipe.

SFC differs from many of its competitors in that it prepares all its food freshly on the premises and does not use reconstituted chicken meat in any of its chicken products, supporting its lip licking slogan. All its chicken is also sourced in the UK.

SFC is part of the Fast Food Systems, which is the holding company of several well-known brands, such as Southern Fried Chicken, AJ’s Piri Piri, and Vizu equipment. FFS is a European leader in the supply and manufacture of commercial catering equipment.

Power, right, was one of Alan Sugar’s original apprentices in the 80s and founded Ecademy to offer support and networking groups for entrepreneurs and small business owners.

Another speaker will be Nicolas Holzherr whose subject will deal with choosing the right ideas, testing them, and developing them into a business on a shoestring budget.

Book your free tickets now (saving £15) at www.franchiseinfo.co.uk using promo code: FWFEB

The current association, the British Franchise Association (BFA) was formed 35 years ago in 1977 to promote and self-regulate the industry and has been unchallenged, although unsuccessful attempts  have been made from time to time to set up national bodies for franchisees. The BFA is currently engaged in an ambitious programme to embrace franchisees and has launched a section of its membership for the franchisees of its franchisors, called In-Franchising, and created three seats on its board for them.

Brian Smart, the BFA director-general, has pointed out to his members that the BFA is recognised by the UK government and the EC as the representative of the industry and for its work in establishing and promoting ethical franchising, and warned them that the arrival of another association would be harmful to the industry.

AFA support
The AFA has, however, been welcomed by Rik Hellewell (right), the founder and managing director of Ovenu, the global market leader in on-site oven cleaning.

A critic of the BFA’s franchisee engagement programme, Hellewell said that he was supporting the new association and intended to join it.

“The formation of an alternative association, which will be made up of franchisors only, sits well with my philosophy as I feel that the BFA is moving in the wrong direction. I believe this to be driven by the European Franchise Federation, despite rhetoric from the BFA to the contrary.

“There is nothing wrong in my view in having a choice of associations for franchisors to be members of either or both. Two voices are often louder than one and, should franchisors elect to have a foot in both camps, the sector as a whole could benefit enormously.

“An alternative franchise association has been in the minds of many people for a long time, and with the AFA offering membership for a quarter of the cost of that of the BFA, it will attract significant interest.”

The Manchester programme is being sponsored by the RBS Group, NESTA, the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) and Manchester’s New Economy. FranchisingWorks provides financial support to buy franchise licences for those successful candidates who are unable to cover the full cost themselves. When the new business becomes profitable, the franchisee then buys the licence from FranchisingWorks and repays the initial investment.

One of the latest successes is Andrew Hurley, of Oldham, who has taken a franchise with Snap-On Tools through this system. He was a business development manager for 10 years, but was made redundant in 2009. After various other short-term jobs and a 12-month period of unemployment, he was introduced to FranchisingWorks through his local Job Centre.

He recalls: “The initial workshop was very informative, and I valued the level of understanding and experience that the programme manager had in the franchise industry.

“The ongoing guidance and support was fantastic and the level of due diligence they carried out on both me and the franchise company I was interested in was second to none.

“Also the ability of FranchisingWorks to help me get access to funding made my business feasible.”

In another initiative, FranchisingWorks, which is part of the Shaftesbury Partnership, the social reform group, has joined a small consortium along with Blue Orchid, A4e and Business Finance North-West that has being appointed by the Royal British Legion (RBL) to deliver its Be the Boss programme for Armed Forces leavers across the country. This offers business start-up training, grants and loans up to £30,000 and mentoring to ex-Armed Forces personnel who are interested in starting up their own business.

Launching the RBL scheme at the Department of Business Innovation and Skills, Mark Prisk, MP, the Business Minister, said it would provide a means for many ex-service personnel whose employment options are limited by injury to become entrepreneurs. Service people faced distinctive difficulties in starting businesses, such as a lack of a network after a mobile career, and this is reflected in the low rate of self-employment in this group, which is just six per cent, he said.

His department was very grateful for the sterling work done by RBL. It had not previously been involved with enterprise as it was a charity, principally concerned with providing welfare services. “It is now very switched on to encouraging enterprise amongst its members,” he said.

Robert Dancy, the programme manager for FranchisingWorks in Greater Manchester, described its scheme at the Franchise Supplier Showcase, where Craig Henthorn, managing director of Caremark, reported that two of his franchisees who had opened at Oldham through the scheme were “very, very promising in their approach and attituded”.

The two are Melvin Lusty and David Corbett. Lusty bought and then sold Rainbow International, the carpet and upholstery cleaning and restoration franchise, and has since invested and worked in a number of franchises, including currently Chemex, the cleaning and hygiene manufacturing and distribution business of which he is   chairman.

Corbett is the co-founder and chairman of Signs Express, the computerised signwriting business, and the BFA’s board member for international affairs. He has been secretary and chairman of the European Franchise Federation.

