Wendy’s Supa Sundaes is the Australian Established Franchisor of the Year. The Adelaide-based treats chain took the prized trophy in the MYOB FCA Excellence in Franchising Awards Gala Dinner last night at Allphones Arena, Sydney Olympic Park.
Shingle Inn Cafes took out two awards: the Australian Emerging Franchisor of the Year and Franchisee of the Year, two or more staff category.
Optometry and retail franchise, OPSM also scooped two awards on the night, Excellence in Marketing and Franchisee of the Year, less than two staff awards.
Victorian OPSM franchisee Rowan Prendergast attributed his win to the support of his franchisor.
“They’re incredibly flexible and supportive of initiatives that I want to put in place to grow my business. They also consistently invest in what we do as optometrists. The technology growth in our industry is quite rapid and OPSM is at the forefront of that, which really helps me to be great at what I do,” Prendergast said last night.
Specsavers was the recipient of the inaugural award for International Franchisor of the Year. Peter Larson, director of professional services at Specsavers, said the Australian arm of the business now influences the original European brand.
“In the early days it was about transferring the (franchise) model to Australia. As the Australian model grew and the people grew, the model evolved. In fact the learnings and success we’ve had here, we’ve been able to push back to the parent company,” he told the audience.
Psychologist and author Greg Nathan, founder of the Franchise Relationships Institute, was inducted into the FCA Hall of Fame for his 32 years of commitment to the franchising community. Nathan spoke of a vibrant Australian franchise sector after accepting his award.
“The Australian franchise sector has a genuine commitment to success for franchisees as well as franchisors. I think it comes from our ethos of giving everyone a fair go. We also have a strong commitment to quality and excellence, and to top it off we’re incredibly innovative,” he said.
MYOB FCA Excellence in Franchising Awards 2014 Winners
Australian Established Franchisor of the Year – Wendy’s Supa Sundaes
Sponsored by 7-Eleven Australia
Australian Emerging Franchisor of the Year – Shingle Inn
Sponsored by 7-Eleven Australia
International Franchisor of the Year – Specsavers
Sponsored by LeaseEagle
Multi-Unit Franchisee of the Year – Brad and Matt Walker, Grill’d Camberwell, Knox and Southland
Franchisee of the Year, two or more staff – April and Tony Carnie, Nicki Nesbitt and Wiesiek Lewandowski, Shingle Inn Mount Ommaney
Franchisee of the Year, less than two staff – Rowan Prendergast, OPSM Waurn Ponds
Franchise Woman of the Year – Sharon Jurd, HydroKleen Australia
Sponsored by Battery World
Field Manager of the Year – Danika Heslop, Jamaica Blue
Supplier of the Year – Shift8
Excellence in Marketing – OPSM
Sponsored by American Express
Franchisor Social Responsibility – Specsavers
Sponsored by Battery World
Franchisee Community Responsibility and Contribution – David Price, Grill’d Cairns
Sponsored by Crea Legal
Franchise Hall of Fame Inductee 2014 – Greg Nathan, Franchise Relationships Institute