New Franchise Supplier Website Launches
Brian Duckett addresses the attendees of the Franchise Supplier Showcase
The 2011 Franchise Business Booster and Supplier Showcase was held this year at the National Motorcycle Museum on 18th November.
The event achieved its goal of saving franchisors the research required to seek out good suppliers of specialist products and services for their businesses. One franchisor summed the day up by saying “It would take me months or even years to discover all of these suppliers on my own”.
Another interesting view of proceedings came from the companies present who are taking their first steps in to franchising. Many were genuinely surprised that there are so many suppliers with offerings that are bespoke to the franchise sector. One commented “This is a whole new world for us and this event has opened it all up for us.”
The event is organised by The Franchising Centre and Chairman Brian Duckett commented “Franchisors tell us they like this event because it saves them time and effort sourcing suppliers. To support them further in this direction we have launched a new website that is a directory of franchise suppliers. We anticipate it will become the first port of call for any franchisor looking for a supplier and it’s even an easy name to remember: franchisesuppliers.co.uk”.
Once again proceeds from this event went to the Trussell Trust’s Food Bank charity.
For details of the 2012 Franchise Business Booster and Supplier Showcase or to find a franchise supplier visit www.franchisesuppliers.co.uk.
Franchise Focus: Franchising Leads The Way
Brian Duckett - Chairman, The Franchising Centre
The Franchising Centre is reporting a big upsurge of interest in franchising from businesses looking for new ways to expand during these difficult economic times.
There has been a lot of talk recently about redundancies in the public sector and the need for the private sector to lead the way out of recession, creating employment as it does so. Interestingly, as painful as any job losses are, the statistics show that the current level of unemployment is not as high as many had predicted it would be by now and the transition from public to private sector is starting to happen.
Franchising has its part to play in the important task of getting the UK economy back on track and the good news is that the sector seems to be rising to the challenge. The Franchising Centre certainly endorses this view as both its domestic and international divisions, who deal with businesses who are aggressively chasing growth by seeking to franchise their operations, have seen vast upturns in enquiries since the turn of the year. This can be seen as an early pointer as to what is happening in the economy even though the impact may not be felt for some time.
Chairman Brian Duckett commented “It appears that the dam has burst and pent up demand is being released. During the last couple of years it was apparent that many business people were holding off from making big decisions. However, since the start of this year we have received more enquiries and taken on more new clients than ever before. It’s great to see the energy and drive of independent business people helping the cause and this seems to herald a new phase in the growth and significance of the franchising sector”.
Duckett also went on to say “We ourselves now have the challenge of growing and coping with the number of enquiries we are getting from businesses who wish to explore franchising as an option for growth. We are currently seeking experienced franchising practitioners to be trained to add to our team of franchise consultants so we can continue to play our part in helping the expansion of businesses across the UK and around the world.”
“Our team are at the coal face talking to businesses every day about what their plans are for the next few years and we can report that growth is very much back on the agenda and that franchising is leading the way.
2010 Business Booster Conference and Franchise Supplier Showcase – A Great Success!
The Business Booster Conference and Supplier Showcase 2010
The 2010 Business Booster Conference and Franchise Supplier Showcase was a great success, with everyone enjoying a full and informative day. With approximately 140 attendees it is now one of the biggest trade only events in the franchise calendar.
The event is organised by The Franchise Supplier Showcase and Director Brian Duckett commented “The event continues to grow as word spreads that it is a unique opportunity for franchisors to see lots of suppliers in one place as well hear from top business speakers and hear the latest industry news.”
Delegates were able to see the latest innovations to help franchisors and franchisees run their businesses with a particular focus on tools designed to make growing and managing a franchise network easier and more efficient.
Simon McNeil-Ritchie provided the much anticipated update on the local government initiative to boost franchising in the UK. Called Franchising Works, the programme is intended to reduce unemployment by directing good quality candidates towards becoming franchisees. Delegates were able to register their interest in the initiative.
Meanwhile, the suppliers exhibiting at The Franchise Supplier Showcase were delighted with the big turnout and all reported having good conversations with franchise company decision makers. Duckett commented “It was particularly good to see a number of franchisors exhibiting as suppliers this year. Hopefully we’ve finally provided the forum which enables franchisors to sell to each other, enabling them to grow by promoting themselves within their own business community.”
Another highlight was O’Briens Founder Brody Sweeney wrapping up the day with an inspiring address about the highs and lows of his life in business. His talk included some great motivational words and many franchisors left feeling they had seen the ideal speaker for their next franchisee conference!
All proceeds from ticket sales were donated to the Foodbank charity who as a not-for-profit franchise were overwhelmed by the offers of help they received on the day in addition to the £2,300 the event raised for this excellent cause.
All in all a great day out and a unique event for the benefit of the franchise sector. If you were unable to attend, details of franchise industry suppliers can be found at www.franchisesuppliers.co.uk.
