THE BRITISH FRANCHISE ASSOCIATION


THE UK' S VOLUNTARY S ELF - REGUL ATING GOVERNING BODY FOR FRANCHI SING


PIP WILKINS Chief Executive, BFA


Enter the world of the BFA… W


elcome to The British & International Franchise Exhibition!


At the BFA (British Franchise


Association), we are absolutely delighted you’ve decided to visit and sincerely hope you ‘Discover your tomorrow’ through franchising. Please come and find us on D120 if you have any questions. .


Who are the BFA? As you may, or may not know, there is no formal regulation of the UK franchise sector. Instead, you have us, the BFA, a self-regulatory body made up of over 300 franchisor members and thousands of franchisees, who have pledged to run their businesses in an ethical and professional way. The BFA was established in 1977, when


some of the largest franchise brands, dedicated to professional franchising, got together and formed the BFA. They wrote a Code of Ethics for Franchising, based on the European Code of Ethics for Franchising, formed a legal committee and the BFA was born.


How does being a BFA member work? Franchisors apply to become members of the BFA and we thoroughly investigate their businesses, to ensure they are professional and ethical. For instance, we check their accounts to ensure they are financially viable, we look at their


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franchise agreement to make sure they are fair and we check their marketing material to ensure they are not making any misleading or untrue claims of financial success. If a brand passes our checks, they are awarded membership and enter the world of the BFA.


“Designed to enable  nisos to un tei businesses to te iest standads”


Education All members have access to our educational hub, The BFA Academy, which hosts forums, free online webinars, educational seminars, the BFA Annual Conference and certified training, all designed to enable franchisors to run their businesses to the very highest standards, with the very latest information available.


What does this mean to you? Whilst we always recommend potential franchisees carry out personal due diligence no matter who they are buying from, when you buy a franchise from a current BFA member, you can be assured that their business model has been checked, and found to meet all our criteria for ethical franchising. If you have any concerns, do not hesitate to contact us.


Research is your friend If you are visiting the show today and have seen a franchise you are interested in, first take a look at the Prospect Franchisee Certificate. This online course will give you much more detail about what it means to be a franchisee, pertinent questions to ask at a meeting with the franchisor and even guidance on funding options available. Whatever you do, make sure you seek advice from a franchise specialist solicitor to review the franchise agreement before you sign it.


Choose from the heart In November 2025 we held the BFA HSBC UK British Franchise Awards where we recognised and celebrated the best in franchising. One thing all our award- winning franchisees had in common was passion: from three friends in Bristol who opened a Snap Fitness gym together, to a couple on the Isle of Wight running a Right at Home domiciliary care franchise, spending time outside of work organising events for their local community. Whatever franchise you choose, your heart needs to be in the job, whether you’ll be the owner-operator or heading up a large management franchise.


We’re here to help The BFA is your friend in franchising; our staff will be on our stand at the exhibition for any questions you have about the world of franchising! l thebfa.org


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