Business Franchise articles from July 2008

Business Franchise archives from July 2008

Do vigilance.(Editor's letter)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] IT IS an MBA truism that franchising performs well in times of recession. Some or all of the following are usually cited as reasons: franchises fail far less frequently than start-ups in bad as well as good times;...

Website network grows.(Franchise news)(Company overview)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ORCA WEBSITES is going nationwide. The website builder has launched a national franchise recruitment drive as it seeks to expand its operation. The franchise, which has already recruited 38 franchisees across...

Introducing franchiseinfo.co.uk.(Franchise news)
July 1, 2008... SINCE ITS redesign last autumn, www.franinfo.co.uk has been successfully helping potential franchisees find their perfect franchise, In order to maintain its position as the premier choice for prospective franchisees to research the latest...

Franchisee of Year entries considered.(Franchise news)
July 1, 2008... THE ENTRIES for this year's Franchisee of the Year Awards am being considered as the search continues to find the UK's best performing franchisees. With the dosing date for entries now passed, franchisees will be waiting to find out if...

Dressed to impress.(Franchise news)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SIGNS EXPRESS has added the finishing touches to a V&A Vivienne Westwood exhibition in Sheffield. Museums Sheffield, the only UK location to be included in the Vivienne Westwood exhibition tour, looked to its local...

New franchisee set to clean up.(Franchise news)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] DREW BENNETT from Minehead is set to clean up in Somerset after launching a franchise with Ovenu, a professional oven valeting business. After working in the entertainment industry for the past 25 years, and most...

Estate agency franchise bucks downward trend.(Franchise news)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] RE/MAX has recognised the success of two of its newer franchisees in Scotland by awarding them 'Office Owners of the Year'. Despite a difficult housing market, Alasdair Alan, a former supermarket manager, and...

Dyno Group honours franchisees.(Franchise news)
July 1, 2008... AT A ceremony at Whittlebury Hall n Northamptonshire, the Dyno Group, the emergency building repair service, honoured its 2007 Franchisees of the Year. The Dyno-Rod Franchisee of the Year 2007 award went to P Bowyer Associates of Norfolk...

Cartridge World sponsors sustainable racing team.(Franchise news)
July 1, 2008... Cartridge World has announced its sponsorship of Team CVR (Clyde Valley Racing), the first motor-racing team to announce its intention to operate a zero-carbon policy. The team will be known as Cartridge World Carbon Zero Racing as a...

Horse mad Susie takes her chance.(Franchise news)
July 1, 2008... When horse mad Susie Geddes responded to an advert asking for someone to look after a Northamptonshire businessman's horses, little did she know she would end up carving out a whole new career for herself. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] That...

Home zone.(NEWS shorts)
July 1, 2008... Howard Lee, Castle Estates' north London franchisee, has completed his acquisition of local agents Comfort Homes. He has also taken over Comfort Homes' office in Mill Hill, after previously working from home. Castle Estates North London will...

Silver jubilee.(NEWS shorts)
July 1, 2008... Kall Kwik Fleet Street, one of the most profitable branches of the design and print company, is celebrating 25 years of service to the area. Natalie Muckell has owned the centre for the past two years and was an employee for nearly six years...

Success driven.(NEWS shorts)
July 1, 2008... A temporary driver with the Driver Hire recruitment franchise in Hull has been crowned 'One in a Million Temporary Worker of the Year' in a ceremony at the Houses of Parliament. Colin Ramsden, already REC 'Agency Driver of the Year', beat a...

Donations converted.(NEWS shorts)
July 1, 2008... Cash Converters has raised 10,000 [pounds sterling] for Dreams ComeTrue, a charity that helps fund dreams for seriously or terminally ill children. The cash was raised at a Charity Golf Day at Market Drayton Golf Club. After the sponsored golf...

Berkley Brewer.(Franchise news)(Correction notice)
July 1, 2008... The June issue of Business Franchise contained incorrectly captioned photos to accompany a 'Franchise Focus' about tailor franchise Berkley Brewer. The pictures showed one of Berkley Brewer's first franchisees, Stephen Schofield, taking a...

Fears over new training rights.(small BUSINESS ROUND up: ESSENTIAL UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION FOR FRANCHISES AND SMEs)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] UK manufacturers are concerned that the government could be undermining their Better Regulation Initiative by granting employees the right to request time off for training. EEF, the manufacturers' organisation, says...

