stoppress BFA News


Going for growth


Growth will be a key objective for businesses in 2012 and new research carried out by KISS Communications has found that it is generally considered that the most effective vehicle for increasing business will be marketing. Out of the 100 professionals interviewed, 37 per cent believed that this was the key priority for driving business forward. The research also found that only three per cent of professionals planned to cut prices as a strategy for increasing sales over the next 12 months. Despite the UK’s current strained relationship with Europe, only six


per cent of businesses admitted they were reconsidering which export markets to target and 12 per cent stated that they may review in the future, with 40 per cent confidently unperturbed by events in Europe. Encouragingly, the research also found the majority of respondents


(72 per cent), stated that potential changes to the UK’s relationship with Europe had not impacted on their overall marketing strategy, with just eight per cent of businesses holding back on investment in marketing. Simon Fryer, managing director at Kiss Communications (pictured),


said: “The New Year has definitely started with a degree of optimism despite all the doom and gloom we read about in the media. Our research has shown that businesses are looking at the most effective vehicles for growing their bottom line and we are pleased to see that companies recognise the benefits that marketing can have on growth and sales.”


clock in and out from a time-clock, telephone, web-browser or GPS enabled smart-phone app. The system is maintained using


A new way to clock in and out


A new time and attendance system, uAttend, is helping franchise operations manage staff attendance more flexibly and affordably. The system developed by


Access-to-Time Ltd is the first web- based system designed for smaller businesses where employees can


cloud computing so there is no software to install. Managers can log in, view hours, run reports and manage the system online and in real time, before emailing to a payroll bureau or exporting electronically to payroll. O2 franchise stores were so


impressed with uAttend that systems have been installed in ten of its O2 and CEX franchise stores already, with five more planned. O2 Retail’s Habib Khatib said: “Managing staff attendance is now easy and efficient. Staff can easily monitor their time and managers save hours as information is already collated.”


bfa highlight franchising on TV appearances


The bfa has been working with three television programmes over the past few months in a bid to further raise its profile. The shows include the BBC news programme ‘Show Me the


Money’, the BBC One show ‘Fake Britain’ and a new series on Sky helping people looking to start a new business. ‘Show Me the Money’, discusses the many aspects of the


franchise industry, concentrating on how influential and important franchising is to the UK economy, with interviews and objective advice from the bfa. On ‘Fake Britain’, the bfa’s work with the show highlights


the role that research plays in catching out bad businesses that are fraudulently using franchising terminology and the promise of support. The programme also provides an insight into what can be achieved when research is carried out thoroughly. A new documentary series, to be aired on Sky’s Go channel,


explores the many aspects of investing in a franchise, also highlighting the role of the bfa in relation to both promoting ethical franchising in the UK and helping the industry develop its credibility and maintenance of high standards.


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