The other two recipients are both service providers to franchisors, Penny Hopkinson and Gordon Patterson.

Hopkinson (pictured) is the founder and owner of Manual Writers International and the leading figure in the preparation of franchise operating manuals. She is a contributor to the BFA’s code of ethics and its members’ rule book.

Manuals that Hopkinson has written underpin the quality ethical standards for such clients as Costa Coffee, Prontaprint, Signs Express, Unigate Dairies and Wagamama.

Patterson has been a leading member of the franchise consultancy network of Franchise Development Services for 20 years and is a member of the BFA’s qualified professional panel which oversees its QFP qualification.

Rik Hellewell (pictured right), founder of Ovenu said: “With our latest internet statistics showing that over 2,000 visits in the first three weeks of December came via mobile devices, we’ve brought forward our plans and introduced our new-look mobile site earlier than anticipated.”

The new mobile site, www.ovenu.co.uk/mobile, makes it easy for browsers to locate their nearest oven valeting expert via the ‘Postcode locator’, and the National Freephone can be called using the modern ‘click to call’ facility.

Hellewell added: “With mobile devices growing in popularity and to remain comfortably at the forefront of our industry, making these changes to run in parallel with technological advances is the right thing to do. If and when statistics show a shift in trends, the modern day business needs to adopt a proactive approach and move with the times”.

QR code
Ovenu have also introduced their QR (Quick Recognition) code, (pictured right).

The QR code can be scanned with any modern hand-held mobile device and will quickly and effortlessly load the appropriate website or webpage designated by the code.

“The QR codes are appearing in all types of media and allow mobile devices to capture a website URL without the prospective browser having to remember a web address. Over the coming weeks and months we shall be incorporating our QR code into our media activity on both local and national levels. We have always embraced technological advances, and the introduction of our QR code, is just another example of our forward thinking ethos,” said Hellewell.

More than 1,000 franchisees have  been surveyed in the new Franchise Satisfaction Benchmark scheme of Smith & Henderson, the franchisee recruitment specialist, and over 30 franchisors entered its first Best Franchise Opportunities Awards.

The scheme is the first to enable  franchisors to advertise in their franchisee recruitment campaigns the opinions of their franchisees of their services as surveyed by an independent source.

The scheme has also been developed to encourage franchisors to adopt best franchise business practices.

“What makes us unique is that our findings are based purely on franchisee feedback,” says Steven Frost, a partner at Smith & Henderson.

Participating franchisors have ranged from the smaller firms through to the big brands such as O2, the mobile phone network and retailer.

Puddle Ducks, the franchise that provides swimming classes for babies and children, is among those who have received positive results. Tracy Townend, joint founder of the firm, said: “When we started franchising several years ago, we knew that one thing that would set us apart was the support we provide our franchisees.

“Until you do research like this you can only gauge your success by what franchisees tell you and gut feeling, but, of course, it is always so much more  reliable when it comes from a third party.

“The survey provided exactly that insight and the results were some of the best that we have seen. We hoped for results like this, but it is such a wonderful feeling to have it confirmed.

“Furthermore, we have gained valuable insight into the way we do things, and consequently have had some exciting ideas for the future, such as a franchisee leadership academy.

In today’s challenging economic environment, being at the top of your game has never been more important to attract more business. Armed with these results, we feel hugely energised and optimistic for the future,” said Townend.

Award winners
Puddle Ducks won best overall franchise in the Best Franchise Opportunities Awards run by Smith & Henderson.

The other winners were TaxAssist Accountants (best training and support), Home Instead Senior Care (best franchise system), Jasper’s Online (best growing franchisor with 8-14 franchisees), and Puddle Ducks (most recommended  franchise).

At the awards, seminars were presented by Smith & Henderson, the Franchising Training Centre, O2, the Alternative Board, Puddle Ducks, Home Instead Senior Care and Coconut Creatives.

Launching the new initiative at the Franchise Business Booster Conference & Supplier Showcase, Brian Duckett (pictured), chairman of the International Franchising Centre, said, “It is time UK franchisors realised the potential for exporting their business systems. Provided they proceed with caution and the right advice there is a world of opportunity out there, and it fits with the government’s aim of increasing exports and trading our way out of difficult times”.

Reading a statement from IFE organisers, Duckett told representatives from more than 50 franchisors: “After spending the last 20 plus years in the nation’s Capitol, the IFE is moving to the business capital of the world, the Big Apple, New York City and we have received an exemption from the State of New York, allowing non-registered international franchisors to exhibit without registering in New York to sell franchises”.

Over those 20 years the IFE has attracted tens of thousands of visitors to its events in Washington and they have been a significant catalyst to the global expansion of franchising.

The IFE is endorsed by the U.S. Department of Commerce and promoted worldwide as part of its International Buyers Program. More than 150 U.S. Embassies through their Foreign Commercial Service Offices actively promote the IFE within their regions and bring official escorted delegations from around the world. Last year there were 1,300 international visitors and 29 foreign delegations, representing more than 50 countries.

