The winners of Smith & Henderson’s The Best Franchise Awards 2012, which is supported by Lloyds TSB, have been announced.

The winners were decided through anonymous feedback from over 2,000 franchise owners, who commented on their franchise ownership experience and rated the training and support provided by their franchisor.

The top franchisors were then shortlisted for The Best Franchise Awards and interviewed by a judging panel headed by Richard Holden, Head of Franchising at Lloyds TSB Commercial. The Best Franchise Awards, now in its second year, had 50 per cent more franchisors participate in 2012. These included billion pound companies and a wide range of business sectors, offering franchise opportunities ranging from £2,000 to £325,000.

There are five award categories and the winners are:

Best Training & Support
TaxAssist Accountants

Best Franchise System
McDonald’s Restaurants

Best Growing Franchisor
Cloud Bookkeeping

Best Mid-Size FranchisorWater Babies

Best Large Franchisor
TaxAssist Accountants

Richard Holden, Head of Franchising at Lloyds TSB Commercial and sponsors of the awards initiative, said: “We are delighted to support The Best Franchise Awards, which recognise outstanding franchisors and will help drive up industry standards. The UK franchise market continues to display strong growth, reflected in the shortlisted nominees, and play a vital part in the UK economy. We’d like to congratulate all the winners and finalists and wish them the best of luck.”

Steven Frost, Partner at Smith & Henderson said: “The Best Franchise Awards are based on what really counts – the experience of thousands of actual franchise owners. These franchisors therefore have the best franchise owner support, franchise systems and ultimately, the best franchise opportunities in the UK. We should congratulate them for their achievements.”

Published: 5 February 2013

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