Business Franchise articles from May 2004

Business Franchise archives from May 2004

London calling: the British and International Franchise Exhibition brought thousands of potential franchisees to the big smoke in search of a future in franchising.(exhibition report)
May 1, 2004... It was the weekend of the Grand National, FA cup semi-final and West Indies cricket test, but that didn't deter thousands of visitors from racing through the doors of this year's British and International Franchise Exhibition, all hoping to...

Burger brand hits golden anniversary.(franchise news)
May 1, 2004... THIS YEAR Wimpy celebrate 50 years of franchising in the UK. The company is still the UK's largest independently owned restaurant chain franchise and 2004 will be a milestone year for the company. When Wimpy opened its first burger bar in...

Industry pays tribute to Dennis Chaplin.(Obituary)
May 1, 2004... DR DENNIS CHAPLIN, BFA Affiliate and editor of The Franchise Magazine, has unexpectedly passed away at home. He was a well-known face in the franchise industry for many years, joining the magazine in 1987 and regularly attending franchise...

New chief for delivery franchise.(franchise news)
May 1, 2004... KAY PHILLIPS has become chief executive officer of GeoPost UK and Ireland, owners of the Parceline and Interlink Express franchise brands. Formerly chief operating officer, Phillips succeeds Colin Millbanks who is retiring. Phillips...

Forward-thinking franchisee becomes director.(franchise news)
May 1, 2004... COMPLETE WEED CONTROL franchisee Ian Graham has been rewarded for his investment in technology with an appointment to non-executive director on the company's board of directors. Graham joined Complete Weed Control four years ago and has...

Cuban cycle challenge helps children's charity.(franchise news)
May 1, 2004... FRANCHISE LAWYER John Pratt and Nigel Toplis, managing director of Recognition Express, have successfully completed their cycle ride across Cuba to raise money for the 'Why My Child' fundraising appeal, funding research work at Birmingham...

More clinics for Collagenics.
May 1, 2004... THE COLLAGENICS franchise, which offers non-surgical cosmetic procedures, has acquired Midlands based company The Bowes Clinics, accelerating its expansion plans to 170 clinics nationwide, in 22 franchise territories. The ten new clinics...

Silver celebration for print franchisee.
May 1, 2004... PRONTAPRINT'S Adrian Meredith is celebrating his 25th year as a franchisee of Prontaprint Harrogate. Since Meredith's first year at Prontaprint, printing has changed beyond recognition. When once it might have taken two days to turn...

Royal snaps of approval.
May 1, 2004... LEADING PHOTOGRAPHY franchise, Success Photography, has been appointed official photographer for the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Awards. The Duke of Edinburgh's Awards hold a number of ceremonies each year in which the Gold Award recipients...

Dollar picks up strength in UK.(franchise news)
May 1, 2004... DOLLAR THRIFTY AUTOMOTIVE GROUP INC, the owner of the Dollar Rent A Car and Thrifty Car Rental brands, announces its master franchisee for the UK has opened locations serving the UK's major airports. Robert Burton, a long-time Thrifty...

Top of the training team.(franchise news)
May 1, 2004... BUSINESS EDUCATION INTERNATIONAL (BEIGroup) has recently appointed James O'Brien to lead the UK expansion of its business-building training franchise, BEITraining. Formerly managing director of Pitman Training Group, he developed the...

New night service welcome.(franchise news)
May 1, 2004... AMTRAK, the franchised express parcel delivery business, has launched an extended evening delivery service in response to the increasing demand. The evening service breaks fresh ground in the express parcel industry, which has...

Wolves wowed by stadium signage.(franchise news)
May 1, 2004... SIGNS EXPRESS (Warrington) has lit up many faces since it supplied illuminated signage to the new Halliwell Jones stadium, home of the Warrington Wolves Rugby League team. Andy Gatcliffe, CEO for the Warrington Wolves, says: 'The signage is...

Fosby flop is a winner for Belvoir Lettings.(franchise news)
May 1, 2004... BELVOIR LETTINGS is sponsoring budding high jumper Vikki Hubbard, 14, who is setting her sights on the 2008 Olympics, to be held in Beijing. The teenager already represents England Schools, and will reach even greater heights now that...