Another event, which is part of IFC’s new initiative, is the “Passport Through Europe” Global Master Franchise Forum in Venice on March 23 and 24.

Arranged by Franchise Pool International, a group of consultants and brokers which operates throughout Europe and of which IFC is the UK partner, this event gives franchisors from around the world the opportunity to learn about individual European franchise markets and to meet franchise brokers, representing qualified investors from more than 20 countries.

Duckett said: “With support from our consultants and UKTI, the door to the world is open to UK franchisors who have the vision and the drive to grow internationally – and weekends in New York and Venice never hurt anybody.”

Details of the “Introduction to the World” package, of which these two events form just a part, are available from info@thefranchisingcentre.com, or by calling 01904 561 598.

Features of the package include the following:

• One year’s inclusion on www.themasterfranchisecentre.com, the only website in the world dedicated to international franchise opportunities.
• Access to a proven system for dealing effectively with international enquiries.
• Delegate pass to the International Franchise Association Convention in Orlando, Florida, February 11-14.
• Delegate pass to the “Passport Through Europe” international franchise forum in Venice, Italy, March 22-24, where you will meet experienced franchise brokers, representing qualified investors from more than 20 countries
• Representation in the British Franchise Village at the International Franchise Exhibition (IFE) in New York, June 15-17, where your brand will be exposed to more than 1,000 buyers from over 50 countries

Two successful entrepreneurs are among the many industry experts set to share the secrets of their success at the Growing Your Own Business seminars at the National Franchise Exhibition taking place on 24th and 25th February 2012 at the NEC, Birmingham.

Thomas Power is delivering the keynote address at the National Franchise Exhibition called ‘Twitter can rule the world’. He was one of Alan Sugar’s original apprentices in the 1980s. Thomas is an internationally acclaimed speaker on digital media and coaches business people worldwide on how to ‘Go Social’ online. He also founded Ecademy offering business support and networking groups for entrepreneurs and small business owners.

Nicolas Holzherr will deliver an inspiring session called “Anyone can do it: Choosing the right ideas, testing them and developing them into a business on a shoestring budget.”

Since his graduation in 2009, Nicolas has founded three companies, QRky, which uses quick response technology to link digital contact and multimedia data to printed business cards; Recip.ly, which links recipe websites with online supermarkets; and Co-Go Coffee To Go, which sells high-quality, ethical takeaway coffee.

Growing Your Own Business is a valuable platform for inspiring entrepreneurs, business experts and suppliers from across the UK to share advice on how to build a successful business. The series of seminars is just one of the many features at the National Franchise Exhibition.

Another regular and popular feature at the exhibition is the Franchisee Panel where franchisees will relay their experience in making the transition from employee to franchisee as well as answer questions from visitors on the reality of developing a successful business.

The High Investment VIP Lounge is where visitors ready to invest substantially in franchises can find valuable conversations and network. Sponsored by Platinum Property Partners and United Carpets, the lounge is a great place to conduct meetings away from the bustle of the exhibition and has complimentary WiFi.

Visitors who are beginning their search for a franchise should head for the Franchise Starting Point. Here, industry experts, consultants, lawyers, bankers and franchisors can offer one to one advice and answer questions to enable visitors to make the most of their visit.

Exclusive to the National Franchise Exhibition are McDonald’s Franchisee Recruitment Open Days. Visitors can meet with McDonald’s team, gain a unique insight into one of the world’s biggest brands and find out if becoming a McDonald’s franchisee is right for them. Presentations take place at 11.00 and 14.00 on both days of the event and can be booked online at www.franchiseinfo.co.uk.

The Career Clinic has experts who can help visitors assess their career, benchmark their skills and look at what steps to take next. This feature is particularly useful for those who may have been made redundant, want to look at options that fit around family life or investigate a way of generating an income post retirement.

The National Franchise Exhibition also has an extensive conference where experts from the British Franchise Association (BFA), members from the legal and finance professions, business advisers, as well both franchisors and franchisees will provide a fundamental grounding in franchising. They will present on where to start, who to talk to, where to find advice, and what franchises suits different requirements.

Conference themes include high-level investment franchising, franchise resales, executives in franchising, families in franchising and hands-on franchising.

There are also many franchise businesses exhibiting companies at the event covering a wide variety of sectors such as automotive, property, travel, retail and food and drink. They can suit every budget and lifestyle and include Big Little Sweet Shop, Cash Generator, Daily Poppins, Lawnhopper, McDonald’s, Stumpbusters and Totally Clean Solutions.

The event is exclusively supported by the BFA and only companies that have met the Association’s code of ethics can exhibit. This means visitors can have confidence in the franchise opportunities on offer, as they are an ethical entity within the UK market.

There is also another opportunity to investigate franchise businesses at a major international event in March. The British & International Franchise Exhibition takes place on 16th and 17th March at Olympia, London.

