Take charge of your future
It’s time to switch up and make the change happen
What does 2021 hold for you? Perhaps you are ready to extend your current business portfolio with a new brand. Perhaps this is the year when business ownership becomes a reality for you and your family. Perhaps you have a redundancy package to invest or you are restarting the search for a franchise after putting your plans on hold last year.
What does 2021 look like in your quest to buy a franchise?
The year 2020 crystallised what is important in a business today. For starters it put a spotlight on the way franchisors respond to a crisis, and how creative and supportive they have proved to be to sustain business and nurture franchisees.
It revealed the value of a survivor, the franchise brands which have managed to both hold fast and switch up when necessary, those heritage firms that have ridden the rollercoaster that is business and are still going strong.
We see that suburbs are the new hotspots and that major landlords in prime locations are on notice, as franchisors and franchisees seek cost-effective options for their business.
Consumer trends (see page 14) reveal what we will value in the months ahead, the shifts in behaviour patterns and business.
And yet, the fundamentals remain the same. A good franchise provides a service or product that has longevity. A good franchise is led by a team with shared values that you can align with.
The process of searching and buying a franchise hasn’t changed. Solid research on the brand, the franchise company and the franchisor is essential. Evaluating the market potential is important. Understanding your own capacity to work within the business is crucial. Seeking, and paying for, expert accounting and legal advice is a wise move and money well spent.
Happy hunting.
Pizza Hut Australia has unveiled a kiosk model which is being trialled in three service station forecourts in partnership with Euro Garages.
Pizza Hut’s first kiosk opened in Kingswood, NSW, the second in a Liverpool-based service station in Sydney’s west. The third kiosk is scheduled to open early this year.
Phil Reed, CEO of Pizza Hut Australia said “This partnership will create further accessibility of the brand outside of online ordering, delivery and standard bricks and mortar, to take advantage of the high footfall kiosks visited by hungry travellers.
The initiative is backed by turnaround and transformation specialist Allegro Funds which bought the Pizza Hut Australia business four years ago.
Allegro investment manager Jeremy Trouncer told Inside Franchise Business “Our goal is to return the brand to number one in Australia.”
Art studio franchise Pinot & Picasso is ready to grow in North Queensland, metro Brisbane and Melbourne, Adelaide City and Perth CBD and surrounds.
Director James Crowe said “Due to
New South Wales being at capacity, we’re encouraging our existing vendors to look outside of the state for future prospects.
The key to the success of existing distance locations (Geelong, Newcastle, Malvern) is finding a manager on the ground and the digital nature of our business.
“There’s plenty of opportunity to manage this at distance when staffing is correct, and the Pinot & Picasso app, our advanced
WordPress website and the business effectively run from G-Suite – it makes it extremely manageable.”
Remote management is increasing as franchisees choose to invest in areas outside their neighbourhoods, even purchasing interstate studios, he said.
“New businesses have been exceptional through this period. We’re finding our studios are trading at the same if not stronger numbers than pre-Covid. This is especially exciting considering most of the studios are trading at 60 per cent capacity (reduced through social distancing).”
Franchise buyers take note – it’s been a long wait but finally news that the franchising expos are back on the calendar for 2021.
The roll of expos across the country gets a kick-start in Sydney in March.
Franchising & Business Opportunities Expo exhibition manager, Fiona Stacey said “The demand for franchise businesses is booming as people search to secure themselves a better future – one they can take control of.”
Expo dates for this year are:
26-27 March, ICC Sydney
16 May, Crown Perth
Sydney:
Perth:
Brisbane:
18-19 June, Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
20-21 August, Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre.
Melbourne:
Brand new franchisees have signed a deal with Japanese Quick Service Restaurant brand Motto Motto and taken up the first franchise in the chain.
Frank Jiang, Linda Zhang, Jason Yan and Brandon Choi are the owners of the brand new Westfield Carindale restaurant.
Motto Motto Group‘s chief commercial officer Matt Fickling said the franchisee appointment is a milestone for the company.
“We are not just disrupting with low fees but solving some of the issues the industry is facing, like providing our partners with upfront turnkey establishment costs and end of term franchisor buy back guarantees to lower the risk for them and their family.”
Motto Motto is looking for franchisees nationally as it expands its New South Wales footprint and plans to enter the Victorian market this year.