The BFA (British Franchise Association) held their virtual Annual General Meeting in December, announcing the results of their annual report and confirming changes to the board.
The report revealed that the organisation continued to perform well in 2024, with growth being witnessed across all membership categories. The most significant growth was seen with the 400+ new franchisees members, thereby cementing the BFA’s commitment to ensuring the voices of those at the grassroots of franchising are represented.
Appointments, re-appointments
Ben Brookes of Agency Express was announced as the newly elected Board Director, while Paul Thompson from Water Babies retained his position on the Board and was then subsequently re-appointed as the Chair of the BFA.
The Board also reappointed Ken Deary from Right at Home where he will continue to represent the BFA as the franchisor representative on the European Franchise Federation (EFF) Board, alongside Catharine Chalton of Home Instead, who holds the franchisee representative slot.
Ruth Brown of Home Instead was elected by the Board as deputy-chair; the first woman to hold this position since Pam Bader in the mid-1990’s, while Suzie McCafferty of Platinum Wave was appointed as the new Advisor and Supplier Forum chair.
CEO Pip Wilkins QFP said: “I am delighted to share the outcomes of our most recent AGM, where key appointments and re-elections were made to strengthen the governance structure of the BFA. As we prepare for 2025, our focus remains on supporting our members, promoting ethical practices and positioning franchising as a successful and inclusive business model. These results and appointments reflect the expertise and strength within our community, ensuring that we continue to drive progress and support our members effectively into the future.”
Annual reaccrediations on the rise
Meanwhile, the association also saw a rise in annual reaccreditations, emphasising the importance of ethical franchising to UK franchisors and their commitment to upholding strong standards for best practice, in the UK market.
Noteworthy too was that several brands in 2024 took advantage of the BFA’s dispute resolution and mediation service available to its members. The association plays a vital role when things don’t go to plan between franchisor and franchisee, with the primary goal of getting the two parties back into positive dialogue and finding a suitable resolution. A new mediation service is planned to launch early in 2025.
Academy at the heart of the BFA
The Academy remains at the heart of the BFA, educating both existing members, as well as those considering joining franchising. Whatever stage someone is at, the BFA has the tools to assist them and with 15 in person events and 23 online events in 2024, there was plenty to choose from.
Flagship events such as EWIB and the annual conference saw increased attendances of 3% and 17% respectively, for example.
QFP (Qualified Franchise Professional)
Elsewhere, the Qualified Franchise Professional (QFP) qualification, which runs in cohorts throughout the year, showcased 16 modules and 24 days of training in 2024, resulting in 29 people going through to become QFP qualified. There are now 211 QFP’s in the UK.
The association also continued to deliver social media campaigns with increased followers across four out of the five main channels.
Four marketing campaigns were rolled out: The Best in Franchising, Children’s Activity Week, Myths & Facts and My Story, My Franchise, with a combined reach of 11.3m.
In addition, a series of four DE&I insight sessions, sponsored by McDonalds, saw live sessions streamed across BFA social channels discussing disability, race and cultural equality, young people and LGBTQIA+.
The BFA hold a full list of all its members and the code of ethics to which these members adhere to on its website: www.thebfa.org
