Franchise Brands plc, an international multi-brand franchisor, has appointed finnCap Cavendish to conduct the sale of its business-to-consumer (B2C) division of home service franchise brands comprising ChipsAway, Ovenclean and Barking Mad. The three brands have approximately 350 franchisees in the UK serving a loyal, affluent customer base says Franchise Brands, highlighting the quality of its services with each brand earning a 4.9 Trustpilot rating on the customer review platform. Franchise Brands B2C business is operated throughout the UK on a standalone basis by a management team based in K ..read more

Neighbourly, the multi-home services group with six established brands in the UK – Bright and Beautiful, Countrywide Grounds Maintenance, Drain Doctor, Dream Doors, Greensleeves, and Pimlico Plumbers, celebrated a record-breaking 2022 at its biggest UK conference. Phil Carr (back row) celebrates with the award winners. The ‘Bold and Courageous’ three-day event held in March this year at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, brought together over 500 franchisees, across its six brands, to network, collaborate, enjoy inspirational talks, and to celebrate achievements. At the event, Phi ..read more

The U.S. quick service restaurant chain Carl’s Jr. has exclusively instructed Christie & Co, the business property advisers, to support its launch into the UK market. The new partnership will see Christie & Co seek out several franchise partners to roll out the restaurant brand nationally, following on from Carl’s Jr.’s successful expansion in Europe, with over 80 sites across the region serving its Californian-inspired burgers, chicken sandwiches and milkshakes. Christie & Co reports that in the last six years, Carl’s Jr. has doubled its growth, taking its international footprint ..read more

Jane Hotz, in a complete career change, decided to leave behind a 36-year career in the fashion industry working for international brands to become a franchisee with The Cat Butler. Here she shares her path to becoming its franchisee in Radlett, Hertfordshire. Jane Hotz “I was coming towards the end of a two-year contract and was asking myself if, at 57 and years of moving all over the world for my job, if I really wanted to dive back into the world of fashion or did I want to do something completely different? One of my last jobs was working in a £500m turnover a year company with 70 staff ..read more

Making the choice to go down the franchise route to start my oven cleaning business, Ovenu, was more a case of what I didn’t want rather than what I did. So, as convoluted as that might sound, here is some background to add context. Author: Rik Hellewell, founder and managing director of Ovenu I left school in 1975 and, following in my maternal grandfather’s footsteps, started work as a mechanical engineering apprentice for a locally based company in Wokingham. This company was, at the time, partly owned by David Brown, he of the ‘DB’ branding in the Aston Martin range of cars. Rik Hellewell ..read more

Ashtons Franchise Consulting has welcomed Karl Sandall to its team, which will see him bring a wealth of UK and international franchise experience to the consultancy. Karl Sandall Until recently Sandall was the group chief executive of the TaxAssist Direct Group, a successful UK and international franchisor trading as TaxAssist Accountants in the UK, Ireland, Australia and Canada and as Tax Assist Advisers in the U.S. While at TaxAssist, Sandall also led a groundbreaking Franchisee Assisted Management Buyout, which offered franchisees an opportunity to invest in the TaxAssist Direct Group. A ..read more

A must read to franchising for aspiring/existing franchisees and franchisors, Franchising from both sides of the fence (see below the digital edition to view for free), offers advice from leading advisors in the sector on essential topics, such as: Buying a Franchise Q&A to put you on the right track to buying a franchise How franchising works: the two sides of the story How to be sure a franchise adds up Make sure your business plan packs a winning punch The core principles of a franchise agreement Are post-termination restrictive covenants in franchise agreements enforceable? The advan ..read more

Cookerburra, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, has been acquired by the multi-franchisor, Taylor Made Franchising adding a further franchise brand to its growing portfolio. Darren Taylor (left) with Mike Holloway. Mike Holloway and Dave Dymond founded Cookerburra in 1993. The idea for the business was born by Holloway, a former chef, whilst he was cleaning an oven at work. Wondering how homeowners managed to clean their ovens without the large containers to soak, degrease and decarbonise oven parts. After discussions with business partner Dymond, Cookerburra oven cleaning was ..read more

ActionCOACH, Puddle Ducks, Right At Home and TaxAssist Accountants have all been awarded at the Best Franchise Awards for top satisfaction scores every single year since the Franchise Satisfaction Benchmark programme was launched a decade ago by WorkBuzz. From left: Suki Dehal (head of franchising at Lloyds Bank), Ian Christelow (founder of ActionCOACH UK), Jo Stone, Lucy Campbell, Richard Chatten-Hague and Sharon Weston (head of franchising at WorkBuzz). “It’s an unbelievable achievement from all four of them,” said Steven Frost, chief executive of WorkBuzz. “The effort they’ve put into mai ..read more

WorkBuzz has announced the winners of The Best Franchise Awards 2022, sponsored by Lloyds Bank. The presentation took place at the British Franchise Association Annual Conference and Awards in Birmingham at The Vox. The Best Franchise Awards are unique because they are based on feedback from thousands of actual franchisees. Each franchisee completes WorkBuzz’s confidential online Franchise Satisfaction Benchmark survey, rating their franchisor on everything from training and support to shared goals and how the experience of being a franchisee compares with their expectations. The 2022 winners ..read more