Smith+Henderson, the research firm specialising in franchise benchmarking, has announced the finalists for its 2017 Best Franchise Awards, sponsored by Lloyds Bank.
To be considered as a finalist, the franchise companies have taken part in the Franchise Satisfaction Benchmark survey. Franchisees are asked to anonymously score its franchisor on qualities such as initial training, ongoing support, relationship with their franchisor and whether they would recommend their franchise to a prospective franchisee.
The 2017 finalists are:
- Best New Entry: BBX UK, Boogie Beat, Kidslingo
- Best Franchise Business-to-Business: BBX UK, Pink Spaghetti, TaxAssist Accountants
- Best Franchise Business to Consumer: PetStay, Roly’s Fudge, Wagging Tails
- Best Franchise Management: Home Instead Senior Care, Right at Home
- Best Franchise Children’s Services: Boogie Beat, Debutots, Kidslingo, The Creation Station
- Best Franchise Man In A Van: Clear Brew, MAC Tools, Wilkins Chimney Sweep
Steven Frost, director of Smith+Henderson, said: “We would like to offer our heartfelt congratulations to these franchisors who have already shown themselves to be amongst the very best in the country. All the finalists have received outstanding feedback from their franchisees, who completed our independent and confidential Franchise Satisfaction Benchmark survey, which uniquely identifies the franchises that live up to their franchisee’s expectations. We congratulate them on this achievement.
“The finals of the Best Franchise Awards are held during our annual Best Franchise Conference, a full-day of learning and networking for top franchisors from across the UK. This year we have a full programme of speakers as well as a Q&A session hosted by international law firm, Bird & Bird; with Ken Deary, managing director and founder of Right at Home UK; and Andy Knights, chief operating officer of Stagecoach Performing Arts; to discuss the highs and lows of franchising and getting the best out of your network.”
During the conference Smith+Henderson have organised presentations on:
- The Mindset Paradigm – Nigel Dawson, national franchising manager at Dyno
- Franchisors Shifting Their Network into Another Gear – Karl Sandal, group chief executive of TaxAssist Accountants
- Community Engagement – How We Increased Franchisee Engagement and Performance – Neonain Walsh and Youssef Bejaoui of SmartPA
- Customer Service in the Digital Age: A Barking Mad Case Study – Lee Dancy, founder and managing director, Barking Mad and Richard Dancy, marketing consultant for Barking Mad.
Over the course of the day there will be two best practice forums. The first will be hosted by Sarah Carlile, founder and director of Coconut Creatives, who explores the franchise disruptor concept and how being different will win you business. The second forum, hosted by Julie Taylor, managing director of Franchise Resales, discusses the importance of technique, rather than size, when it comes to franchise resales.
The winners of the 2017 Best Franchise Awards will be announced during the Best Franchise Conference held in Milton Keynes on Thursday 30th November 2017. More information and tickets are available from: www.bestfranchiseawards.co.uk