With a 30-year track record and 700 bakeries in Australia, Canada and New Zealand, Bakers Delight still looks for franchisees who have a genuine passion both for the product and what they do.

“We like them to make the bakery their primary occupation rather than putting in a manager,” says Chris Gurney, general manager, southern region operations.

These days, almost all of the franchises offered for sale by Bakers Delight are existing businesses.

“That means there’s none of the risk associated with a green field site — franchisees can see the profit and loss figures for themselves,” continues Gurney. “There are also staff in place with an existing business. In most instances, we find that a new franchisee will want to keep around 70 per cent of the people who are there, so they start out with a workforce that knows what to do on a day to day basis.”

Investment required: Approximately 30 per cent of the business value or $150,000, whichever is the greater.