UK’s leading franchise for carpets, United Carpets, is presently looking to employ franchisees in the West Midlands and North West.

Carpets, floor covering and beds are essential to most homeowners worldwide. United Carpets are searching for more franchisees to take their business ahead in a successful manner. It is an exciting, profitable and unique franchise opportunity for anyone on the lookout out for a chance.

Both these regions are dynamically targeted as the main key areas for United Carpets. They will be operating open days to let potential franchisees to take advantage of the opportunity.

The days it will be running open on are: the 1st of December at Warrington, Cheshire and on 2nd December in Birmingham, West Midlands.

There is a particular format for these 2 days:

Prospective franchises will be invited to drop in from between 2pm and 6pm and have an informal chat with the key head office staff about United Carpets. And from 6pm to 7pm an informal presentation will be made by Paul Davies, the franchise development manager. Thereafter, they will have a question and answer session. If anyone wishes to speak further with United Carpets, they will get an opportunity to have an appointment for a one-to-one meeting.

The British Franchise Association (BFA) was founded in 1977 and since then has become the main voluntary body in the UK for franchising. The main role of the BFA is to recognise franchise businesses for membership. This process is done on the basis of a strict standards structure. These standards need to be followed by the company’s financial position in its everyday business activities.

The standards set by the BFA are based on the European Code of Ethics for franchising. All these standards were agreed to by the members of the European Franchise Federation in 1990 and they are recognised by the European Commission.

How the companies are accredited

Full members – If the franchisor wants to be recognised as a full member then they need to submit a completed application form. The form includes a business prospectus, franchise agreement, accounts and disclosure document. The franchisor may also need to provide proof of a correctly constituted pilot scheme that has operated for at least one year. Moreover, evidence of successful franchising over two years with at least four franchisees needs to be provided.

Associate members – Companies which have a growing franchise network need to provide some evidence of successful franchising for one year with a franchisee. If you want to become an associate member of the BFA then you also need to submit the franchise agreement, accounts, prospectus, disclosure document and more document checks. Moreover, you need to show the same evidence which has been asked from full members.

Provisional listing companies – In this list, only companies which are new to franchising are given priority for their franchise concept. These companies can also take the BFA accredited advice on its structure.
Affiliated professional advisors – They have more experience in the field of franchising, so they can in turn become an advisor. These advisors offer advice and help to the franchisees and their franchisors.

Gone are the days when women were stereotyped as spending all their time in the kitchen. The number of women entering the business sector has increased considerably over the years. Are you thinking of buying your very own franchise business? Consider the following franchising options before selecting one particular franchise.

Maid Service Franchises

Maid service franchises are some of the well-known women franchises. It is indeed a very profitable business opportunity and is currently undertaken by many women. Conduct a thorough research before selecting a particular maid service franchise. For instance, you should conduct a thorough market analysis to understand the market trend related to this business.

Photography Franchises

The field of photography tends to be slightly more populated by women. Women have a better understanding of pictures. Women are often blessed with an artistic eye coupled with a keen attention to detail. Photography is also in demand in many other markets, including the housing market. However, select a photography franchise, only if you have considerable knowledge in the particular field, or are willing to learn, of course.

Clothing Franchises

Boutique stores are usually handled by women. Such stores require expertise and knowledge concerning the current clothing trends. You can also consider the option of undertaking a footwear franchise. Obtain the necessary advice, training and support from the franchisor to succeed in your newly formed business set up. The British Franchise Association will also provide you with valuable legal advice pertaining to the field of franchising.

The business world, with regards to the present day economic situation, is very uptight. You need a lot of finance to start up with a business of your own. Hence, many consider the option of taking up a franchise as the best alternative. A franchising business has a lot of different arenas to explore.

A franchise of a well known company gets all the loyal customers and a recognised name in the market from the start. You will not have to struggle to build up brand recognition and raise awareness from scratch. But it is important to keep increasing the business, so marketing is still a must.

To facilitate this purpose, a business man is starting up a franchisee club to share the best prices, offers, ideas and mutual support. Now franchisees are being expected to sign up to the new endeavor.

This idea is the creation of Bury franchisee, Brian Dormer, who runs the successful TaxAssist Accountants franchise in Rochdale Road.

He is looking out for franchises set up in Bury and North Manchester to meet up with on a monthly basis at a suitable location, to contribute ideas to each other and reinforce the business to go forward.
Franchisees will find it useful to hear good practice from many other compatible businesses.

The Independent Franchisee Seminar, held on the 25th of November, was a great success.
The event was met with a favourable response from all the attendees. The seminar successfully tackled various doubts concerning franchising to aid budding franchisors.

This one day seminar was specially designed and organised by the British Franchise Association. The British Franchise Association is a legislative body in the UK, which guides franchisors pertaining to the various rules of franchising.

The event was attended by the individuals who were interested in setting up their own individual business. The seminar provided detailed guidance and cautionary notes to the attendees.

The Speakers

The speakers in the seminar were endowed with an extensive knowledge about the UK franchise sector. The speakers have also worked with reputed UK franchises for several years. The event was also attended by experts from the British Franchise Association along with franchise lawyers, accountants and bankers from the industry. Entrepreneurs from the UK franchise businesses also attended the event.