To register for the National Franchise Exhibition call +44 (0)844 257 8668 or visit www.franchiseinfo.co.uk. Callers can purchase tickets by credit card for £10 each or £8 each for two or more in advance. Admission on the door is £15.

Visitors can however gain free admission to the exhibition using the promotional code FWFEBED at www.franchiseinfo.co.uk.

For the latest news and updates, follow the exhibition on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ukfranchising, join the Franchise Exhibitions Group on LinkedIn or become a fan of the FranchiseInfo group on Facebook.

There are an estimated 55,000 student businesses in Britain in sectors as diverse as design, IT, catering and media. To launch the initiative, Lloyds has joined forces with the National Consortium of University Entrepreneurs (NACUE), a charity that encourages entrepreneurial activity in universities.

The Best Enterprise Award will receive £50,000 and the Best Start-up Award, £10,000. Both will also have two-years mentoring from senior Lloyds representatives and a business session with a Lloyds executive.

Entrepreneurs who studied at universities, who have graduated in the past five years and have been trading for more than a year, will be able to enter the awards by visiting www.lloydstsb.com/enterpriseawards.

The initial heats will be in February across six regions in England, as well as in Scotland and Wales. The two winners in each heat will compete for the two top awards in March.

Announcing the scheme, John Maltby (pictured), group director, commercial, of Lloyds Banking Group, said: “Britain has a proud history of enterprise, and for generations our universities have played a fundamental role in nurturing business talent. We want to ensure that this does not go unrecognised, and to play our part in nurturing and supporting entrepreneurs to give them the best chance of future growth.”

Mark Prisk MP, the Business and Enterprise Minister, commented: “The Government wants to grow the next generation of entrepreneurs by ensuring that young people get hands-on experience of enterprise at college and university. I encourage students and graduates to take part.”

Hushpreet Dhaliwal, chief executive of NACUE, said: “Our universities are home to a huge number of emerging enterprises. With the right guidance and support, these businesses could so easily be the success stories of tomorrow. We’re delighted to be working with Lloyds, which is playing a leading role in nurturing enterprise, and the awards are another example of its commitment to help businesses grow.”

Emma-Jayne Parkes, who with Viviane Jaeger founded a designer brand of colour-changing products, such as umbrellas and shower curtains, said: “Our business was born at university and we know from experience how valuable the university environment can be to entrepreneurs. There are many thousands of start-up businesses at universities, but the real issue is the path they take after graduation. Awards such as these can play a huge role in encouraging entrepreneurs to progress their ideas and build their business.”

Since launching its SME charter in 2010, Lloyds has supported more than 200,000 start-ups. During the first nine months of last year, the group provided £32bn of committed gross lending to UK businesses of which £9.6bn was to SMEs.

The five franchisors elected to the BFA board at its annual meeting at the Hyatt Regency, Birmingham, in December were Sean Derrig (Chemex International), Dan Archer (Home Instead Senior Care), Pam Bader (Molly Maid), Clive Houlston (Mr. Electric) and Steve Calvert (Safeclean).

They have joined six franchisors who continue their term: Mike Goddard (Belvoir Lettings), Michael Eyre (Blazes), Kelly Chambers (Dream Doors, pictured), Alistair Wiggins (Pirtek), Mark Llewellyn (Revive! Auto Innovations), and Berkeley Harris (Western Provident Association).

Others on the board are: representing the associates, Jat Mann (PC Pal); and representing the affiliates, Derrick Simpson (Franchise Resales), Brian Duckett (the Franchising Centre), and Jane Masih (Owen White, the legal member).

Also on the board are Brian Smart (director-general) and as co-opted members, two franchisees Ken Bevis (Signs Express) and Justin Brookes (Mail Boxes Etc.).

A third co-opted franchisee is expected to be announced shortly, which will bring the board total to 19. In future, the three franchisees will be voted onto the board when franchisees have a sufficient number within the BFA membership.

The five forum chairmen elected were: affiliates forum, Shirley Hughes (Franchise Careers Centre); London forum, Duncan Berry (Choice Hotels Europe); Midlands forum, Jonathan Mills (Premier Sport); Northern forum, Simon Bartholomew (Oscar Pet Foods); and South-West forum, Phil Gaffer (BCR Associates).

At the first board meeting following the annual meeting, Kelly Chambers was elected deputy chairman.

Leah, who played Tina McQueen in the Channel 4 soap and is currently filming a major new BBC drama, held a masterclass at the new LIPA 4:19 academy in Knutsford – the stage school franchise of the prestigious Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA).

A LIPA graduate herself, Leah led an acting workshop and then answered questions about her career and time on Hollyoaks.

Based at Knutsford Methodist Church, LIPA 4:19 offers curriculum-based classes in singing, dancing and acting for children aged between four and 19. The academy was launched in September by Alison Gorton and Becci Francis, who have previously worked for LIPA 4:19 at its LIPA base.

Leah Hackett said: “I have fantastic memories of my time at LIPA and everything I learned there has really helped me in my career. When Becci and Alison asked if I would lead a class, I didn’t hesitate in saying yes and had great fun with the students sharing my own experiences of working in television.”

