Alan Gibson Franchise Development Centre Consultant

Informative and Entertaining London Franchisor Masterclass

The Franchise Development Centre had over 30 prospective Franchisors attend its recent Franchising Masterclass aimed at providing business owners with some essential hints and tips on how to Franchise their businesses.

London based Franchise Consultant Simon Mills, supported by Paul Monaghan and Alan Gibson from The Franchise Development Centre, provided attendees with an overview of the Franchising sector, best practice advice on how to Franchise a business and an insight in to the next steps in the Franchising journey. Lorna Smith, HSBC Senior Franchise Manager, covered the very topical issue of raising finance in the current economic climate and Emma Lowery from Accountancy firm Dennis and Turnbull gave some useful tips on Franchise Network accountancy systems.

The day was hosted by Graeme Payne, Partner at the leading London based Law Firm Field Fisher Waterhouse who also presented a section on the Legal Pitfalls to avoid when Franchising your business.

Attendees came from a very wide range of businesses and market sectors including Commercial Cleaning, Photography, Street Dance, Regional Magazine Publishing, Online Marketing and Estate Agency demonstrating that interest in Franchising as a model for growth is high on the Agenda of many entrepreneurial business owners.

One attendee commented after the event …. “Could you please pass on my thanks to all involved in yesterday’s fabulous masterclass. It was a great opportunity to understand more about franchising. The speakers were very informative and also entertaining and I gained so much from the day.”

The Franchise Development Centre is holding future Masterclasses in Manchester, Oxford, Birmingham and London.
To reserve your free place call on 01904 561 598 or email info@thefranchisedevelopomentcentre.co.uk

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Farrah Rose Director at The International Franchising Centre

The 2012 Global Master Franchise Forum held in Venice in March was hailed as a great success by the franchisors that attended, with some master franchise deals already being done as a result of the event.

This new event in the international franchising calendar introduces franchisors to the specialist franchise brokers and consultants from around Europe that will help them find master franchisees in their respective countries.

It is organised by Franchise Pool International (FPI), a network of professional franchise brokers and consultants represented by The International Franchising Centre in the UK. Director Farrah Rose was delighted with the enthusiasm of UK franchisors for the event and commented “Many UK franchisors are actively seeking growing overseas markets to expand into and this was reflected by the strong UK representation in Venice. One UK franchisor has already found a European master franchisee as a result of attending and there are more deals in the pipeline.

“Farrah continued “The success of this two day meeting was down to the fact that it wasn’t a side show, but rather an independent event in its own right, entirely focused on matching franchisors with master franchisees from across Europe. All of those attending were committed and serious about international expansion and this has been borne out by the immediate results.”

One well known UK franchisor who attended said “This innovative concept will allow the participants to develop relationships at a pace that before may not have been possible, drawing on international expertise and achieving their growth strategies.”

For more information about the next Franchise Pool International master franchising event contact Farrah Rose at TheInternational Franchising Centre

on 01904 561598.

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Shirley Hughes receiving her award from the judges

The Franchising Centre has again donated all of the delegate entry fees from its Supplier Showcase event to the Trussell Trust Foodbank project.
Chairman Brian Duckett said “The Franchising Centre is pleased to continue its support for this outstanding charity which takes direct action to put food on the table of those that really need help. In the business world we often talk about it being ‘Tough out there’. But ‘Tough’ is when you can’t feed your children and we are delighted to support a charity that helps people do that so effectively.”

Event manager Nick Strong commented “I have noticed over the years that as franchising continues to grow and establish itself as an important part of the UK economy, activity with charity work from all parts of the franchising sector has also noticeably grown. We are happy to be a part of this trend and use the Supplier Showcase event to support such a good cause.”

The Trussell Trust Foodbank Project is a not for profit franchise and now has over 170 centres around the UK.

