Typically, franchise relationships are formalised through contracts which state the nature of the relationship between the franchisor and the franchisee. Consequently, these contracts are known as relational contracts and are left incomplete purposely. The reason for this is that it is impossible for either party to foresee what issues they will have to deal with over the course of the franchisor – franchisee relationship that has the potential of spanning years or even decades. Due to the complexity of franchise relationships, it is often believed that franchises are quite difficult to run.
On the contrary though, there are plenty of Australian success stories ranging from pool maintenance experts to gutter cleaning services. The number of franchises that are operating in Australia has increased by 15% annually. Today, there are over 1200 business franchises valued at over $131 billion. For this particular piece, we will examine two of the most successful franchises: Poolwerx as well as Foodco. We will also examine the main reasons behind their success.
Poolwerx
Poolwerx has been around for over 25 years and is currently the largest pool retail and service both in New Zealand as well as Australia. The franchise was founded in 1992 and currently occupies over 350 territories. The entity has managed to spread its business via franchising, with an entire tab on the company website dedicated to individuals who may be interested in franchising with Poolwerx. The company offers multiple channels in franchising: if one already has an existing pool service business they may join the franchise and change a few aspects of their business so as to match the Poolwerx business model. The more typical manner of joining the franchise is by opening a new retail store or service route with the Poolwerx brand and tools. Alternatively, one could just purchase an existing Poolwerx franchise.
Foodco
Foodco is behind Muffin Break, Jamaica Blue as well as Croc’s Playcentre. Jamaica Blue and Muffin Break are established cafés whereas Croc’s Playcentre serves as an indoor play centre for children. The franchise has also ensured that there is a Muffin Break within each Croc’s Playcentre. The franchise has over 570 outlets, over 4000 staff members and is present in 7 countries. Foodco is also active in finding franchisees for its business. The business offers training, initial support and ongoing support departments that can be easily reached by the franchisees if need be.
But how have these two entities made it happen?
Franchisor support
Both Poolwerx and Foodco have offered extensive support to their franchisees in order to get them up to speed with best practices within the industry, best suppliers as well as ideal supplies, and even capabilities building.
Brand Power
Naturally, as the two entities continue to make their presence felt within the market as well continue to grow in size, the visibility of the brand is sure to become more prominent. With this brand power, it is much easier for franchisees to conduct business since the hard work of getting the business off the ground has already been done for them; all they need to do is market themselves adequately and they will be successful as well.
This brand power can even be translated into a competitive advantage which enables the franchisee to outsell the competition.
Easier access to finance
These franchisors are well known and have probably developed a long – standing relationship with a bank over their lifetime. Consequently, it would be easier for franchisees to obtain loans from these lenders as these banks have an understanding of the nature of the business. In some cases, this relationship may even result in lower interest rates charged on loans.
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