Alison Gorton, co-principal of LIPA 4:19 Knutsford, added: “Leah’s success is proof of the benefits of quality performing arts training and our students were very excited to have her here.

“Masterclasses provide great insights and it can be very inspiring to receive tips and advice from someone like Leah who has gone on to forge a successful career in the business. We’re looking to develop our series of masterclasses in 2012.”

Leah received a BA (Hons) degree in acting from LIPA in 2006 and has appeared in Doctors, The Case and the Liverpool Nativity. She is currently filming new BBC drama Savage, which will be aired in 2012.

The ex London Irish rugby player signed the contract on The Colmans bar in Great Coleman Street.

The bar will remain open in its present format throughout the Christmas festivities and following major investment, will reopen as Bar Sport, the latest addition to the sports bar franchise chain.

When opened, the American style sports bar will feature authentic sports memorabilia and sport fans can enjoy their favourite game on one of the 25 high definition screens.

Having played county football, rugby for London Irish and cricket for Essex, Micky (left) said that sport has always played an important role in his life: “Sport has always been my passion and It has always been my ambition to run my own bar. Combining the two is like a dream come true”.

Commenting on the refurbishment plans, national franchise manager for Bar Sport, Paul Grieve said: “We all know that pubs and other venues are having a tough time. To be successful, you have to be offering the public more than just food and drink. The reaction to Bar Sport elsewhere shows that we have a winning formula.

“We offer fun, sporting excitement and good food and drink in a great environment.

“We are in no doubt that Micky will make a great success of Bar Sport in Ipswich. He is brimming with ideas and his enthusiasm is exactly what we are looking for to drive the Bar Sport brand nationally.”

The new look sports bar will be unveiled in the new year with a glittering VIP evening where several top sporting names will help to celebrate the transformation.

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In the first six months of usage the centre has used 2,507 less units of water, which equates to a saving of £3,098, or the equivalent of more than £6,000 a year. Even the most efficient urinals use 1,000 litres of water a week, costing around £150 a year, but the majority are poorly set-up increasing this cost to £500 a year.

Chemex is supplying the leisure centre with biological cleaning devices, which drop into gents urinals that drastically reduces water usage. The devices use natural bacteria and enzymes to keep urinals smell free and blockage free, eliminating flushing needs. They are also completely ‘green’ as they harness nature’s technology rather than traditional harsh, carbon intensive chemicals.

The pool is operated on behalf of Cardiff City Council by Parkwood Leisure – one of the UK’s leading leisure management companies with a portfolio of more than 80 facilities.

John de Maid (left), general manager of Cardiff International Pool, said: “To shave £6,000 a year off one utility bill is pretty impressive. It is saving money as well as helping the environment by reducing demand for water.

“As a company we are constantly looking at providing best value for our clients and this device from Chemex has provided a simple way to save money without reducing service levels. All venues providing toilet facilities for large numbers of people should consider this device especially in the current difficult economic climate.”

The device has also attracted the attention of professional football clubs and is currently in use at Premier League club Stoke City’s Britannia Stadium.

Sean Derrig, scientific director of Chemex, said in addition to sporting and leisure venues, the device was also saving money for hotels, restaurants, pubs, schools and colleges.
“It’s not just big businesses that can benefit but smaller ones too. The whole thing works through natural enzymes and there is no need for any plumbing changes, simply drop the block and cage into the urinal and start saving water and money,” added Derrig.

Richard Clark, a former trading standards officer, who has operated the Ashford Ovenu franchise for over a year and a half joined the council operated ‘Buy With Confidence’ scheme in order to help reassure local clients that he is a trader that can be trusted.

The scheme exists to help and protect residents by providing a directory of legitimate and approved traders. It also aims to increase customer confidence, especially for vulnerable and elderly people who want to remain safe and independent in their own homes.

Ovenu technicians use a unique and thorough valeting process which involves dismantling key components of an oven. Importantly the process is environmentally friendly and involves no toxic chemicals or fumes.

Sharon Salisbury, project officer for Buy with Confidence, said: “The scheme has been introduced by Kent Trading Standards in order to provide consumers with details of reliable local businesses and trades people who carry out work around consumers’ homes and gardens. The businesses are checked by Trading Standards Officers for trustworthiness and compliance with consumer protection laws.

“The ‘Buy with Confidence’ scheme will encourage Kent residents to use tried and tested reputable traders, putting a stop to the activities of rip-off merchants and cowboys.”

Clark said: “I am pleased to continue to be a member of the ‘Buy With Confidence’ scheme. As a former trading standards officer I believe it is important to ensure businesses are screened and local residents are able to make educated choices about who they do business with in their local area.

“Whilst the scheme has been successful in the local area, providing peace of mind for customers, it is rewarding to be recognised for providing a high level of commitment to fair trading and a quality service to my clients,” he added.

