Member Article

Cheshire 4D baby scan company nominated for major franchising award

Window to the Womb has been shortlisted for the Franchisor of the Year Award at the bfa HSBC Franchise Awards, to be held at the Vox, Birmingham, on June 27.

Window to the Womb has grown from one franchise clinic in 2014 to national coverage by 2019. The company now scans in excess of 120,000 expectant ladies per year with a forecasted annual growth of 20% in 2019. The focus from the outset was to develop an inclusive organisation where franchisee and franchisor worked in partnership. Many of its franchise partners are now multisite operators; all new clinics opened since 2017 are second or third sites.

Mark Witter, director of Window to the Womb, said: “We are delighted to have been shortlisted in the Franchisor of the Year category at the 2019 bfa HSBC Franchise Awards 2019. These awards will provide us with a rare yet important opportunity to recognise the hard work and dedication that has been put into growing this business over the last few years. This rapid growth has largely been driven by the technical expertise that we have at the centre of our team, along with the success of our franchise partners, who have each worked tirelessly to create solid brand reputations in all of our locations through sheer hard work and by having a consistent and absolute commitment to delivering excellence at every touch point of the customer journey. We are extremely proud of what we have already achieved and to be recognised by winning this award would just be the icing on the cake.”

The awards evening is the flagship event in the franchising calendar and getting a nomination in itself is a major achievement, proving the business works ethically and in the best interests of franchisees and staff, fighting off many other companies vying for the accolade. Pip Wilkins, CEO of the British Franchising Association (bfa), congratulated the company:
“Window to the Womb joined the bfa relatively recently, and has really shown how effectively its franchise model works in the interests of the whole network.”

Andrew Brattesani, Head of Franchising, HSBC, said: “Window to the Womb’s nomination was really strong, showing a real commitment to ethical franchising. The story of the company’s beginnings is fantastic and I wish them the best of luck when it comes to announcing the winners on June 27.”

They will go head-to-head against five other franchise units in June from a mixture of sectors, including courier services, pet food services and a recruitment franchise.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Emma Lumley .