The UK Franchise Directory is now available to download as an App from Apple’s iTunes App Store.

Those looking for a franchise opportunity in the UK, will now be able to read the printed edition of The UK Franchise Directory on their iPhone or iPad – wherever they are.

Published annually, The UK Franchise Directory contains essential information and contact details for more than 1,500 franchise opportunities in the UK and Ireland, as well as advice and guidance from industry experts.

The UK Franchise Directory joins The Franchise Magazine and Irish Franchise Magazine as an App, and is available for £11.99*.

*correct at time of publishing

The UK’s franchise sector is set for an influx of new business start-ups and job opportunities through increased interest in franchising and a growing ambition to expand their networks, according to latest edition of The UK Franchise Directory.

The just published directory provides new statistics on the size of the UK franchise market. Among its findings are:
•    There are over 1,500 companies offering franchise opportunities.
•    236 new franchise opportunities on the market since January 2010.
•    The current number of franchised outlets in the UK is over 90,000.
•    Franchisors are seeking to grant a further 20,000 franchises to aspiring business owners across the UK.

In a user-friendly size, The UK Franchise Directory includes well-known brands such as McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, CeX and Cash Converters who are looking to recruit further franchise owners this year. Also included are over 70 pages of comprehensive advice and guidance for prospective franchise owners and franchisors covering a range of topics that introduces people to the exciting world of franchising.

Over 1,500 franchise listings and opportunities are split into key business categories. Additional input comes from Sir Bernard Ingham, President of the British Franchise Association (bfa), Tom Endean of the bfa, Richard Holden of Lloyds Banking Group, John Chambers of Chambers and Co Solicitors and many more.

This edition of The UK Franchise Directory also presents key findings from Insight: An Industry review of Franchising in the UK 2010, a study that was conducted by MBA business students of the University of East Anglia (UEA) and Franchise Development Services (FDS).

The 24th edition of this award-winning directory is a fundamental research tool and is an absolute must read for anybody considering franchising.

The UK Franchise Directory 24th edition is published by Franchise Development Services Ltd and is available to order online.

An Ipswich Franchise Discovery Day is due to be held at the Ipswich Corn Exchange on the 10th November 2010.

The event, which will be hosted by Ipswich Borough Council and Suffolk Chamber of Commerce, will feature some of the county’s most important franchise brands.

The organisers are hoping that the Ipswich Franchise Discovery Day will encourage job creation, new business start-ups and bring important retail brands into Ipswich Town Centre.  There will also be vehicle-based, management and part-time franchises being launched following this event as franchisors find their new partners.

On the day there will be free seminars to help people from the region to clearly understand the steps that they need to take in order to evaluate a franchise opportunity and then how to check out the franchisor and opportunity being presented.  Plus seminars specifically designed for owners of successful businesses that would like to explore the franchise option.

Cllr Atkins said:  “Franchises can be home-based, part-time, vehicle-based, or require premises; they cover business accountancy to vending, with a wide range of areas and levels of investment.

“We believe that this exhibition will be a great source of information for prospective franchise owners in and around Ipswich and the Anglia region – as well as for owners of successful businesses considering expansion by franchising.  This hopefully will lead to more businesses starting up and flourishing in the town.”

Already in the region there are over 100 franchisors expanding their business and the Anglia Region has just been identified as the second most important territory for future establishment of new franchise start-ups*.

John Dugmore, Chief Executive of Suffolk Chamber, said:  “Franchising provides the opportunity for people to branch out on their own, with the support of a tried and tested business behind them.

“For anyone considering owning a franchise, help and advice will be available on the day and I would encourage them to come along to find out more about what franchise opportunities that are available, as well as arming themselves with the information that they need to know before proceeding to own and operate the franchise of their choice.”

*(Insight, an Industry review of Franchising in the UK – to be published 27 September).

Some people wrongly assume that becoming a franchisee is an easy way of getting into business. But although it is much more stable and supportive than beginning your own business from scratch, there is still a lot of hard work that must go into a franchise venture.

And one thing that any potential franchisee cannot be lacking in is motivation. A franchisee must be absolutely committed to their new franchise and they must be prepared to get completely stuck in and to complete a huge range of jobs – particularly when they are first getting started.

To be a franchise owner, you must have a huge amount of enthusiasm. In fact, a lot of franchisors rate enthusiasm higher than experience.

Beginning in franchising can be really daunting and you will notice that you might have to work very long hours. The future of your business is completely in your hands and that drives you to give 100 per cent to your franchise.

The franchisor will always be there to support you and to offer you guidance, but ultimately, the hard work is down to you and in order to succeed, you must really put the effort in.

Becoming a franchisee is not easy, but put the work in and make the most of the support around you and you could be in for a really rewarding career.

The great thing about being a franchise owner is that there is an enormous sense of community. People involved in franchises seem to get involved in a lot more things than a single business would and a good example of this is Caremark.

The franchise owner of Eastbourne and Wealden Caremark has sponsored a local raffle draw to help raise money for a new church building and community centre.

The raffle was drawn at a summer charity dance and it was a great event for all the community and in the end £1,200 was raised for the new church building and community centre.

Caremark got involved to try to raise awareness of the charity and this is just one community issue and event that the franchise has decided to support.