The banks are to provide £150,000 of sponsorship finance to FranchisingWorks, which is being piloted in Greater Manchester. The programme’s core aim is to reduce unemployment by creating new businesses and jobs through franchising.

FranchisingWorks is part of the Shaftesbury Partnership, a social reform organisation, and was launched in Manchester earlier this year. The  programme is backed by NESTA, the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) and Manchester’s New Economy.

During the course of the next eight months, the pilot aims to provide 50 unemployed local residents with the opportunity to become a self-employed franchisee. Each candidate accepted on the programme will go through structured training designed to equip them with the key business skills to run a franchise.

FranchisingWorks also provides financial support to buy franchise licences for those successful candidates who are unable to cover the full cost themselves. When the new business becomes profitable, the franchisee can buy the licence from FranchisingWorks and repay the initial investment.

One of the first candidates to complete the programme has been Colin Hughes, who was made redundant last year after a 25-year career in various corporate roles. With FranchisingWorks’ support and training, Hughes has started his franchise business with VIP Bin Cleaning, providing a wheelie bin cleaning service for domestic and commercial customers in South Manchester.

Sean Forster, who covers the Watford area, has completed the rigorous training course and is now a Microsoft certified professional and CompTIA A+ certified for hardware.

“It is a risk for people in this day and age to have their computer looked at because it often contains very personal and sensitive data which could lead to identity theft or fraud,” explained Forster.

“It is so important that people make sure they know who they are inviting into their home or workplace. PC Pal only use insured, qualified and CRB vetted engineers to work to strict ethical standards to protect customers.

“Most problems can be fixed on the spot in the customer’s home or office, which reduces the inconvenience of them having to remove the PC to another location,” said Forster.

Redundancy
He had a background in IT before joining the franchise. He had been a software developer but was made redundant. He struggled to find employment in IT so he became a delivery driver for an online company. In his spare time he studied for various IT qualifications and helped family and friends with computer problems.

His ambition was to get back into the industry and after some encouragement from family and friends he decided to join PC Pal. This route gave him the added security as being part of a franchised network.

The franchise offers a range of services from repairs to removal of viruses, help with setting-up a computer and broadband/wireless issues. The franchise package starts at £19,999 plus VAT.

The meeting was organised by the BFA with the support of Caroline Dinenage, MP for Gosport.

Brian Smart, BFA director-general said: “Franchising has developed into an important industry encompassing small operations run from home, through to large retail outlets, professional services and even international hotel chains. Its stability and success rate mean that it can provide an ideal route for many to start their own business and take control of their future.”

Delighted by the positive response from MPs, Smart added: “ There is a real hunger by our MPs to capitalise on what is a sustainable, proven and low risk option for many. Our goal now is to work with our MPs to help open up information and advice to many more people that may at the moment be struggling to know where to turn.”

Caroline Dinenage said she too was delighted that the event was able to highlight the economic importance of franchising to so many MPs. “With significantly better success rates than other businesses, the franchise industry is key to promoting job creation, economic growth and an entrepreneurial culture. MPs will now be in a position to encourage this fantastic business model in their own constituencies,” she added.

The BFA is now looking to establish an environment with MPs from across the UK to build a regular two-way exchange of ideas, education, advice and support.

Pictured from left: Sir Bernard Ingham (president of the BFA), Caroline Dinenage MP, Michael Eyre (chairman of the BFA) and Brian Smart.

“We believe that many franchisors don’t understand how to get the best from their collateral and we can help them to do just that.”

Most franchises grow their businesses through the acquisition of franchisees and driving brand recognition with good marketing strategy. They put in systems that seem to take care of things and then enjoy a profit that ensues as the franchise revenues and perhaps other revenues come flowing in. But is that all there is to it?

The relationship between the franchisor and franchisee, and indeed any other company contracting in a similar way, is that of licensor and licensee. The franchisor collects fees and royalties for the use of the brand and its support.

Heather continues: “These revenues are, more often than not, self-reported by the licensee and research has shown that 80 to 90 per cent under-report. How can a franchisor therefore be confident that the correct amounts are being paid from all sources?”

It has to be said that errors leading to under-reporting are, in the majority of cases, accidental or process related. However, the same reasons continually arise as, for example, sales may not be fully recorded, or discounts and royalty rates may not be correctly calculated.

These problems can arise whatever the size of the franchise and they will certainly have detrimental financial implications for the business. Heather  can offer a solution: “We recommend that compliance programmes are instigated for each revenue stream of this nature and that they are monitored on a regular basis. This will have the effect of reducing under-reporting and increasing the amounts coming into the franchise coffers – often by significant amounts.”

Heather founded Blue Concept in 2008 to offer IP and licensing audit services so that her clients could fully realise the potential of their licenses. Her team has extensive experience in many sectors and Blue Concept is a leading provider with some of the biggest and well-known brands in the world as clients.

“But we do have many SMEs as well and it’s particularly rewarding to see how we can help them achieve real success with their brands. This is why we see the franchise sector as being a very important part of our own growth,” she says.

