2013 Best Franchise Awards - Now Open For Entries

LONDON - April 12, 2013 - PRLog -- Smith & Henderson, a bfa affiliate franchise consultancy, has announced today that the 2013 Best Franchise Awards, sponsored by Lloyds TSB Commercial are now open for UK franchisors to enter.

Launched in 2011, what makes the Best Franchise Awards unique is they are based on feedback from thousands of actual franchisees, gathered through Smith & Henderson’s Franchise Satisfaction Benchmark survey. This works by inviting existing franchisees to review and provide anonymous feedback on their franchise ownership experience.  As consistent questions are asked the feedback is used to determine a shortlist of the best franchise opportunities in the UK.

The awards are free to enter and open to all franchisors, including BFA and non-BFA members, which have at least eight franchisees in the UK.  The winners will be announced at the 2013 Best Franchise Conference on Thursday 5th December in Birmingham.  The conference includes a series of best practice seminars from outstanding franchisors and specialist consultants.  It’s expected that 100 franchise professionals will attend.  

The 2012 award winners included:

·         Best Training & Support - TaxAssist Accountants

·         Best Franchise System – McDonald’s Restaurants

·         Best Growing Franchisor (less than 15 franchisees) - Cloud Bookkeeping

·         Best Mid-Size Franchisor (15-49 franchisees) – Water Babies

·         Best Large Franchisor (50+ franchisees) – TaxAssist Accountants

Richard Holden, Head of Franchising at Lloyds TSB Commercial commented, “We are delighted to be the Official Sponsor of The Best Franchise Awards, which recognises outstanding franchisors and are helping to drive up industry standards. The UK franchise market continues to display strong growth, reflected in last year’s shortlisted nominees, and plays a vital part in the UK economy. I’d like to encourage all types of franchisors to enter and wish them the best of luck.”

Sarah Robertson, Business Development Director of TaxAssist Accountants, which won a brace of awards in 2012 said; “We are thrilled to have won these two prestigious awards ahead of some very strong competition.  The awards are even more meaningful as they are based on independent research by Smith & Henderson which researches what our network truly feels about the support and training we provide.’’

For more information or to enter the awards please visit www.BestFranchiseAwards.co.uk.  For further information about the conference, please visit www.smithhenderson.com/franchising  

Notes for Editors

Smith & Henderson is a leading independent franchise consultancy, helping reputable franchisors to improve their support, franchisee performance and customer experience.  As British Franchise Association members, their clients range from new franchisors to well-known brands like O2 and McDonald’s.

To find out more about the Franchise Satisfaction Benchmark and The Best Franchise Awards please visit www.BestFranchiseAwards.co.uk. For information about Smith & Henderson please visit www.smithhenderson.com. For further information please contact Steven Frost on tel: 0207 183 3224 / 0790 3489 877 or email: steven.frost@smithhenderson.com.