After being a huge hit in the US, the famous Auntie Anne’s pretzels are now going to be introduced to the people of Derry. The franchise company is currently looking for a suitable person to get the ball rolling in the North and apparently the move will create around 100 jobs. Apart from Derry, Auntie Anne’s will be introduced to six other locations by Stephen Downey, a Bangor businessman.

The franchise holder commented that the decision to introduce the hand-rolled soft pretzel chain in the seven new locations was taken after a very flourishing pilot in Belfast’s Castle Court Shopping Centre. Figures for one year of trading reported around quarter of a million pretzels being sold.

He also said that a franchisee who was interested in opening an outlet for Auntie Anne’s could definitely expect the guidance, training and support of an international brand. In addition to this, the franchisee would also have the opportunity to run their own business. This seems to be the right time to get involved in what promises to be an excellent business prospect and with an exceptional product.

Mr Downey who is bringing the pretzel franchise to Ireland added that the brand which was tried and tested obtained an incredible response. He is confident of another seven outlets opening by August next year. Auntie Anne’s currently more than 1000 outlets worldwide and this year, over 90 new stores are expected to open globally.

Franchising is one of the most popular methods of entering the global business market.

A franchise helps conglomerates to carry out business activities smoothly and efficiently. A franchisor grants individual retailers with the licence to carry out business in their names. Thus, a local operator can operate with the name of an international company.

Benefits of franchise:
A franchise provides the manufacturer and the consumers with several benefits as follows:
• Helps the consumer to identify goods and services
• Franchisor provides the local owner with all the required training and support
• Ensures consumer support, loyalty and acceptance
• Assurance of consistent quality of goods and services.

Franchising is not a piece of cake:
However; there are many points to be considered before setting up a franchise. Franchising is not an easy method and requires adequate research and information.

First and foremost, a company should consider its financial power and market status before entering a franchise agreement.

Thorough research should be conducted pertaining to the market situation of the particular region or market.

Market analysis and consumer preferences:
Market analysis is the major step to be considered before starting a franchise. Market leaders, consumer preferences and risks should be identified prior to entering a franchise agreement. Other factors that need to be considered include availability of capital and the selection of staff. Companies should also select the field or category in which it wants to set up the franchise.

But always remember that a franchise agreement should be initiated only after conducting thorough research which will eventually lead to the success of the franchise.

Service Master Clean, a residential and commercial cleaning franchise, is currently playing a huge role in keeping swine flu at bay. The popular UK cleaning company is using its very own specialist cleaning products in businesses and homes up and down the country.

Earlier, it was announced that Ministers would probably have to consider shutting down schools during autumn so that the Government would be able to control the number of people getting infected with swine flu. The cleaning franchise has recommended that schools should use the time provided during the school holidays, to safeguard classrooms for the new term.

Director of Service Master Clean, Alan Lewin said that the company has already been asked to use their specialists cleaning procedures and unique cleaning products to provide their deep clean services at a number of schools during the holidays. The franchise company’s anti-bacterial products begin to work instantly and they stay effective for at least a year after they have been applied.

This would definitely create a safer environment right from the beginning of the school term. The company’s cleaning products contain an unusual antimicrobial substance that can kill bacteria. Service Master Clean’s products have been independently tested and also accepted by the NHS.

It seems like this is the ideal time for franchises to be expanding their businesses. Two entrepreneurs from Doncaster have planned to expand their Chemex franchise by adding a regional office in Sheffield and opening a brand new service centre in Hull.

John Heslop, a former mining mechanical engineer, launched the hygiene and cleaning supply franchise business about nine years ago. He then brought his mining colleague, Keith Nutton into the business about three years ago when an expansion programme was launched.

Heslop said that many businesses are finding the current economical times to be really brutal. However, places like East Yorkshire and Hull are currently offering their business and products tremendous opportunities. He also said that the type of franchise that they run is extremely recession proof. This is because they offer products and services that are not simply luxuries that people can do without; instead they are everyday necessities.

From establishing its original base in Hatfield, Heslop and Nutton built up their Chemex franchise business that has its operations in Street Sheffield, Eldon, Melton and Hull and a yearly turnover of £ 330,000. The growth of the firm has been fuelled due to its keenness to provide extra services like consultancy, training and specialist advice.

Nutton said that the franchise outlet realised customers did not want a cleaning products supplier. The business has responded to this by providing a specialised service that offers training and advice in hygiene and health control and free onsite surveys.

After becoming a franchise owner of Cash Generator, Alan Purdue, ex-army warrant officer, has a better earning potential and has also improved his life/work balance. With its all inclusive support and training package, Cash Generator has greatly helped Alan Purdue to adjust to a civilian life after working as a warrant officer in the transport and logistics corps of the army for nearly 22 years.

After operating his franchise for two years, Alan has built a thriving business in Port Talbot and is looking forward to expanding his business. Alan said that he joined the army when he was 16; therefore the military was the only thing he knew. He even met his wife Natasha in the army and for many years, the lifestyle suited them until she became pregnant. He hated the thought of going out on tours for six months while not being able to see his wife and children on a regular basis. So, he began to think of alternative options outside the military.