Competition calls for business champion.(franchise news)
May 1, 2004... LLOYDS TSB, the Federation of Small Business, the Trinity Mirror Group and Business in the Community have joined forces to find the British Small Business Champion for 2004, who will receive a tailor-made business trip to New York. The...

Whet your appetite: as a wise person once said: 'people will always need to eat.' So where better to setup shop than in the food and drink industry? Barbara Oaff takes a look at franchise opportunities in the cafe, kiosk and sandwich bar sector.(market focus)
May 1, 2004... There used to be a time when you would struggle to get a decent cup of coffee in this country, but not any more. Today your caffeine fix of choice is generally just a short walk away. And experts on the matter of our British eating and...

Hot from the hut: the world's largest pizza chain isn't content to sit back and watch from the sidelines, so it has launched into the UK franchise industry with new delivery opportunities, a hot service guarantee and branding redesign.(Cover Story)
May 1, 2004... The Pizza Hut brand is so synonymous with family dining, innovative new twists on the average dough base and great value deals that you'd think its pizza delivery business was already a national institution. So it should come as a bit of a...

Legal eagles: new payment procedures and legislation have brought about big changes for care service providers in the UK. But, as Alison Coleman finds out, Carewatch franchisees have an advantage over the competition.(promotional feature)
May 1, 2004... In recent years the care industry has undergone massive changes, with the introduction of new legislation and government initiatives creating a much greater choice for customers. It is something of a challenge for care providers but as part...

The results are in! Now in its 20th year, franchising's most comprehensive survey shows that the industry's growth is as strong as ever for 2004. Johanna Roughley examines the story behind the results.(Franchise link: the British Franchise Association)
May 1, 2004... With a record turnover of 9.65billion [pounds sterling] a year and an increase in the number of people directly employed in franchising soon to reach a huge 330,000, the 2004 NatWest/British Franchise Association (BFA) franchise survey...

Get on board with the BFA: as the new BFA board members settle into their roles, we take a look at what goes on behind the scenes of the franchising industry's regulating body.(Franchise link: the British Franchise Association)
May 1, 2004... The British Franchise Association (BFA) works across a broad range of activities, which comes down to its founding principle of sustaining standards of good franchising. But of course standards on their own are no use, unless the people who...

The British Franchise Exhibition: Hall 2, SECC, Glasgow 11-12 June 2004.(exhibition preview)
May 1, 2004... Doors open from 10am to 5pm on Friday and from 10am to 4pm on Saturday COST: Entry is free with the ticket from the front of this magazine. Additional tickets cost 7 [pounds sterling] on the door and 5 [pounds sterling] in advance, or 4...

The heart of the matter: with thriving cities and market towns, the Midlands is a region that has always been at the forefront of UK trade and industry. There are some unique challenges to face when running a business in the area, but there are also some major advantages.(special feature)
May 1, 2004... Wander around Nottingham's Market Square or through Birmingham's Bullring and you can't help but be consumed by the hustle and bustle of business. The Midlands region encompasses a host of vibrant and prosperous towns and cities, a couple of...

Masters of the universal waste problem: Bin Masters has the support structure if you've got the common sense. Gareth John reports on the network's growth and how you can be part of it.(franchise focus)
May 1, 2004... At the Farnham head office of Bin Masters, the territory map is updated as Paul Hutchison completes his four weeks of training. As the 13th Bin Masters franchisee he will now begin working on contracts in the Sussex area. Recruiting...

All presence and correct: Spear Group places paramount importance on presence. Whether that's the web presence it creates for its clients or the amount of brand recognition it generates at a franchise show, it's all a step forward in its UK expansion plans.(franchise focus)
May 1, 2004... Since its inception in 2001, Spear Business Group has rapidly established itself in the franchise industry, with more than 200 franchisees across four business concepts. Its phenomenal level of growth in developing its UK network of business...

Taste of success: to be a great franchisee you need to have great belief in your product, so when Hitesh Patel introduced the Subway concept to his brothers, he knew they'd be the perfect business partners.(franchise focus)
May 1, 2004... It's been four years since the Patel brothers joined the Subway submarine sandwich chain, and Team Patel has gone from strength to strength, beating all the competition along the way. When Hitesh (Tesh) Patel opened his first Subway store...

