Franchise Excellence in the Spotlight - 2025 award finalists announced

42 brands and 37 individuals in the UK franchise sector are celebrating today, having been named as finalists in the prestigious BFA HSBC UK British Franchise Awards 2025.

Known in the industry as the ‘Oscars’ of franchising, this year’s shortlist has been unveiled, ahead of the black-tie awards night in November, when the winners will be revealed.

Leading authority

The awards, sponsored by HSBC UK, are run by the BFA (British Franchise Association) the UK’s leading authority on franchising, dedicated to upholding ethical business practices and high standards. Established in 1977, they empower businesses and individuals through accreditation, education, and expert guidance.

The judges

The judges for the awards are Pip Wilkins QFP, CEO of the BFA, Gillian Morris QFP, Head of Franchise at HSBC UK, Simon Wise, Founder at FranRec, Euan Fraser QFP, Consultant at AMO Consulting and Nina Moran-Watson, Director at NMW Franchise Services.

Industry snapshot

According to the 2024 British Franchise Survey sponsored by NIC Local[i], there are 1,009 franchise systems in the UK, with 50,421 franchise units, jointly contributing £19.1 billion to the UK economy. 89% of franchise units are profitable and the Personal Services sector saw a 53% growth between 2018 and 2024.

“Brilliant businesses”

Gillian Morris, UK Head of Franchise at HSBC UK said: “My warmest congratulations to all the finalists in this year’s British Franchise Awards. It’s certainly not an easy task but shortlisting the entries and choosing the finalists is one of the highlights of my year. As ever, there are some brilliant businesses amongst this year’s entrants. They really do represent the best of British franchising, and I look forward to seeing them all at the awards ceremony in November.”

The full list of finalists for the BFA HSBC UK British Franchise Awards 2025 are as follows (also available to view at: https://www.thebfa.org/bfa-hsbc-uk-british-franchise-awards/)

FRANCHISOR AWARDS

FRANCHISOR OF THE YEAR – ESTABLISHED

Premier Education

Caremark

Boots Opticians

Pink Spaghetti

Speedy Freight

Bluebird Care

Dyno-Rod

FRANCHISOR OF THE YEAR – EXPANDING

GoodOaks Homecare

Mathnasium

Oltco

Mini First Aid

FRANCHISOR OF THE YEAR – EMERGING

CareYourWay

Future Stars Coaching

Green Machine

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

Snap Fitness

easyStorage

Optic-Kleer

Swimtime

LEADERSHIP & CULTURE

Caremark

Premier Education

Language for Fun

FRANCHISE SUPPORT

Snap Fitness

ERA Group

Pink Spaghetti

Co-op

FASTSIGNS

Aspray

MARKETING

GoodOaks Homecare

Auntie Anne’s UK

Stagecoach Performing Arts

FRANCHISEE AWARDS

COMMUNITY IMPACT

Right at Home (Vicky & Paul Butler)

Snap Fitness (Kunal Patel)

Swimtime (Fiona Marshall)

Bright & Beautiful (Toni Hibbert)

DYNAMIC DUO

CareYourWay (Sobia Farooq & Shahid Shoeb)

Revive! (Jinesh & Reena Patel)

Minster Cleaning (Edward & Charles Lofthouse)

Rise (Adam & Jos Sharp)

Driver Hire (Tim & Fiona Hennah)

Tutor Doctor (Neil & Melodie Watson)

CUSTOMER FOCUS

ServiceMaster Clean (Jane Paisley & Andre Gottemaker)

Puddle Ducks (Faye Burrell)

Snap Fitness (Sajda Parveen)

BFA STAR PERFORMER

Theatretrain (Jess Fairfield)

Home Instead (Zoe March & Rob Moore)

House of Colour (Sandy Lancaster)

Mini First Aid (Marlene Meyer)

YOUNG GUNS

More Than Loft Ladders (Lewis Perkins)

Home Instead (Wafa Mohbubul)

Oltco (Scott & Cam Stevenson)

HSBC UK MULTI-BRAND

The Explorer Group (Sean Geddes)

Iceking Group (Angelina Mouralidarane)

Karali Group (Salim & Karim Janmohamed)

HSBC UK MULTI-UNIT

McDonald’s Restaurants (Roger Khoryati)

Betterclean Services (Caroline Spiller)

Snap Fitness (Kunal Patel)

Chief Executive Officer of the BFA Pip Wilkins said: “A huge congratulations to all our finalists this year. As ever, the entries were very strong, and we commend each and every one of them for going the extra mile over the past 12 months. Our members and their franchisees are the backbone of the BFA, upholding the ethical values of the association and we thank them for their commitment. We look forward to celebrating the best in British franchising at our awards ceremony in November and wish all our finalists the very best of luck.”

For more information about franchising and the BFA please visit www.thebfa.org