ABINGDON, OXFORDSHIRE / ACCESSWIRE / June 28, 2019 / The 2019 bfa HSBC Franchise Awards took place on June 27 at the Vox, Birmingham.
Designed to celebrate excellence in franchising from both franchisors and franchisees, the 32nd instalment of the awards, hosted by the British Franchise Association (bfa), saw franchising giants such as McDonald's claim an accolade, as well as companies only recently starting their franchising journey, such as Radfield Home Care.
Two of the biggest awards on the night, the Franchisor of the Year and Franchisee of the Year, went to Driver Hire and Kev & Amy Popat, Right at Home, respectively.
The winners of the awards are as follows...
Franchisor categories
Franchisor of the Year (gold): Driver Hire
Franchisor of the Year (silver): OSCAR Pet Foods
Franchisor of the Year (bronze): Window to the Womb
Emerging: Radfield Home Care
Brand Awareness & Innovation: énergie Fitness
Leadership & Culture: McDonald's Restaurants
Social Enterprise: Wiltshire Farm Foods
Franchisee categories
Young Female: Jennie Mills, Rainbow International
Young Male: Craig Bishop, Snap-on Tools
Business Transformation: Ed Pockney, Driver Hire
Customer Engagement: Kev & Amy Popat, Right at Home
Multi-unit: Mark Sadleir, Window to the Womb
Lifestyle: John & Elaine Warburton, Barking Mad
Franchisee of the Year: Kev & Amy Popat, Right at Home
Driver Hire, which claimed the Franchisor of the Year award, and saw one of its franchisees win Business Transformation, has been shortlisted for the Franchisor of the Year accolade 13 times in the last 14 years, winning for the second occasion, proving itself as champions of ethical franchising.
Pip Wilkins, CEO of the bfa, believes that the strength of the applications this year were indicative of an industry that is thriving:
"Congratulations to everybody who won an award, and to all those shortlisted. The franchising industry is showing record growth. There are more franchise systems than ever, and there are more females and young people becoming franchisees.
"Franchising is able to adapt to societal shifts in culture and needs too, which is a major advantage for businesses in the industry which thrive through change. The franchisees and franchisors that were shortlisted really reflect this. The sector is looking exceptionally healthy."
Andy Brattesani, UK Head of franchising, HSBC, added: "As lang-standing supporters of the awards, it is always fantastic watching the industry come out in force.
"Well done to all of the winners, and the categories show how diverse the industry is, both in terms of the breadth of services provided by companies, and also the opportunities this allows for franchisees to optimise their lifestyle and work culture."
For more information about the awards or the British Franchise Association, email [email protected]
About the bfa
The British Franchise Association (bfa) defines and enforces the ethical standards for business format franchising in the UK. Established in 1977, the association is a self-regulatory body proudly run by its members to champion the growth of the UK franchising sector. Promoting best practice through education and training, the bfa is a passionate advocate of excellence in the whole franchising community.
The vision of the bfa is to empower, promote and connect people in business by becoming the leading educator in franchising. To support this vision the association has established a Franchise Training Academy to be the fundamental source of key skills and techniques, driving the adoption of best practice in the UK franchising sector. The education of potential franchisees and franchisors is at the heart of what the bfa is and does. Equipping prospects with a crucial understanding of franchising is essential not only to their success, but to the success of the whole sector.
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SOURCE: British Franchise Association