What Franchise Issue 21.1

WHY AWARDS MATTER So why do awards matter in 2025? Surely a good digital marketing campaign can achieve the same kind of brand-awareness results? Au contraire. The first and most obvious reason for winning awards is the huge PR boost it gives your brand; winning a prestigious award from a well- respected organisation such as the BFAwill give you at least 12 months of PR advantage over your competitors. Firstly, you can call yourself ‘award- winning’ for the 12 months after your win (no longer than that, it’s just tacky) and secondly (as we all know, for better or worse), the internet is for ever and the number of times your brand will be mentioned across a myriad of publications will be there for all eternity and prospective franchisees won’t be able to move for the word ‘award- winning’ when they start researching you. It is literally the Nirvana of the PR world and absolutely not to be sniffed at. BUILDING TRUST Also, in franchising, possibly more than in any other area of business, trust in the brand is everything. With franchisees often investing tens of thousands of pounds, anything a franchisor can do to highlight their credibility, is particularly powerful. Lucy Campbell, CEO of Right at Home UK who won Franchisor of the Year (Established) in 2024 said: “To have won this highly esteemed award was an absolute honour. It strengthened our credibility, opened new conversations, and reinforced trust in our brand.” Growth sectors to watch Franchising is growing across many sectors, but none stands out quite like Personal Services. According to the latest BFA survey, this sector has experienced unprecedented growth – ironically, boosted by the global pandemic – with a remarkable 53% increase between 2018 and 2024. But other industries too offer great potential. • Domiciliary care Domiciliary care is, and will be for the foreseeable future, an important growth sector in franchising. According to verified sources, in 2024 England was home to 22 million people aged 50-plus, representing 40% of the population. Looking ahead, the 85-plus age group is expected to double in the next 25 years. Combine this with a social care system that is already under strain, and you’ve got a sector with excellent growth potential. British franchise brands are doing an excellent job in providing this much-needed service. • Health Understandably, the entire world’s attention was focused on improving health during the pandemic, so it should come as no surprise that fitness brands are doing well and well represented in this year’s BFA Awards. Interestingly, a shift in consumer behaviour to online shopping meant the closure of many traditional high street brands, leaving empty buildings in prime locations of which gyms were able to take advantage. Gyms often suit investor owners, as once a gym is set up it needs relatively little day-to-day involvement from the franchisor. • Children’s education There can’t be many parents who didn’t see the value of teachers during the pandemic, forced as they were to take on the role of teacher to their own children. For this reason, parents are nowmore keenly aware than ever of their children’s progress and how important it is for them to do well in school; consequently, if additional help is needed, they aren’t shy to call in the professionals and franchise brands have been benefitting from this shift in attitude. • Personal services Finally, the pandemic reminded people of the importance of time with loved ones. Families decided that they were willing to forgo going out for dinner and similar treats for someone to walk their dogs, clean their house, mow their lawn and teach their child to swim/dance/act. The reported 53% rise in the Personal Services sector wasn’t in turnover of existing businesses, but in the emergence of completely new Personal Services brands – more dog walkers, more children’s educational brands, more ballet classes etc. The market is booming, and franchisors and franchisees are taking advantage of opportunities to provide first-class services to a very engaged and receptive audience. As we know, franchising excels at these people-centric businesses. 53 BFA WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM