THE BRITISH FRANCHISE ASSOCIATION
THE UK' S VOLUNTARY S ELF - REGUL ATING GOVERNING BODY FOR FRANCHI SING
PIP WILKINS Chief executive, bfa
Pip Wilkins, CEO of the British Franchise Association, on how franchising makes running a business accessible to more people
Over the the past two decades that I have been at the bfa, I’ve witnessed the franchise industry persevere through economic downturns, political unrest and technological disruptions. Through all of this, the industry comes out the other side stronger, thriving in the face of uncertainty. I have also seen increasing inclusivity, particularly with women and younger business owners. This is backed by the results of the most recent bfa NatWest Franchise Survey, which revealed that 65 per cent of people in franchising are women, 37 per cent of new franchisees in the past two years were women, and now 18 per cent of all franchisees are under 30. Of all new franchisees under 30 in the past two years, 52 per cent were female. During her student years, Skylar
Atkinson worked as an admin assistant at the property franchise Belvoir. She had a dream of owning her own business, but feared it may be an unrealistic ambition. But when the former owner of Belvoir Aberdeen decided to sell the business, Skylar saw this as the perfect opportunity and, at 31, is now the proud owner. She says: “I received training and enjoyed working with the team, learning how Belvoir operates as a business, and seeing the support offered to franchisees. “I quickly realised that although there is plenty of support in place, the company allows you the freedom to be creative and share ideas.”
While franchisors have a proven business model, all businesses need to innovate to remain relevant in a fast- moving society. You could say franchising has the upper hand in this sense because of the networks of franchisees who work closely in their communities and understand what the locals want in specific territories. The 2018 Franchise Survey reinforces
this by showing that franchising has grown across the UK. The way to continue attracting young talent is to, as Skylar says: “show the support available, but highlight that, although it’s a franchise, you're part of the brand, and not working for the brand, which will encourage innovative ideas that will help the business thrive.”
Scottish Franchise Week The bfa has long worked within Scotland to promote the thriving franchising industry, with the flagship bfa event ‘Scottish Franchise Week’ now in its 15th year. This year it will be held over 10-12
September and will include events such as Franchise Opportunities Scotland in Glasgow (on 12 September – see page 33 for more information), where visitors have the opportunity to learn more about starting a business through franchising. Whether you are 21 or 51, you can
make that dream a reality, so visit the bfa’s Scottish Franchise Week and make franchising your future. l
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