Alan always wanted to be his own boss, but he was very anxious of starting his own business as he would have to start completely on his own. This was the time when investing in a franchise was a reasonable solution. The idea of having a tried and tested business model and an access to ongoing training and support was extremely appealing. After doing plenty of research, Alan decided to opt for the Cash Generator franchise as he found it to be perfect for him.

If starting your own business was always your dream but the thought of the business failing is putting you off, or if you think that you do not possess enough experience, then you should look into buying a franchise.
Purchasing into an already existing franchise can be a great way to start before starting your own business. There are a large number of popular franchises that have been around for years; by buying one of them you will feel confident as the existent franchise is already well known and experienced.

Buying a franchise will train you in such a way that you will be enhanced with all the important aspects of running a business, giving you complete knowledge of the business world.

The advantages of owning a franchised business are:

Compared to a non- franchise business, a franchised business needs less capital as the experience of the parent company would have already reduced the excessive expense incurred through testing and examining.

The cost of the supplies is less as the parent company has already negotiated with the suppliers. And due to the size and regularity of orders, the franchiser gets huge discounts.

Buying a franchise is a learning experience that teaches you on how to go about conducting research, though it is conducted by the parent company, you are constantly involved in the process thus helping you gain full knowledge and understanding of how research is done.

If you think, that starting your own business involves a lot of risk, then buying a franchise is the best choice for you.

It is always wise to start a franchise business because its expectancy of success is greater than if you start up a business on your own. A franchise business has already achieved success and thus, people tend to trust such companies easily which makes it much easier for any new businessman to achieve success with the franchise.

Wok2Go is a brand which is known to people as a place where healthy and tasty food is available. As the popularity of healthy Chinese and Thai food is on the rise, the success of a new franchise is guaranteed. Wok2Go management offers great support for its new franchisees and helps them in all possible ways.

To become a Wok2Go franchise you do not need to have great cooking skills because the management of Wok2Go offers great training for its new franchisees. After taking the four week exclusive training offered under the management of company head George Leung, anybody can start his Wok2Go franchise easily.

Once the deposit amount of £60,000 is arranged by the franchisee, the location selection and advertisement is taken care of by the Wok2Go management. So, if you want to improve your life quality and make your debut in the business world, Wok2Go is one of the best franchise opportunities that you can ever have.

Since joining NIC, Brian Pestana is able to spend quality time with his family. He has also enjoyed building a profitable business which he can call his own. During the initial year with NIC, Brian Pestana effectively doubled the size of his franchise based in the West Midlands by acquiring the business of nearby franchise owners, increasing his yearly turnover to £200,000 during the process.

Brian said that he operates the business along with his wife Carola. He also said that they were really delighted that they had opted to work for themselves, as for the very first time, they had complete control over their life/work balance. Before joining NIC, Brian used to work as a Managing Director. However, he was extremely tired of working for a corporate office for long hours. While working for long hours, he was hardly able to spend quality time with his family and so he and his wife decided to start-up their own business.

The couple opted for franchising as it was the best route that would provide them with much needed support and the image of an established company. This would not have been possible while starting up a new business. NIC, the commercial cleaning franchise, immediately caught their attention as it was the trustworthy and established management investment opportunity that would enable them to focus on administering the business rather than actually cleaning.

If there is one reason that a number of UK’s homes have beautiful and well kept gardens it is because of the leading lawn care specialists, TruGreen. The company, which is also a franchise, is a combination of expert knowledge and excellent customer care which makes it unmatched in the industry.

Currently, the franchise company is searching for interested journalists with a view to evaluate their services after trying them on a complimentary basis. It could either be online, broadcast or print or perhaps even to provide comments that could be used for the sake of generating publicity.

The franchising company hopes to start this trial by early autumn this year, which is before grass can go into the inactive period. This would enable the lawn care technician in charge, the ability to create an attractive garden in time. Prior to the treatment, the TruGreen expert will carry out a preliminary consultation which will help determine the condition of the grass and soil.

Once that has been settled, the lawn care franchise company will agree to provide a complimentary lawn care package which will be tailored to suit the requirements and the media outlet. TruGreen is a franchise company which uses lawn care techniques and knowledge that has been certified by the NPTC to produce flourishing and rich gardens all over the UK.

When it comes to starting a business, making smart decisions is the most important thing that is required for the entire process go smoothly. Most people looking to start a new business are faced with two main choices. One is that they can start their own company from scratch while the other is to buy a franchise that has already been established and run that as their business.

Which is the more popular choice?

Obviously, the latter is the one that most people choose. However, those with a good business plan, adequate finances and promising ideas may prefer to start a business of their own. Regardless of that, franchises are an excellent way to not only start a business, but also to expand it. This has been one of the main reasons for people all over the world buying into business franchises from various different companies.

Are franchises easier to run than a start up business?

There is no doubt that franchises are easier to run as compared to the average business that has just been started. This is because more often than not, this kind of a business already has an established management plan which helps business owners a great deal. In addition to this, since the franchise usually has a well known name, it is more likely that customers will rely on these products and services.

Although this may seem like it is fairly easy to decide that a franchise is the best business move, it is also important to remember success is not guaranteed without effort or persistence.