ENDS

The attached image shows Brian Duckett and Nick Strong presenting a cheque for £1860.00 to Foodbank Director Chris Mould

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Launching the new initiative at the Franchise Business Booster Conference & Supplier Showcase event last November, Brian Duckett, chairman of The Franchising Centre, said, “It’s time UK franchisors realised the potential for exporting their business systems. Provided they proceed with caution and the right advice there is a world of opportunity out there and it fits with the government’s aim of increasing exports and trading our way out of difficult times”.

Another event which is part of IFC’s new initiative is the “Passport Through Europe” Global Master Franchise Forum to be held in Venice on March 23rd and 24th. Arranged by Franchise Pool International, a group of consultants and brokers which operates throughout Europe and of which IFC is the UK partner, this event gives franchisors from all around the world the opportunity to learn about individual European franchise markets and to meet franchise brokers representing qualified investors from more than 20 countries. More information can be found by clicking on International Franchising Event

Duckett went on to say “Whether you are new to international franchising or are an experienced international franchisor, we have the experience and contacts to help take advantage of the potential in international markets.”

Details of the “Introduction to the World” package, of which these two events form just a part, are available from info@thefranchisingcentre.com or by calling 01904 561598.

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Brian Duckett Addressing Delegates at our recent Supplier Showcase Event

NEW FRANCHISE SUPPLIER WEBSITE LAUNCHES

The 2011 Franchise Business Booster and Supplier Showcase was held this year at the National Motorcycle Museum on 18^th 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.

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It’s a beautiful morning on the gallops and an excited new owner is looking forward to his first glimpse of the horse he has just “invested” in…

The experienced trainer goes on to patiently explain to his new client that the advantages of this arrangement are that he still gets to go to the races as an owner AND split the costs of ownership with the other nine 15% stakeholders in the horse.

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Alan Gibson

The Franchise Development Centre is delighted to announce that Alan Gibson has joined them as a franchise consultant. Over a thirty year career Alan has worked with and advised many businesses ranging from small family concerns to multi-nationals and also has experience in the Not for Profit sector.

Managing Director Brian Duckett commented “We aim to recruit the very best talent in franchising to join our team. It requires a blend of experience and knowledge in the franchise sector to be qualified to advise others on the subject. Alan brings an abundance of both as well as the personal skills required to be a professional advisor. “

Alan’s previous role was head of franchising at The Camping and Caravanning Club. He says “Having worked closely with the team at The Franchise Development Centre over a number of years I have always been impressed with the quality and integrity of their work and the comprehensive range of services provided to the franchising industry. After 12 years leading and managing a range of franchise brands I am keen to use my experience to help new entrants to the sector and existing franchisors. I am delighted to be joining the team and as a franchise consultant and becoming a fully fledged member of the leading team of advisors in the UK.”

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International Franchising – How to Test the Market.

Many franchisors like the idea of expanding their franchise into international markets. That is not surprising given the potential rewards if you get it right. However, most are cautious about taking the plunge and incurring the perceived costs of preparing their business for entry into overseas markets when there is no guarantee of immediate success and a quick return.

Having specialised in the field of advising UK franchisors on how to enter international markets for many years Farrah Rose, a Director at The International Franchising Centre, knows about this dilemma only too well. Farrah says “It is completely understandable – no business likes to make a major strategic decision unless they have a good feel for the likely outcome. Whilst there are many great success stories in international franchising, it still takes a lot of faith to take that step.”

In response to this problem Farrah and her team at The International Franchising Centre are pioneering an approach that will enable UK franchisors to test international markets at a very low cost. Farrah commented “We are finalising a very exciting deal that will allow UK franchisors to get face to face with genuine master license investors from around the world for a fraction of the costs traditionally associated with international franchising. This really does shortcut the process and allow UK franchisors to dip their toes in the water. They’ll get a good feel for how international franchising works and whether there is an appetite for their franchise concept in other countries.”

“We are going to be launching our innovative approach to franchising abroad at this year’s Franchise Business Booster and Supplier Showcase event which takes place in Birmingham on 17^th November.”

For more details you can contact Farrah on 01904 561598 or visit www.franchisesuppliers.co.uk for details of the November launch event.

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