Accurate audit
Whether or not a franchisor has revenue monitoring in place it will still be reliant upon the franchisee’s or the licensee’s own processes. To all intents and purposes this is done behind closed doors. Blue Concept’s approach is to open these doors and obtain the information required for an accurate audit.

Heather is reassuring on this point: “We are a very personable, flexible team and our ethos is to be very agile so as to cover most situations, but at the same time non-confrontational. Standing outside both licensor and licensee we can cast a clinical eye over the processes in operation and where necessary offer mediation. All this enables us to achieve the optimum results on a continuing basis for our clients.”

Blue Concept is a young company but its name is becoming increasingly known in the world of licensing. They work on the lean principle and so are able to offer their services in a very cost effective way without compromising on the quality of the results. So even if a client already has a licensing audit programme in place Blue Concept will guarantee to save costs in this area as well.

The company’s full IP and licensing service can help clients in every stage of development – from start-up when just considering the suitability of a brand for licensing through the setting up of a licensing programme to the audit and royalty monitoring of established licenses.

Contacting Blue Concept means that the client is speaking with IP professionals who have worked with IP, brands, licensing and royalties in businesses at all levels.

“We are so confident that we can help,” Heather continues “that we offer every prospective client a free no-obligation licensing health check. This consists of a two-hour meeting from which we write an evaluation report, plus a recommended action plan. The client can take these documents and use them as it wishes, but hopefully it will see that value in what we have done, and continue with Blue Concept.”

Heather Lycett and Blue Concept can be contacted on +44 (0)20 3397 2888, enquiries@blueconcept.co.uk or visit www.blueconcept.co.uk for more information.

This problem was solved by taking a mortgage on their house and buying the Exeter resale franchise of Riverford Organic, the veg box distributor, of which they had been a customer in London, for Matt to start his own business.

He explains how they came to make this career-changing move.

“In Devon, life was good for about a year,” says Falkner. “I took over the childcare and spent a lot of quality time with my daughter. Then I started to feel the need to do something more with my career. Jane knew I was thinking about running my own business, but we’d never talked about investing in a franchise.

“Jane was actually looking on Riverford’s site to order a veg box when she stumbled across the franchising section.

From customer to investor
“We’d been Riverford customers in London, and used their veg box delivery service for years, so finding out about the opportunity right then was fortuitous. I was genuinely excited about the chance to run my own organic food business, and got in touch with head office. At the time, the nearest franchise for sale was at Exeter – an established territory with 1,800 active customers – and we decided to invest in it.

“We financed the business through some savings and a mortgage on our house, which we’d owned outright, so using existing capital and debt was another big decision we had to make.

“On top of that, I discovered that buying a business from a previous franchisee is more complex than investing in a virgin territory because there are more people involved, and there’s more due diligence required.

“On the plus side, you have a ready-made business that’s already generating revenue and profit through its existing customer base, and when all the paperwork has been sorted out you’re making money from day one.

Fresh furrows
“Since becoming a Riverford franchisee, I’ve had to adapt to a completely different outlook on work and life,” continues Falkner. “As an employee I had a single fixed role in somebody else’s organisation, but now I’m everything to the success of my own business. Every decision is mine and I have to deal with the outcome, whatever it is. As an employee you wear a single hat, but running a business means you wear a number of hats – you’re part accountant, part marketer, part IT and part logistics – there’s a lot to take on board.

“It’s impossible to know exactly how making such a key life change will impact on you, but talking to Riverford’s team in the early stages certainly helped prepare me for the gear shifts from employment to unemployment, and child minding to purchasing and running a fully-established veg box delivery business, Riverford’s staff have been on hand to give me advice when I’ve needed it most. Now I’m through that period, my focus is 100 percent on growing the business.

Marketing for growth
“I’ve been spending a lot of time on customer service to ensure a transparent transition. I’m also organising advertising and marketing campaigns, pushing sales and targeting businesses in the area. I’m already at the stage where I’m looking to bring somebody into the office on a part-time basis to take care of admin and handle calls so I can focus on increasing sales and getting new customers.

“What’s useful is that the other franchisees I speak to, who have got much more experience than me when it comes to knowing which advertising channels work best, give me help and tips to make sure I won’t waste money trying things out. If they tell me that something doesn’t work, I won’t do it. It’s another benefit of being in a franchise network.

Harvesting customers
“To grow this business you really need to get out and do as many shows as possible. It’s fortunate that I enjoy them. They allow me to gain visibility at the local level and push the brand from the front. My predecessor wasn’t attending shows, so I knew there was an area where I could improve on growth and profitability straightaway.

“In a year’s time I’d like to be up three to five per cent on year one, which I think is realistic. Anything above that will be a bonus. Every time you sign somebody new, it’s a real buzz. I aim to get 1,000 new customers in the next year, so if I do 30 shows and acquire 30 people at each, I’ll have almost achieved it and, of course, not all new customers will come from shows, which is even more positive.