When you decide to take on a franchise, you will notice that there is a strong sense of community within the organisation. Franchisees help each other out and the franchisor will offer backing and support whenever it is needed and this sense of community extends to outside the franchise too. For this reason, franchising can be incredibly rewarding and of course, involvement with local issues and events just makes the job more interesting and enjoyable too.

Although more and more youngsters are looking to franchise opportunities as a reliable career path, the older generation are also benefitting from the stability that working in a franchise can bring you.

As some business continue to struggle, the number of older workers finding themselves being made redundant is ever increasing. And whereas younger workers may find it easier to retrain or take a new career path, the older generation can sometimes struggle to get a new career started.

That is what happened to Brian Masters who was made redundant at the age of 56. He spent some time job searching but then was attracted by some franchise opportunities that he came across.

He eventually settled on the Starbrite franchise and a year into his new venture, he has no regrets about his decision. He finds his new role as a franchisee highly exciting and rewarding and he is also enjoying being financially secure.

Another great thing about his new career path is that Brian now receives all the support that he needs from the director of his team. He has the knowledge to offer support and backing to Brian whenever he needs it.

At a time when Brian was worried about his future, franchising came in at just the right time.

Monkey Music is a franchise which offers children the chance to get involved in the world of music. The franchise was started by Angie Coates in 1992.

After the birth of her first child, Angie was looking for a way to get her daughter involved in the world of music but she couldn’t find a way of her doing this.

This is why Monkey Music was created. Angie began holding classes for both children and their parents and the classes were such a success that Angie decided to franchise the company in 1998.

The franchise has continued to grow and now, 10,000 babies and children enjoy classes with Monkey Music every week at 51 different franchises around the country.

Angie not only had skills musically, but she also had a business mind, with commercial knowledge and it is this that has led to the huge success of the franchise.

It just goes to show, that franchising can be a huge overnight success so long as you choose something which fills a gap in the market. Often, an idea for a franchise will come from someone’s personal experiences. In Angie’s case, she couldn’t find somewhere suitable to take her children to learn about music so she created it herself. And she’s never looked back.

At present, you will find that franchising is growing rapidly all over the world as they offer more benefits over self-owned businesses. One of the best things about franchising is that it offers proven solutions for all the uncertainties which are faced by the people who are running the business.

If you are planning to invest money to open your own business then make sure that you buy a franchise store, as they have proven very successful. Currently, you can see that there are more than 665 different businesses which operate as franchises in the UK. Franchising also offer various benefits to the franchisors, as they help the companies to grow and sell their products or services all across the country.

Details about franchising

Once you pay the fees to the owner of the business (franchisor) you can then sell various products under the franchisor’s name. In return for the fees, the franchisor will help you with training, advertising, marketing and other information which will help you to run the business smoothly. All the franchises in the UK are members of the British Franchisor Association (BFA).

After buying a franchise store, you only have to work with a tried and tested business plan under the established trade name. You will also receive market reports and other strategy plans from the franchisor. As a franchisee, you can also enjoy the bulk buying power of the franchisor.

For a successful business, the franchisees and franchisor need to work together and use their experience, knowledge and skills.

Listing over 1,400 franchisors and almost 200 Irish franchisors, this awarding winning directory is an absolute must read for anybody considering franchising.

Now in its 23rd edition, The UK Franchise Directory is a valuable guide to the franchise industry providing over 70 pages of comprehensive advice and guidance from bfa-affiliated consultants, lawyers and industry professionals. Whether you are new to franchising or not, The UK Franchise Directory is designed to educate and help you find franchise opportunities. It is also invaluable to those considering expanding their business through franchising.

Richard Chatten, Editor comments, “Franchising encompasses a broad range of industries and business types and with so much choice and information available it can be quite daunting to know where to start. The information provided in this directory can be used to help direct you to the best franchise opportunity that meets your qualifications and personal goals.”

Famous brands are featured in this latest edition which includes McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, CeX, ChipsAway, Orange and Rohan.

This publication is available for £25 (UK residents) and can be ordered today by clicking here.

At present, you will find that the franchising industry is booming in the UK as greater numbers of people are investing in franchise outlets over self-owned businesses. This is because franchising involves less investment and a low amount of risk. At the time of investing, you need to make sure that you are going with a proper working plan and a marketable product.

In addition to this, before investing, you also need to know more details about the franchise so that you can run the business successfully. Once you have purchased a franchise then you have to do lot of work to earn more profit. As a franchisee, you have to run the business and sell the products under the franchisor’s trade name. For this, you need to pay some amount of money or fees to the franchisor.

Why purchasing a franchise store is beneficial

When compared to other types of businesses, franchising is the easiest and it offers a higher percentage of success than others. One of the best things about franchising is that the customers already know about the existing products and services, so there is not a major requirement to focus on advertising and making the products or services familiar in the eyes of the public. In addition to this, the franchisees are also benefited by training, financial assistance, managing guidance and marketing plans.

Other than this, the franchisor or the owner of the company will also help in advertising the products or services nationally. Most of the franchisors have a nationwide advertisement campaign which will help in increasing your sales to some extent. This will also help the franchisors earn extra profit. Thus, through franchising, both the franchisees and the franchisor are benefited.