Some of the topics dealt in the seminar were as follows:

Franchising and its benefits

It included information about the benefits of franchising. The speakers also tackled topics such as advantages and disadvantages of franchising. The audience also gained viable information concerning the financing options for franchising. The speakers also discussed several real-life case studies to provide a practical approach to the attendees.

The Independent Franchisee Seminar was indeed a big hit among the budding franchisors.

Trophy has strengthened the marketing support it offers its franchise owners by launching a national advertising campaign.  The company has filmed television adverts that are set to appear on the Good Food Channel and Home Channel.

The adverts will emphasis the home delivery service Trophy offers, the premium ingredients it uses in its foods and the fact that all its foods are made in the UK.

If you are thinking of purchasing a franchise, your business approach has to be sustainable. The market place you select should be something you are enthusiastic about and keen to be involved with. So for example, if you have a fascination with cosmetics, a decent option would be choosing a beauty franchise. If you are interested in working with individuals related to the beauty and cosmetics background, then this seems to be the ideal choice.

Types of beauty franchises:

The number of beauty treatments available on the market means there is room for hundreds of franchises catering to all sorts of needs. Hair dressing is one of the significant options under beauty treatments.

Another developing market is the nail bar idea. A lot of beauty franchise business brands are being developed in the UK to aid the emerging market. In the last few years, makeovers, fitness and weight loss franchises have been rising rapidly.

Flexible markets:

The trades in the beauty industry are termed as flexible or discretionary. It refers to a market that is not very important but is still preferred. Considering the present financial market, it is vital to choose a flexible franchise brand.

Steps to be noted further:
It is sensible to look at and consider cautiously while purchasing a beauty franchise opportunity:-
• Go for attractive services and brands.
• The outlay and set up should suit you economically.
• Remember to always have detailed information about the franchise you purchase.
• Keep a copy of the official contract.
• Appoint a lawyer related to the franchise sector for guidance.
• Consult your bank with regards to funds.

Finally, know which beauty franchise brand is best for you. Based on your skills and strengths, opt for the franchise that you will get the most out of.

Tony and Ellie Metcalfe own the franchises of Go-Kart Party. They agreed to organise a Go-Kart Party for the son of Radio Heart FM presenter, Dave Clark. What happened the next day shocked the franchisees of Go-Kart Party.

Dave Clark was so impressed with the party that he could not stop talking about it. The next day after the party, only praises about Go-Kart Party could be heard on Heart FM. Go-Kart Party franchisees have catered to many celebrity kids but have never got so much publicity before.

Ellie Metcalfe said that they never expected to get so much publicity after a party. Dave said that he thought of mentioning the franchise on the radio briefly. However, after witnessing the fun that the children were having, he could not stop talking about Go-Kart Party.

About Go-Kart Party Franchise:

This franchise has made hundreds of children happy with their parties. Tony said that kids love the parties as they cannot wait to drive. After the party, kids are given party goody bags. Kids love to drive Go Karts as they find it very exciting. The franchise owned by Tony and Ellie operates in South Birmingham and the area of Coventry. They provide parties to children between the ages of 4 to 10 years.

If the fear of failure keeps you away from business then the fear can be reduced to a great extent through franchising. A franchise is basically a business which is authorised to distribute or sell a franchisor’s products and services. With this kind of business, you can directly be benefited from the work and experience of the franchisor.

If you are planning to start your business from scratch then you may face many difficulties. But with franchising, these obstacles are completely eliminated.

Here is some information about the franchise agreement:

When you decide to opt for franchising, you need to enter into a legal agreement with the franchisor. This agreement clearly states what rights and obligation you and the franchisor have.

The key issues include

• How long the franchise will last
• What happens at the end of the term?
• What happens if either of you wants to end the agreement or sell the business?
• What kind of support will the franchisor provide
• The fees you have to pay in the beginning and on the yearly basis.
• What rights you have on trade marks of the franchisor.
• The number of restrictions on you while you are performing the business activities.

While signing the deal, you need to make sure that the agreement is not one-sided. Franchising involves complex legal issues, so ensure you know exactly what you are getting into before you sign up to anything.

Janie Drury, the Birmingham business owner, is on top of the world after winning a national award for FASTSIGNS. Janie beat over 22 colleague franchise owners in the UK to scoop The FASTSIGNS Award at the UK National Convention and Awards Dinner of the company.

She opened FASTSIGNS Birmingham in 1996 in Great Charles Street, Queensway and has succeeded in taking the company from strength to strength. Simultaneously she also helped other FASTSIGNS holders along the way. Janie’s patience and loyalty were rewarded at the awards dinner of the company. She was praised for the “living the spirit of the FASTSIGNS award” for over 13 years.

Garth Allison, Managing Director for FASTSIGNS UK said that it was a privilege and pleasure to honour Janie with a prize for the franchisee represents the spirit and concept of the FASTSIGNS name, both within the company and in the business community. She is excited to help fellow owners, especially in sharing marketing initiatives and ideas. Garth Allison also said that Janie has been very patient, co-operative, helpful and generous when prospective franchisees visit or call her.

Janie has constantly invested in infrastructure that is required to move the business ahead, and to increase the size, integrity and strength of their network. She also shows similar courage when dealing with customers meaning that she always exceeds their expectations. Though Janie has the FASTSIGNS’ network, knowledge and technology behind her, she still operates her business with an attitude of ‘every job matters’, and does not let down her customers.