Member Article

Finalists announced for franchise sector’s top awards

The British Franchise Association (bfa) has revealed the 20 finalists for the 2014 bfa HSBC Franchisor of the Year Awards, supported by Express Newspapers.

Now in their 25th year, the accolades celebrate the country’s most exceptional franchisors, who are driving business growth and development through their strength of brand, innovative practices and effective business strategies. With new and refreshed categories, the finalists are hoping to win one of six different awards.

The bfa HSBC Franchisor of the Year Award celebrates the very best in British franchising. These finalists demonstrate the most outstanding performances across business practice and implementation.

The finalists are:

• Autosmart
• Expense Reduction Analysts
• Agency Express
• TaxAssist Accountants
• Domino’s
• Water Babies
• Signs Express

The Emerging Franchisor Award showcases the younger franchisor businesses that are standing out from the crowd. The shortlisted franchisors are less than five years old and are already excelling in their fields.

The finalists are:

• Ableworld
• Right at Home
• Bright & Beautiful

The Innovation Award represents franchisors that have taken bold steps to drive significant growth in their franchise networks. The finalists selected for this award have demonstrated how innovation has strengthened their franchise systems, through implementing new strategies and infrastructures.

The finalists are:

• McDonald’s
• Chemex
• O2

The Award for International Achievement honours finalists who are pioneering in their fields and driving international growth.

The finalists are:

• Pirtek
• InXpress

The Brand of the Year Award showcases franchisors who have built strong brands in competitive market places. The finalists selected have explored outstanding marketing techniques at local and national levels, whilst maintaining consistency in excellence.

The finalists are:

• Kumon
• ZipYard

The Franchisee Recruitment Award celebrates franchisors who have implemented best-practice selection of new franchisees and succeeded in integrating them into their networks.

The finalists are:

• Autosmart
• Mail Boxes Etc
• Riverford Organic Farms

The winners of this year’s bfa HSBC Franchisor of the Year Awards will be announced at a black-tie gala dinner on 26 June at Heythrop Park in Oxfordshire.

Brian Smart, director general, bfa, said: “We have been extremely impressed with the level of this year’s entrants. It’s been a pleasure to see the broad range of franchisors stepping forward and celebrating their successes in the industry. We have seen an exceptionally high standard of franchising throughout this year’s application process and have been particularly inspired by the levels of commitment and dedication that franchisors are going to, to carry out best business practice.”

Cathryn Hayes, head of franchising, HSBC, said: “We are always impressed with the high calibre of entrants for these awards but this has been one of the toughest judging processes I can remember, reflecting the quality and depth that is found in today’s franchise brands. This year’s finalists have demonstrated exceptional business practice and successful implementation of strategies to support their franchisees and I’m looking forward to hearing from them when they present to the panel of judges. All 20 finalists should be extremely proud to have stood out in such a highly competitive field.”

Sean Hammond, head of franchising, Express Newspapers, added: “These awards enable franchisors across the country to showcase their success amongst their peers and clients. Hearing the positive stories and successes of all the franchisors helps to portray franchising as a viable business option and demonstrate the successes in the industry.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Paul Stafford .