The British Franchise Exhibition: Forging a partnership for success

FRANCHISED businesses currently employ around 200,000 people in the UK and turn over in excess of pounds 4.8bn, yet predictions are that this industry will grow to twice that size within the next four years.

The franchise industry is expected to outperform almost every other business sector in the country, creating wealth and jobs at a rate that draws a not unrealistic parallel with the phenomenal growth of the computer technology industry during the Sixties and Seventies.

This growth would be achieved through thousands of successful franchise partnerships, which harness the energy and commitment of the franchisee with the support and proven business format of the franchisor. So what is franchising? In essence, it is the granting of a licence by a franchisor, who is the owner of a business format, to the franchisee who can sell the product or service. Thus the franchisor's profit is closely dependent upon the success of the franchisee. (Our free seminars will provide you with any additional information).

The range of franchise businesses is already vast - far larger than most people imagine.

If you eat at a McDonald's, a Burger King or a Wimpy, shop at Kall Kwik or Body Shop, stay at a Holiday Inn, or buy your car from a Rover dealer, the chances are that you have been looked after by a franchisee.

The rewards for successful franchisees can be enormous, not only financially - there are many who have made millions - but also in terms of having some real control over your future in a way that working for somebody else can never provide.

But with this greater freedom comes a coincident level of security that is far greater than one would have with a conventional start-up.

The business knowledge and the proven track record of the franchisor makes you around five times more likely to succeed with a franchise start-up than with a new venture in a conventional business.

So think about becoming involved and finding yourself a franchisor with an established track record, a fair attitude and a thorough and professional approach to business. This is where the British Franchise Exhibition is so important. Organised by Careers In Industry in association with the Independent on Sunday, and supported by the Confederation of British Industry, the exhibition focuses clearly on the quality end of the franchise market, rigorously excluding those companies which have not met our strict selection criteria.

This does not mean that we can guarantee your success - a lot of which will be down to your own hard work. But for every company that is exhibiting, we have turned away a number of others.

You will meet about 50 different franchisors at the exhibition, covering everything from retailing to cleaning services, recruitment to quick printing, and fast food to garden maintenance. Most of them offer franchises throughout the UK, with investments ranging from pounds 5,000 to pounds 5m.

Representatives of NatWest, the UK's leading franchise lending bank, will be available to discuss finance.

Contact Sarah Hamilton on 071-727 7380 for tickets and visitor information packs (price pounds 10, multiple tickets pounds 8 each). We look forward to welcoming you.

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