New ideas 'stifled in workplace'.(small BUSINESS ROUND up: ESSENTIAL UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION FOR FRANCHISES AND SMEs)
July 1, 2008... The UK is full of inventive, creative people, but there are too many barriers to putting ideas into practice. The National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (Nesta) says that many people believe that new ideas can be stifled in the...

Risky business.(small BUSINESS ROUND up: ESSENTIAL UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION FOR FRANCHISES AND SMEs)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] One-third of new companies are operating without the relevant business insurance, according to insurance website Insurantz.com. The website says that three-quarters of owner-managers think that a good website, snappy...

Remote working project launched.(small BUSINESS ROUND up: ESSENTIAL UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION FOR FRANCHISES AND SMEs)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A new scheme has been launched to help small businesses manage employees who work from home. The Remote Manager's Toolkit, created by BT Business, provides practical advice about managing remote workers. The project...

Insolvency figures on the rise.(small BUSINESS ROUND up: ESSENTIAL UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION FOR FRANCHISES AND SMEs)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The number of businesses forced into administration or receivership has risen sharply. Figures from PKF Accountants show that the number of administrations rose to 858 in the first quarter of 2008--54% higher than...

Confidence ebbs from business owners.(small BUSINESS ROUND up)
July 1, 2008... One in eight small business owners have lost confidence in the economy and think that trading conditions will worsen over the next year. A Microsoft-funded report also suggests that 40% of owners will not encourage others to start a business in...

Minimum wage plan attacked.
July 1, 2008... A proposal by the government to recoup losses on the phased-out 10p rate of income tax by raising the minimum wage has been condemned by businesses. Chancellor Alastair Darling and Enterprise Secretary John Hutton have asked the Low Pay...

Firms unaware of R&D support.
July 1, 2008... Many businesses are unaware of potential financial support they can receive from the Regional Development agencies. Figures from the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) show that while three-quarters of firms invest in research and development...

Women seek flexibility.
July 1, 2008... One in seven female entrepreneurs say they set up in business to give themselves more flexibility between work and family life. A survey for Minister for Women and Equality, Harriet Harman reveals that three-quarters of female owner-managers...

Battling sick note culture.(small BUSINESS ROUND up)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] GPs should lend a hand in beating the country's "sick note culture", which sees millions of working days lost each year. So says a new survey by University of Nottingham, which found strong support for a change in...

Concerns over retailing.(small BUSINESS ROUND up)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) believes that the Competition Commission has failed independent retailers and bias done nothing to halt the decline in the number of small shops that go out of business each...

Scottish power: the British Franchise Exhibition held at the SECC in Glasgow delivered two days of superb business lead generation and networking opportunities, business Franchise magazine reports.(Glasgow Round-Up)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE BRITISH Franchise Exhibition, which was held at the SECC in Glasgow, was another great success, generating leads for franchisors and providing fresh ideas and opportunities for prospective franchisees. The...

Focus on Scotland in week of events: the fifth Scottish Franchise Week, organised by the British Franchise Association, proved a great success.(bfa news)
July 1, 2008... FRANCHISING TOOK on a decidedly Scottish flavour this summer during Scottish Franchise Week. Events took place in Glasgow during the week of 9-14 June and drew people from all over Scotland looking to start their own business through...

Franchisor excellence recognised by bfa: the Business Franchise Association has rewarded outstanding achievement among franchisors in its annual Franchisor of the Year Awards.(bfa news)(Awards list)
July 1, 2008... THE WINNERS of the 2008 bfa Franchisor of the Year Awards were announced at an awards luncheon at London's Sheraton Park Lane Hotel. The awards, sponsored by Express Newspapers and HSBC Bank, sought out the top performing franchisors in...

Sizzling ... two years ago, Burger King transformed the way it went about recruiting new franchisees--a move that has more than paid off.(Cover story)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] IT STARTS with the Burger King brand, one of the strongest and most recognised in the world. It's a brand that celebrates individuality and choice, so much so that "Have It Your Way" isn't just a slogan, it's part of...

Child's play: the children's and pets markets are two of the most successful franchise sectors to work in. John Bensalhia speaks to franchisors to find out why you should work with children or animals.(SPECIAL FEATURE)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SOME OF the old sayings that are thrown up in everyday use really don't make much sense. It's not as if you have a whole batch of eggs to count before chickens are hatched. You're not going to cross a bridge every...

