FROM THE Publisher

‘The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it.’ - Moliere

Welcome to the latest edition of Business Franchise Australia and New Zealand. Since the publication of our last issue, the biggest industry news has been the release of the franchising inquiry report on 14 March 2019.

The report, titled ‘Fairness in Franchising’, is the result of a year-long investigation into the operation and effectiveness of the Franchising Code of Conduct, conducted by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services (try saying that ten times fast).

The committee made several recommendations to improve conduct across the industry and promote fair and positive relationships between franchisors and franchisees. The full report is available to download from the Parliament of Australia website (https://aph.gov.au). For more on the inquiry, see Behind the Headlines on page 84, and a response from Mary Aldred, CEO of the Franchise Council of Australia, on page 14.

But with every challenge comes an opportunity, and the franchising industry now has an opportunity to improve and become even stronger.

We have a bumper issue of Business Franchise magazine for our readers this May/June. We are delighted to feature InXpress on our front cover; turn to page 12 to read more about this successful franchise organisation that provides shipping solutions to clients across Australia and around the world.

Included in this issue is our quarterly executive publication, Business Franchisor, which begins on page 29 and features specialist legal firm Marsh & Maher Richmond Bennison on the cover. We also have a special feature on franchises in business services, starting on page 55. As always, there is plenty of franchising news and several expert advice articles from our professional contributors, who have shared their industry knowledge to guide franchisors and franchisees alike.

Business Franchise readers can gain free entry to the Franchising & Business Opportunities Expo held each year in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. The next expo will be at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre on 1–2 June. Simply visit https://www.franchisingexpo.com.au/ and use the code BFM when purchasing to secure your free ticket.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Enjoy the read.