Pip Wilkins QFP, CEO of the BFA, reveals the sheer scale of franchising in this country and how it remains a wise choice for the would-be business owner.
So, you get your coffee from Costa, your lunch from McDonalds and your supper from German Donner Kebab and there’s a pretty good chance you’ve heard that these are franchises am I right?
But as you have your lunch, contemplating leaving your job because you want to take back control of your life, you could be forgiven for not immediately thinking that buying a franchise could be the answer. Perfectly understandable when you only associate the word with multi billion pound turnover, high-street names.
The hidden franchises
But what if I told you that you probably interact with franchise brands multiple times a day, without even realising it?
How some of our member brands could touch your life in a week…
You arrive at work on a Monday morning to a clean and fresh office, did you know you may have a franchise like NIC Local or ServiceMaster to thank for that? And when you need that parcel sent urgently, do you pop into the Mailboxes etc store? And what about that firm that came into clean all your keyboards and phones, Techclean System Hygiene? All franchises.
When you got home after a long week to find your drains were blocked, who did you call? Dyno Rod, Metro Rod or Drain Doctor?
Disasters aside, at least your home looked and smelt fantastic after the cleaners had been in, Molly Maid? Poppies? Merry Maids? And the lawn looks great after Greensleeves started looking after it.
It’s time Saturday morning now and time to get the kids off to their activities, one to swimming with Water Babies, Swimtime or Puddle Ducks, the other to music, dance and theatre classes with Baby Ballet, Little Voices, Diddi Dance or Stage Coach Performing Arts.
They get so much out of their extracurricular activities; the youngest one asked you if you wanted a drink last week, in Spanish, must be all those Lingo Tots lessons and the tutoring the eldest has been receiving at Mathnasium has really helped them get to finally grips with maths lessons.
While they’re dancing and swimming, you take the chance to pop to the gym. Anytime? Snap Fitness? Body Steet?
Finally, home, it’s time to spend some quality time with the family; at least you know the dog’s been walked by We Love Pets, that’s one job off your list.
It’s time for a family treat, dinner at the local pub which happens to be owned by a Greene King Pub Franchise.
Sunday is the day to pop in and see your Mum; she’s doing so well now she’s got Home Instead, Caremark or Bluebird Care looking after her. Teamed up with Bright and Beautiful or Nationwide Cleaners to clean her home, now she can spend more time chatting to her carers and less time cleaning.
Maybe she’d like to come on holiday with you? Maybe a cruise would do her good? A quick call to Go Cruise or The Holiday Franchise Company and you’re all booked. The dog is booked in with a Barking Mad carer and Petpals are coming in to look after the guinea pigs and the fish. Sorted.
Now be honest, were some of those a surprise to you? We have over 320 franchise brand members, all running ethical, professional businesses, waiting for you to fulfil your self-employment dreams.
These were just a couple of examples but we hope that it demonstrates the breadth of the industry and how integral franchising is in your everyday life, without you even knowing about it.
We’re shouting it from the rooftops this June!
On 11 June 2025, franchises across the world will be joining in with World Franchise Day, to raise awareness of an industry that, in the UK, has a over 1,000 franchise units, over 50,000 franchise outlets and a less than 1% commercial failure rate.
Local businesses – national footprint
One of the main messages of the day is that whilst franchising may look big with some very well-known names, at a granular level franchisees are just people like you and I, working hard to earn a decent living to support them and their families. Is that what you’re looking for too?
Why choose a franchise?
People choose franchising because they prefer the odds of their business succeeding against starting a business by themselves, plus they like the fact that they’ll be delivering a tried and tested business model with full training, back up and support. Follow the hashtag #WorldFranchiseDay on 11 June 2025 to see what people are getting up to all over the world and get an understanding of the global scale of franchising.
National Franchise Week
Hot on their heels, the following week, from 16 to 20 June, we’re holding our own ‘National Franchise Week’.
Our week takes a different, more holistic approach, looking at the mental health and wellbeing of everyone in the franchise sector. We’ll be asking everyone to Move, Learn, Connect, Be Present and Give Back through a host of activities and events. We’ll also be announcing the results of the National Franchise Wellbeing Survey in collaboration with franchise consultancy, Cinder.
The hashtag for our week is simply #NationalFranchiseWeek and we’d love you to follow along to see what we get up to. It will give you an even better understanding of the size and diversity of the UK franchise industry.
Could franchising be the answer for you?
Whatever your reason for wanting to start your own business, could franchising be the answer for you? If so, June is the perfect time to explore the people behind the brands, with our two awareness days. We’d invite you to dive into the stories online and discover the successes people are having, with the support of trusted franchise systems and experienced franchisors. Good luck and let us know if you have any questions.
For more information about buying a franchise, visit the bfa.
