smith+henderson have today named the winners of the 2017 Best Franchise Awards, sponsored by Lloyds Bank. The announcement was made following their annual Best Franchise Conference.

The conference, attended by over 130 people brought together a cross section of franchisors and service providers, who attended a selection of educational and informative talks and presentations during the day. These included ‘The Mindset Paradigm’ by Nigel Dawson, National Franchising Manager for Dyno, and ‘Franchisors Shifting Their Network into Another Gear’ by Karl Sandal, Group Chief Executive of TaxAssist Accountants.

The Best Franchise Awards are unique because they are based on the satisfaction of current franchisees. Franchisees are asked to rate their franchisor on everything from training and support, to shared goals and how the experience of being a franchisee has compared with their expectations. This genuine recommendation by existing franchisees is a powerful marketing tool for winners, as it demonstrates a genuine testimonial from people living and working within their brand every day.

The 2017 winners are:

Best Service Provider – Franchise Finance
Best New Entry – Kidslingo
Best Franchise Business to Business – TaxAssist Accountants
Best Franchise Business to Consumer – Roly’s Fudge
Best Franchise Children’s Services – The Creation Station
Best Franchise Management – Right at Home
Best Franchise – Man In A Van – MAC Tools

Steven Frost, CEO of smith+henderson said,
“We would like to congratulate all the winners and finalists, recognised in the 2017 Best Franchise Awards, sponsored by Lloyds Bank. What makes these awards unique is they are based on feedback from the real experts, thousands of actual franchisees. In 2017, the quality of entrants was fantastic, with the vast majority of franchisees saying they would recommend their franchise to a prospective franchisee.

Sukhdeep Dehal, Franchise Development Manager of sponsors Lloyds Bank, said, “Lloyds Bank are delighted to have supported smith+henderson with the Best Franchise Conference & Awards this year. As a member of the judging panel I have seen first-hand the calibre of franchisors with fine margins finally separating the winners. To see how the event has grown in stature over the years is testament to the work done by the team at smith +henderson to provide in-depth feedback which has been invaluable to the growth of franchise brands. When hearing the recount from The Creation Station it clearly demonstrated the impact franchisee feedback can have to the future ambitions of the business, culminating in their success in their category.”

ENDS DECEMBER 2017

About the Franchise Satisfaction Benchmark (FSB)
• The FSB is provided by smith+henderson, a leading independent franchise consultancy. It works by inviting existing franchisees to participate in an anonymous online survey which asks them 32 questions about their franchise ownership experience. Using a consistent methodology, the franchise is assigned an overall FSB score and the highest performing franchisors are recognised in the Best Franchise Awards, sponsored by Lloyds Bank.
• For more information please visit www.bestfranchiseawards.co.uk, email sharon.weston@smithhenderson.com or contact 0845 862 0454.