Top performing franchisors, franchisees and brands have been recognised at the national MYOB FCA Excellence in Franchising Awards, with The Cheesecake Shop taking out the coveted Australian Established Franchisor of the Year award.
The Cheesecake Shop has been franchising for nearly 27 years and now has a reach of 228 cake bakeries across Australia, New Zealand and the UK.
Ken Rosebery, MD of The Cheesecake Shop, accepted the award and said “Putting this award together with our team, one of the things I learned was the average tenure of our 50-odd staff as a franchisor was about eight-and-a-half years, and that says a lot for their commitment and their passion and their love for our brand. This award is for them.”
GM of marketing and operations, Peter Dable, said “It’s been a trying year for everyone and this is a big achievement for the business. To all of the head office staff and the franchisees – we’re absolutely ecstatic.”
To win the top award The Cheesecake Shop fought off tough competition from finalists Just Cuts, Rapid Tune and Banjo’s Bakery Café.
Silk Laser Franchising scooped the Australian Emerging Franchisor of the Year award, with MoneyQuest Australia, Home Caring Franchise and Fitstop Australia all named as finalists in the category.
Martin Perelman, CEO and founder of Silk Laser, told Inside Franchise Business Executive “It was very exciting to win the award. It means a lot to us, we’re listing on the ASX and this really validates our brand to a larger, fairly competitive market. It will help us find the right franchisees.”
The business started in 2009 with one staff member and one laser in Adelaide.
Perelman said “It’s been a pretty amazing journey for our company. We’ve now been franchising for four years and are getting close to 60 clinics nationwide.”
Xtend Barre, the US-based niche fitness chain operated in Australia by Collective Wellness Group, was named The International Franchisor of the Year award.
Poolwerx took home the Excellence in Marketing award while the Excellence in Franchise Innovation Award was won by the RAMS Product, Construction Lending Proposition.
Brilliant franchisees were celebrated too, with Bakers Delight and ANZ Mobile Lending each scooping up two franchisee category wins.
The finalist franchisees had all been named winners in the regional awards last month.
Chris McIntyre of ANZ Mobile Lending on Queensland’s Gold Coast was named Multi-Unit Franchisee of the Year for 2020 and Sallie Williams of ANZ Mobile Lending, Wanneroo was named Single Unit Franchisee of the Year, less than two staff for 2020.
Andrew Toogood of Bakers Delight, Mount Gambier – Commercial Street won the Single Unit Franchisee, two or more staff award.
Fellow franchisees Geoff and Jo Harrington of Bakers Delight, Southern Highlands, picked up the Community Responsibility and Contribution award, a second consecutive win for the bakery chain.
Congratulations to Phil Colburn of Poolwerx who was named Field Manager of the Year, and Wendy Donaldson of Narellan Pools, who took home the Franchise Woman of the Year award.
FC Business Solutions was named this year’s Supplier of the Year.
Franchise Council of Australia CEO, Mary Aldred said “The achievements of all award winners and finalists in what has been an extremely difficult year for small business owners is truly remarkable. I congratulate winners and finalists on their exemplary performances, resilience in the face of adversity, and continued contributions to their franchise systems and communities.”
This year the awards were presented digitally, with 12 awards announced on the night.
The MYOB FCA Excellence in Franchising 2020 winners
Australian Established Franchisor of the Year – The Cheesecake Shop
Australian Emerging Franchisor of the Year – Silk Laser Franchising
International Franchisor of the Year – Xtend Barre
Multi-Unit Franchisee of the Year – Chris McIntyre, ANZ Mobile Lending, Gold Coast
Single Unit Franchisee of the Year, two or more staff – Andrew Toogood, Bakers Delight, Mount Gambier – Commercial Street
Single Unit Franchisee of the Year, less than two staff – Sallie Williams, ANZ Mobile Lending, Wanneroo
Franchisee Community Responsibility and Contribution – Geoff and Jo Harrington, Bakers Delight, Southern Highlands
Franchise Woman of the Year – Wendy Donaldson, Narellan Pools
Field Manager of the Year – Phil Colburn, Poolwerx
Excellence in Marketing – Poolwerx
Excellence in Franchise Innovation – RAMS Product, Construction Lending Proposition
Supplier of the Year – FC Business Solutions
