More than 350 franchisors and guests gathered at a glittering awards ceremony at the ICC in Birmingham to celebrate the sector’s achievements.
Although we didn’t enter ChipsAway International or Ovenclean for the awards, Franchise Brands’ Corporate Development Director Julia Choudhury, along with CEO Tim Harris, Non-Exec Director Robin Auld and guests and colleagues from Head Office, took a table to show support for fellow franchisors and the franchising community as a whole.
Estate agency board maintenance service Agency Express, based in Norwich, were the big winners, taking home the prestigious bfa HSBC Franchisor of the Year 2015 Gold Award.
Judges praised the company’s ability to maximise every aspect of its operations to benefit franchisees, including impressive use of technology to support growth while maintaining a very healthy work/life balance.
Stephen Watson, managing director of Agency Express, said: “This award is recognition for the outstanding work carried out every day by our franchisees and our head office support team. We’ve invested heavily in providing franchisees with the best environment to succeed and in turn they’ve made Agency Express what it is today – a market leader, renowned for service and now Franchisor of the Year.”
The UK head of franchising for HSBC, Andy Brattesani, said: “The high standard of finalists represented the diverse pool of talent found in modern franchising. It’s our pleasure to present the highest accolades UK franchisors can achieve to our worthy winners.”
The 2015 winners are:
bfa HSBC Franchisor of the Year 2015
- Gold Award – Agency Express
- Silver Award – Driver Hire
- Bronze Award – TaxAssist Accountants
Emerging Franchisor of the Year (five years or less in franchising)
- One Stop
Franchisee Recruitment Award
- Dream Doors
Award for Innovation
- Dyno
Customer Focus Award
- Home Instead Senior Care
Established in 1989, the awards celebrate franchisor successes in five categories, judging business growth and development, service excellence and commitment to ethical franchising practice.
At a black-tie dinner event, winners were presented with the awards by hosts Andy Brattesani; Cathryn Hayes, head of business support at the bfa; and Sean Hammond, classified advertising manager for Express Newspapers.
Cathryn Hayes, who chaired the judging panel, said: “The 26th annual awards have been an outstanding success and the event showcases the drive and enterprise found across the UK franchise sector.
“The calibre of entrants was extremely high; we are immensely proud of the quality of franchisors that continue to achieve business growth and build upon a strong network of franchisees.”
Sean Hammond added: “In challenging business markets, franchising continues to flourish and franchisors are adding value more than ever to their business model. We are delighted to recognise their efforts with these awards, following a very high calibre of entries received.”
