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TruGreen franchise owner Steve Graves has been named a winner of the Which Franchise Great British Franchisee Award 2026, recognising his resilience, determination and commitment to building a successful business. Steve Graves owns TruGreen South Bedfordshire, which now serves more than 400 customers. The business was originally started by his dad in 2010. Steve Graves joined him in 2012 after around 15 years in management roles with Tesco and later took over the day-to-day running of the business. His dad remains involved today, supporting with administrative tasks.
TaxAssist Accountants franchisee Jaz Grewal has been named a 2026 Great British Franchisee, recognising his outstanding success in building a thriving accountancy practice. Having qualified as an ICAEW Chartered Accountant through a Big Four audit training contract, Jaz gained valuable experience working with large organisations before pursuing his ambition to build his own business.
Maria Mestre, who runs NIC Local across South and West Yorkshire, has been named a winner of the Great British Franchisee Awards 2026, recognising her outstanding business achievements, commitment to customer service and dedication to developing her team. Over the past 11 years, Maria has built a thriving commercial cleaning business, serving a diverse range of clients, from offices and healthcare facilities to some of Yorkshire's most iconic attractions.
Merry Maids franchise owner Becky Hewitt has been named a winner of the Which Franchise Great British Franchisee Award 2026, recognising 15 years of business growth, strong customer service and commitment to her team and the wider franchise network. What makes Becky’s story stand out is where it started. Business ownership had never been part of her plan. Becky Hewitt first joined Merry Maids Sutton Coldfield in 2010 in an administrative role while working part-time in the legal sector. She saw the potential in the business and, despite having no previous experience of business ownership, took the step into franchising in 2011.
A Worcester businesswoman who swapped a 25-year career in finance for a new venture helping women discover their confidence through colour and personal style has been named a winner of the Great British Franchisee Awards 2026. Jane Brook, who runs House of Colour Worcester, has been recognised for her outstanding customer relationships, sustained business success and contribution to the wider franchise network.
A South Wales businessman who started his Dyno-Rod franchise with just two vans and a pager has been named a winner of the Great British Franchisee Awards 2026, recognising almost 25 years of business success, innovation and dedication.
Carl Phillips, who operates Dyno-Rod's plumbing franchise across Cardiff, Swansea and Newport, has transformed the business from a small operation into one of the largest and most established franchises in the network, employing 30 people and generating annual turnover of £2.5 million.
Nasim Khan, owner of Anytime Fitness Gerrards Cross and Amersham, has received a Great British Franchisee Award in recognition of his business performance, leadership and commitment to delivering an exceptional member experience. Since opening Anytime Fitness Gerrards Cross in 2023, Nasim has established the club as one of the strongest performers within the brand’s UK network, achieving profitability from day one. The judges commended his ability to combine strong financial performance with high standards of customer service.
Somerset-founded commercial cleaning business Green Machine reported £2.3 million in new contract wins across its franchise network between 2025-2026. Green Machine attributed the contract wins to the combined work of its franchise partners and head office team. The family-run business, led by Jerome and Michelle Rellis, began in a home office in Burnham-on-Sea in 2012. Its franchise operation is based in Highbridge, with a model that combines local business ownership with central support.
ActionCOACH UK is now one of just two franchise brands in the UK to have achieved 5-star franchisee satisfaction in every single year of the independent WorkBuzz Franchise Satisfaction Benchmark Survey since it began in 2013. Until this year, four brands shared that unbroken record. Now only ActionCOACH UK and TaxAssist can make that claim.
The BFA has launched two free Redundancy Toolkits: one for employers and the other for those being made redundant. According to a study by Acas[1], ‘a third of employers (33%) are likely to make staff redundancies by January 2027’. This week Royal Mail [2] announced it is planning to cut 2,500 jobs and last month Jaguar Land Rover revealed they would be cutting 4,000 jobs over the next two years. The toolkits include an overview of franchising, statistics about the size of the industry, guides to franchising terminology, advice on how to research a franchise opportunity, case studies and links to free online courses.
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