Auntie Anne's

The pretzel is big in the USA, where American consumers have made it one of their most popular snack foods. Auntie Anne's led the charge, establishing its first unit in 1989 and spreading to over 900 to become the most prominent pretzel retailer in North America, and the brand is now leading the charge into the UK market under the direction of Master Franchisee Robert Burton. The challenge in entering the UK market is one of education, changing the consumer perception of the pretzel from the salted, hard snack sold in packets to the hand-rolled, soft pretzel made popular in the American market.

The Auntie Anne's pretzel is made of baked dough and served with a choice of dips, sauces, toppings and sprinkles such as cinnamon sugar, sour cream & onion, and almonds. Importantly, with options to go without butter or salt, no additives in the dough and several varieties containing less than five grams of fat or less, Auntie Anne's pretzels offer a healthier eating alternative to snack options such as doughnuts or cookies.

Marketed as an on-the-go snack or mini-meal, with side options including coffee, lemonade and ice cream, Auntie Anne's has established stores in 12 countries worldwide including eight locations in the UK (four owned by two franchisees). The UK Master Franchisee aims to reach 40 stores by the end of 2008 and is committed to achieving this growth entirely through offering franchise opportunities.

World's Best Property Club

Taking an alternative spin on the traditional estate agent's role, where the agent is acting on behalf of the seller, a World's Best Property Club (WBPC) franchisee earns a commission from the vendor upon completion but prioritises the relationship with the buyer rather than the seller. The service provided to club members covers property investment advice and notification of properties to invest in, including bi-monthly newsletters, discounted conveyancing costs, pre-settlement quality control inspections, assistance with tax strategies and a Cash flow Analysis Profile, which has assisted finance with over £1 billion in mortgages and with not one default reported.

Originating in Australia, where the company operates as The Investors Club, WBPC is the largest property club in the southern hemisphere with nearly 70,000 investor members worldwide. The company has established a Master Franchisee in the UK and is seeking franchisees across the country, whose role is to recruit, train and support club members, and earning from their investment activity, while the company sources property investment opportunities in the UK and overseas.

UK Biometrics

UK Biometrics has applied biometric technology to door locks, intercoms, time and attendance systems, and access control systems, enabling them to identify people using their biological data (fingerprints, iris patterns, facial shapes and vein patterns). As this data is unique to the individual, it provides an infallible method of identification, replacing keys, pin numbers and security cards with increased security and convenience, ideal for homes, nursery schools, offices, airports, hospitals, etc.

Kids 1st, a nursery in Northumberland, is a case in point. It is the first nursery in the country to trial a biometrics entry device, which has been warmly welcomed by staff and parents. This company has now installed the device in all its nurseries and is planning on placing it in new Kids 1st nurseries. UK Biometrics launched its franchise opportunity last year and is seeking to establish franchisees in 28 large territories.

England Poker League

England Poker League is based on a highly successful franchised business concept that has established a national network of 80 franchisees in Australia, and has now been launched in the UK to take advantage of the huge and growing interest in the game at tournament level.

Franchisees put on poker leagues as free-to-enter entertainment events, with no gambling involved, at venues such as pubs, bars and social clubs. Players win points rather than money and those that accumulate the most points over a 12 week season qualify for regional and then national finals, with the ultimate winner earning a trip to Las Vegas and a seat at the World Series of Poker (WSOP).

The franchisee earns from the venue, which pays per player to host the tournament and makes money through increased sales on food, drink, slot machines, etc. Once they have learned the business, franchisees have the opportunity to take on staff to manage the tournaments and focus on building relationships with venue managements and expanding the business.

Sonic Golf

Ultrasonic technology has been in use for cleaning medical, electronic and other high precision equipment for over 40 years. It produces millions of tiny bubbles in a solution that implodes when coming into contact with any surface, quickly and safely removing any surface contamination. Through its unique relationship with an accredited UK ultrasonic cleaning manufacturer, Sonic Golf has developed a franchise concept around an ultrasonic golf club cleaning machine, which is capable of cleaning a full set of golf clubs in two minutes, restoring a tacky finish to the grips and cleaning the grooves on the club's face.

With no moving parts, the machine is highly reliable and provides a clean of such a high standard that Sonic Golf has been granted permission to place two machines with St. Andrews, the home of golf, and the machine is recommended by top golf coach Bill Ferguson.

The franchisee's role is to develop relationships with golf clubs to site and maintain machines. The only cost to the club is the electricity needed to run it. The club signs an exclusive agreement and in turn receives a percentage of all sales collected via the club or pro shop by selling tokens to operate the machine.