British franchise brands swept the board at the European Franchise Awards, held in Belgium on 11th September, as the only country to have finalists in all the award categories.
British award winners celebrate their success.
The European awards are chosen from candidates nominated by the 18 national franchise associations who are members of the European Franchise Federation (EFF). Countries submit applications from the winners of their own domestic award competitions.
Mathias Lehner, chair of EFF, said: “The European Franchise Awards are a unique opportunity to bring the franchise community together, to celebrate the best in class in franchising. It is a privilege for us to meet with and celebrate some of the best concepts and individuals in our sector.”
British award winners
- Right at Home, the domiciliary care company, won the prestigious Gold award for ‘Franchisor of the Year’.
- Stevens & Bolton, franchise specialist solicitors, was awarded Gold for ‘Services to Franchising’.
- ERA Group, the cost management consultancy, won Silver in the category ‘International Brand’.
- Canopy Nurseries, the children’s nursery, took Bronze for ‘Emerging Brand’.
- Football Fun Factory, the children’s development through football, franchisee Jon Radford, received the Bronze award for ‘Franchisee of the Year’.
Pip Wilkins, chief executive of the British Franchise Association (BFA), who attended the awards said: “What a proud, proud night for British franchising. We send our hugest congratulations to our winners on their magnificent triumphs.
“They have all worked extraordinarily hard to get here and deserve every bit of the applause they received from their European colleagues on the night, displaying, as they have, the very best of British franchising.”
Wilkins added: “However, I don’t just see this as a win for the five individual brands; as an unregulated franchising sector, we have proven tonight that we do not need laws to be successful.
“The UK is widely respected abroad, and I believe our success proves that our franchisors don’t need tick boxes to ensure they are doing the right thing; they choose to do the right thing anyway, through their commitment to their BFA membership and our Code of Ethics for Franchising.”
Alisdair Gray, executive director of the EFF, said: “The European Franchise Awards are a true Who’s Who of franchising. Across the five categories the UK finalists did exceptionally well, bringing home two golds, one silver and two bronzes.
“UK franchise concepts continue to lead the way in Europe and globally, and it was a real pleasure to meet some of the wonderful brands setting the tone for excellence across all sectors of franchising.”
Posted: 13th September, 2025