They'd work with children and animals: it's been said that the most difficult customers to deal with are children and pets. Maybe. But both are a source of inspiration for a large number of businesses in the UK, many of them franchises. Here, Matt Pigott braves the playpen to retrieve a selection of the best.(Children and animal franchises)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ComputerXplorers ComputerXplorers is a home-based, owner-managed and marketed business, designed to meet children's technology education needs. With the advent of lighting fast web-based communications,...

One potato, two potato ... that Phat Potato concept follows hot on the heels of its successful parent company, Phat Pasty.(NEW LAUNCH)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] FOLLOWING THE tremendous success of the Phat Pasty Company and its quirky Phat Pasty Vans, the company has now launched The Phat Potato Company. Using the same great vans and proprietary oven technology, Phat Potato...

Rapid growth for telecoms provider B2B telecoms provider Fone Solutions was set up two years ago and has come a long way in a short time.(FRANCHISE FOCUS)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS telecommunications has been one of the success stories of the UK economy over the last 20 years. And while the lifecycles of devices like mobile phones may have long since matured, the rapid...

Good sports: Bar Sport announces plans to operate a franchise scheme with its hugely successful sports bar concept.(NEW LAUNCH)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] UK SPORTS BAR operator Bar Sport, which operates four large-scale operations in Cannock, Walsall, Rugby and Loughborough, believes that the time has come for the successful concept to realise its potential. In...

Access all areas: Bikecaffe is launching its innovative coffee trikes as a franchise format.(NEW LAUNCH)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] FOR A nation of supposed tea-drinkers, the UK gets through a surprisingly large amount of coffee. An estimated 70 million cups are consumed every day in the UK, and card culture is firmly established as part of...

Westaff to grow its staff: finding new recruits, as well as profits, is never easy, but Westaff hopes to lift both of these burdens.(NEW LAUNCH)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE NEW recruitment sector franchise launched by Westaff is already proving a resounding success. When details of the major new opportunity were first revealed at April's British & International Franchise...

Smile please: a highly regarded teeth-whitening business can give new franchisees a lot to smile about.(NEW LAUNCH)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WITH RISING inflation, falling property prices and the media's obsession with the credit crunch, you could be forgiven for thinking there was not much to smile about right now. But you'd be wrong. There is a...

Where there's a will, there's a way out: former financial advisor Terry Ellis was quick to spot the potential offered by Europe's fastest growing mobile valeting franchise, PCC.(FRANCHISE FOCUS)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WHEN HE decided to move into franchising, Terry Ellis, an independent financial advisor (IFA), originally wanted something office-based--and as similar to his then role as possible. But when he paid a visit to one of...

Weed it and reap: nationwide franchise network Complete Weed Control is offering new opportunities in Scotland, Wales and London.(FRANCHISE FOCUS)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WHAT HAVE a farmer, a postman and a Yellow Pages salesman got in common? Answer: they're all successful Complete Weed Control (CWC) franchisees. The amenity weed control contractor has franchises available...

Cooper powers: ChipsAway franchisee Andrew Cooper is motoring ahead with his new business.(FRANCHISE FOCUS)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] IN COMMON with most franchisees of automotive repair company ChipsAway, Andrew Cooper initially invested in a mobile franchise, keeping overheads low. He operated from a smartly liveried VW Transporter, specially...

Ex-chef's new recipe for success: Autosheen offers franchisees access to lucrative contracts and regular work from day one, thanks to an impressive portfolio of national accounts.(FRANCHISE FOCUS)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] LIKE MANY franchisees, Paul Fenech underwent a career change. Before joining valeting franchise Autosheen, he spent most of his working life in catering. He is no stranger to self-employment, having formerly owned a...

Kart of the team: Go-Kart Party franchises provide opportunities for year-round profits (and a lot of fun).(FRANCHISE FOCUS)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CHILDREN'S BIRTHDAY parties have come a long way since the days of jelly and ice cream and pin the tail on the donkey. Yet while youngsters' expectations may be higher, one business meets these high standards. ...

Environmentally friendly: a new paper-supply deal will see Prontaprint and Kall Kwik boost their environmental credentials--and save their franchisees money.(FRANCHISE FOCUS)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] LIKE ANY good franchisee network, business design and print firms Prontaprint and Kall Kwik are always looking for ways to cut costs. But the nature of the business they are in also creates particular environmental...

Profits just a click away: Activ Web Design offers full or part time franchises for a low level of investment.(FRANCHISE FOCUS)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WITH OVER 50% of Britain's small businesses and sole traders not having a website, there is a massive gap in the market to be filled. The idea behind Activ Web Design is to provide many more small businesses in...

