The annual awards, now in its 35th year, are considered to be the pinnacle of recognition and achievement in the UK franchise sector, celebrating the achievements of the British Franchise Association (BFA) member franchisors and franchisees.
The 2023 award winners.
The judges for this year’s awards are:
- Pip Wilkins (Chair of Judges), chief executive of the BFA
- Gillian Morris, UK head of franchise, commercial banking, HSBC UK
- Natalia Shvarts, partner at Excello Law
- Adam Lovelock, director of Coconut Marketing
- Alan Wilkinson, head of franchise development at The Franchising Centre
- Roz Goldstein, partner at PartnerWise Franchise
Commenting on the launch of the awards, Wilkins said: “Just five months after we announced the 2023 winners, the BFA team are back with the 2024 awards. We have two new awards this year, ‘International Expansion’ and ‘Business Builder’. Both are looking at businesses that have grown successfully, but in very different ways.”
Franchisor Award categories
- Franchisor of the Year
– Established
– Expanding
– Emerging
– Lifestyle - Leadership and Culture
- Brand Awareness
- International Expansion
- Trailblazer
Franchisee Award categories
- Lifestyle
- Next Generation
- Community Focus
- Business Builder
- HSBC Best in Class
– Multi-unit, single brand
– Multi-unit, multi brand - Trailblazer
- Franchisee of the Year – People’s Choice
Pip Wilkins
Wilkins continues: “Franchise resales are a growth area for franchising and when you see the results, it’s not hard to understand why. When you invest in a franchise territory that is already operational, you hit the ground running with a very big head start, meaning the entrepreneur can achieve impressive growth results within a short space of time. The new ‘Business Builder’ category will give us the chance to shine a light on people investing in these resale territories and making huge successes of them.
“The new ‘International Expansion’ award for franchisors is going to make for fascinating reading too as we examine the international success of some of the larger franchise brands. Many franchisors who have built firm foundations with their UK operations are now looking to expand abroad.
“‘Brand Britain’ is still a valuable commodity in the export market and our franchise brands are taking advantage of this like never before. We are looking forward to hearing about their journeys to international franchise success.”
Recognising the role of the judges, Wilkins said: “My thanks as always to Gillian, Natalia, Adam, Alan and Roz who have agreed to give up enormous amounts of their working time to judge the entries we receive. Each brings with them their own valuable area of expertise, to this highly experienced judging panel.
“In a change for 2024 we are leaving the London-based studio behind and renting out a multi-million pound ‘location’ house in the Midlands for our filming week, which we hope will not only add to the fun for our finalists but will also give us some great footage for our Best in Franchising campaign that will come out before the awards.”
Gillian Morris
Gillian Morris of HSBC UK added: “In the 35 years we have been sponsoring the British Franchise Awards the entries have never failed to impress. Every year we read stories of good strategy, great planning and, sometimes, enormous bravery.
“People in the franchising world are invariably totally committed and their passion for their businesses shines through. I know we’re all looking forward to reading this years’ entries, hearing how they are supporting their brand, their franchisees, their local communities, and the franchising sector as a whole. I send my best wishes to you all and wish you the best of luck.”
Dates for 2024
- April 22: Entries open
- June 12: Entries close
- July 29 – Aug 2: Judging week
- Sept 2 – 6: Filming week
- Nov 7: Awards evening
A printable entry guide for the BFA HSBC UK British Franchise Awards 2024 is available on the BFA website.
Posted: 22nd April, 2024