“I’m now ready to build on the foundations I’ve got, which means making sure my existing customers are happy, while also working hard to get new ones. We’re making around 800 deliveries a week, which increased at Christmas.

“Being a Riverford franchisee is hard work, but satisfying. I’m working for myself, and I’m my own boss, but I still have the support of an established and recognised network with a wealth of experience, and a strong stance on ethics. I look forward to my new investment coming to fruition,” says Falkner.

Under the agreement, introduced in 2009 in its tenanted and leased estate, Marston’s is responsible for the retail offer, including the drink brands, food menus and retail standards. The franchisee will earn a percentage of revenue and be responsible for staff costs, while the other costs will fall on Marston’s. The benefits to customers are said to include improved standards and consistent value for money offers.

The group plans to convert 600 of its tenanted pubs to the agreement by the end of 2013. Around 230 have been converted to date with encouraging results.

The average expenditure per conversion is around £50,000 and the minimum target return on the incremental capital expenditure is put at 20 per cent.

Ralph Findlay, Marston’s chief executive, said that the agreement encouraged entrepreneurship among licensees, enabling them to manage successful businesses with the benefit of the company’s support, economies of scale, and retailing experience.

“The number of applicants for the agreement is three times higher than those for a traditional tenancy with 30 per cent of the applicants coming from outside the industry,” he added.

It lists more than 1,300 franchises now trading in Britain, and includes articles by the leading franchise specialists in business consultancy, the law and the banks.

To make it easy for readers to draw up a short list of franchises they would like to consider, the directory lists them by trade category and alphabetically.

In addition to the advisory articles explaining every aspect of the franchise system, the directory contains specimen franchise contracts (including a master franchise agreement).

The foreword is by Sir Bernard Ingham, president of the BFA. Now in its 28th year, the directory is the most authoritative in its field.

To order click here.

Amongst 14 exceptional finalists, the Gold Award winning pair provide a wide range of one-to-one, tailor made, services and home visits for the elderly. They were praised for their commitment to providing high quality care in an industry where some businesses have caused criticism over standards. The judges noted their passion for tackling this serious issue and spearheading an initiative which sees Home Instead Senior Care working closely with the NHS with the aim of raising healthcare standards across the country.

Also celebrating wins for their efforts were:

• Silver Award – Afia Sirkhot, McDonald’s (Birmingham & Dudley). Afia was praised for her dedication to training and developing high quality staff and working with the Birmingham and Dudley communities to build two hugely successful McDonald’s franchises.
• Bronze Award – Ian Cain, NBC Bird and Pest Solutions (Edinburgh). Ian was awarded in recognition of his commitment to ethical business and environmentally responsible wildlife management and for building relationships with, and retaining, a portfolio of high end customers across Scotland.

Mike and Catharine Chalton commented on their achievement: “Winning this award is fantastic recognition of the lengths our whole team has gone to to make a positive change in the community we live in. To be named as the 2011 bfa HSBC Franchisees of the Year is a great honour and a very exciting reward for everyone at Home Instead Senior Care. We are extremely proud of this achievement which also helps to raise awareness of the company and its vision to change the face of elderly care in the UK.”

Home Instead Senior Care is the fifth largest care provider in the UK. It is part of a growing worldwide organisation, Home Instead Worldwide, which currently has over 900 franchised offices worldwide, with over 100 in the UK and Ireland.

Cathryn Hayes, head of franchising, HSBC, commented: “It was a pleasure to witness so many enterprising businesspeople who are excelling through planning, perseverance, innovation and creativity. Mike and Catharine’s passion for providing excellent customer service came across strongly and it is great to see how it has resulted in their successful business going from strength to strength. They are a true credit to the franchising industry and an inspiration to small businesses across the UK.”

Seán Hammond, head of franchising, Express Newspapers, stated: “These Awards continue to reveal the business talent we host in the UK. Their success stories provide food for thought to existing and potential franchisees, and I congratulate every finalist on their enormous achievement.”

Brian Smart, director general, British Franchise Association (bfa), said: “There were so many strong stories this year, revealing the small businesses which have truly taken advantage of the franchise model to deliver success.

“We are thrilled to announce the winners of the 2011 BFA HSBC Franchisee of the Year Awards and are particularly pleased to see the level of commitment the winning franchisees have placed on supporting their communities and adapting their businesses to reflect the challenges of the economic environment.”

Along with the overall Gold, Silver and Bronze Award winners, five regional winners were selected.

Regional winners:
London and the South East
Asad Hamir, Amar Radia and Adarsh Radia, O2 (London W1)

Scotland
Ian Cain, NBC Bird and Pest Control (Edinburgh)

The Midlands
Afia Sirkhot, McDonald’s (Birmingham and Dudley)

The North
Mike and Catherine Chalton, Home Instead Senior Care (Moreton, Wirral)

The South West and Wales
Lorraine Thompson, Driver Hire (Oxford)