Money matters: the time you spend preparing a business plan may seem like a lot of unnecessary hard work, but it is time well spent for both you and your lender.(franchise advice)
May 1, 2004... When you get guidance from the professionals to start your own business, they will probably talk about business plans and their importance, and rightly so. After all, if you don't know where you want your franchised business to go, then how...

Q&A: franchising is a complex business and it is often hard to know where to turn for reliable advice. Help is at hand-ask our selected panel of industry experts, who offer invaluable advice on franchising in every issue.(franchise advice)
May 1, 2004... Q: As a prospective franchisee, should I be concerned if a franchise agreement does net give me an automatic right to renew? Christian Evans, Pontypool Anton Bates replies: A: Yes, most definitely. While there can be exceptions,...

Networking Part II great communication skills count: Dee Blick's top 10 tips: we have already looked at the importance of finding the right networking organisation for your business. So, once you have signed up to one it's plain sailing, isn't it? You pay your fees, turn up at the right time each week and new business will flow ... or will it?(marketing top tips)
May 1, 2004... Results rarely happen immediately because people need to get to know you as a person before they feel comfortable recommending you. How you interact with individual members of your networking group will have a direct impact on whether they...

Should franchisees have a say? The relationship between franchisor and franchisee will be cosy in the early days, but how do you make sure it stays that way? Manzoor Ishani offers his advice.(franchise communication)
May 1, 2004... It's my business--or so they keep telling me--and yet I have no say in how things are run or even what I think... and as for any good ideas, best to keep 'em to myself. My franchisor doesn't want to know. "Do as you are told" is the motto...

Do points make prize customers? As any good businessman knows, your customers are your most important asset, but if fate works against you and they start to walk away, how can you bring them back to the fold? Richard Watson shows us where we're failing on the mission for customer loyalty.(customer loyalty)
May 1, 2004... I have walked the lanes of Aylesbury and never seen a duck. I have sat on York Station and asked in vain for one of its famous ham sandwiches. My home town is famous for making needles and fish hooks--neither of which I have found reason to...

Need to know: small-business owners are a funny lot: they'll stick to their banks when they're unhappy with the service, and they'll stay with old business partners while their marriages fold.(business bulletin)
May 1, 2004... SECURE ONLINE INVOICES Ever since last January no business in Britain has been able to send and receive invoices by standard email. As a result of a European Union (EU) directive all electronic invoices need to demonstrate 'authenticity...

Franchisee of the month.(class act)
May 1, 2004... Name: Kevin Hughes Age: 35 Occupation: Rainbow International franchisee Franchise location: Southeast and northeast Glasgow History: Joined Rainbow International in October 1996 Nominated by: Kirstie Wood, Rainbow...

A taste of franchising.(bfa seminars)
May 1, 2004... Take a bite of the franchising pie with a British Franchise Association (BFA) taster seminar. A nationwide tour of informative franchising seminars run as a joint project between the BFA and Business Link and continues this year. There are...

Resale of the month: Segafredo Zanetti Espresso.(Franchise Resales)
May 1, 2004... Segafredo Zanetti Espresso Worldwide is the sixth-largest coffee chain in the world. It has more than 350 franchised outlets across 30 countries in four continents. Business History The flagship cafe bar at Baker Street, London--the...

Why buy a resale?(Franchise Resales)
May 1, 2004... Existing franchises are sold for various reasons--retirement, ill-health, moving abroad, etc. Some franchise companies operate networks comprising hundreds of franchisees and more than one entry in the listings may simply reflect the scale of...

Buying into resale success.(Franchise Resales)
May 1, 2004... LOOKING FOR AN ESTABLISHED FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITY? Most franchises have mature businesses with track records of success that can give you cash flow from day one. Resales are available in every part of the country, and in every type of...

Resale directory.
May 1, 2004... CLEANING SERVICES Safeclean Type of franchise Professional carpet, curtain and upholstery cleaning Territory available Manchester INVESTMENT REQUIRED 22,000 [pounds sterling] TELEPHONE 0808 143 0113/0161 740 3131 ...

A-Z franchise directory.
May 1, 2004... 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...

Advice you can bottle.(last word)
May 1, 2004... If you are a regular reader you may have noticed that in last month's article in this magazine I suggested the possibility of creating a new franchise featuring my favourite libation, Bombay Gin and tonic. The modern trend is to call things...