North West England franchise owners & news

Barking Mad was the most empowering move we’ve made in 25 years!

Husband and wife team Peter and Bianca Leaver, from Cheshire, joined Barking Mad in early 2018. Before joining Barking Mad, the couple had worked in education for over 27 years.  Disillusioned with the job, Peter and Bianca wanted to take back control of their lives and workload, and so toyed with the idea of becoming their own boss.  After coming across a Barking Mad franchise for sale, they started to investigate the idea of running their own franchise in the pet care industry.  And having been customers of Barking Mad for many years, they knew of its commitment to quality and professionalism. Since joining Barking Mad, the couple say it’s the more empowering move they’ve made in 25 years.

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Franchising in the North West, why buy a franchise in the North West?

National SME consultancy franchise Business Doctors is headquartered in St Helen's, Merseyside. Lynne Rawlinson is brand manager

The north west has always been home to innovators and entrepreneurs. From the world's first passenger inter-city railway (1830), to the first programmable computer (1948), the north west knows that to change is to thrive.

The birthplace of the industrial revolution, manufacturing remains the biggest sector, but its five counties - Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Lancashire, Cheshire and Cumbria - are also strong in ICT, biotechnology, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, telecomms and financial and business services.

Franchising in the north west is thriving, with a recent British Franchise Association report showing sector growth of 27 percent, compared to 2.5 percent growth in the overall economy during the same period.

Growth was also indicated at franchisee level, with 92 percent reporting profitability and 80 percent of new franchisees that had started in the last two years already turning a profit.

Franchising contributes significantly to the north west region's employment, with over 56,000 working for a franchised brand. Sixty five percent of franchise networks have presence in the north west.

Under the Northern Powerhouse project, £4.5bn is committed to improve the region's existing rail lines, add new trains, new urban transport, and a major upgrade to the roads. This is on top of the committed £42.6bn investment in the HS2 new high speed connections from the north to London.

There has never been a better time to buy a franchise in the north west. Visit a franchise show, chat to franchisors and franchisees, speak to your bank manager and make that change. You'll be in great company.