Lincoln tax: TaxAssist Accountants franchisee Terry Peachman talks to John Bensalhia about his latest venture that aims to boost his success rating even further.(PROMOTIONAL FEATURE)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] HAVING TAKEN on his second shop front, TaxAssist Accountants franchisee Terry Peachman is a busy man. Originally, he started off with a successful franchise in Lincoln, and after that took off, he acquired a new shop...

Open for business: in the latest instalment of Signs Express of Huddersfield's monthly diary, franchisee Martin Davis looks back at his first month of trading.(Franchise Diary)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WE'VE FINALLY reached the point where we are ready to launch as Signs Express (Huddersfield), a concept that was both exciting and a little daunting. Time has flown by since I made the decision to do this, searched...

Many happy returns: our Franchisee of the Month is a greetings card retailer who has expanded his area of coverage and grown sales by 35%.(FRANCHISE CLOSE-UP)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] PAUL DAVIS, who used to run Shell garages, made his big transition in 2003, when he turned his back on the forecourt and became a Card Connection franchise. At one time he was in charge of four garages, responsible...

A bigger risk than the credit crunch: Business Link advisor Richard Watson says that franchises need to provide the right information, and in the right way, to prospective customers.(Franchise value)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE CREDIT crunch must be biting. So far this month: I have not spent money on a cruise; I have not bought that new laptop I promised myself; I have not even bought that insect repellent gadget that was offered in...

Gather you, then me: franchisors that avoid franchisee meetings may be storing up trouble for the future, says lawyer Manzoor Ishani.(Franchisee rights)
July 1, 2008... ONE OF the prime advantages of franchising is that it enables an entrepreneur to get on with the real task of selling goods and services. The 'other' stuff--ensuring that the franchise concept remains relevant to the market and retains a...

'Ltd' or sole trader status? Jenny Cheung of Menzies helps entrepreneurs through the dilemma of choosing between sole trader or limited status.(HOT topic)
July 1, 2008... A QUESTION MANY entrepreneurs face when starting a business is whether to set up as a sole trader or a limited company. This is particularly relevant to franchisees, or those looking to franchise their business, as these are often faced with...

Business for Breakfast, the proven success to business: looking to earn 50,000 [pounds sterling]-90,000 [pounds sterling] per annum? Then Business For Breakfast wants to hear from you today!(PROMOTIONAL FEATURE)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] BUSINESS FOR Breakfast is one of the UK's leading and most successful networking organisations offering businesses of all types and sizes a structured and supportive networking environment in which to attract new...

Q&A.(FRANCHISE ADVICE)
July 1, 2008... PANEL OF EXPERTS [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] PETER WILLIAMS Franchise consultant Q: What are the pros and cons of having more than one outlet? Tyler Ollis, Three Bridges A: Many franchisees aspire to run a bigger business...

Summer dreams: franchise resales expert Derrick Simpson urges new franchisees to stick to the franchisor's system.(RESALE CORNER)
July 1, 2008... THE BALMY summer weather (when it arrives) often has us pondering about what the future holds. Should you remain as you are or is there a better way of providing a secure future life? Is the media's constant focus on uncertainty in the economy...

A-Z franchise directory.(Directory)
July 1, 2008... The following franchise listings are a comprehensive reference guide to help you find the franchise opportunity that's right for you. They are listed alphabetically and cover all business sectors. Information for these entries is provided by...

Franchise services.(Directory)
July 1, 2008... Consultants Franchise Deveoplment Services Roy Seaman t: 01603 620301 e: enquiries@fdsltd.com Locations covered: UK Are you considering franchising your business? Or are you an established franchisor? Our 25 years of...

Stop the press: in the first of a new series of columns, resident deputy editor John Bensalhia gives advice on composing the perfect press release, and how to avoid those potential pitfalls.(BEST Practice)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SUB EDITORS. They're popular people. Well, I say popular, actually, they rank somewhere in the popularity zone of tax inspectors, WAGs and Big Brother contestants. Give them a press release, and they'll cast their...

Move over, Dolly: Domino's Pizza's William Ewbank takes an irreverent look at franchising. This month: cloning franchisees.(Last word)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] EVERY FRANCHISOR must, at some point, have gathered his flock, studied each franchisee and wondered if any "black sheep" should be replaced. Just like franchisees, farmers have good reason to consider whether...