On Tuesday evening OPSM was recognised at the FCA Excellence in Franchising Awards, with OPSM taking out top honours in the categories; Excellence in Marketing and Franchisee of the Year(less than two staff). The annual ceremony and gala dinner by the Franchise Council of Australia, honours franchising’s best and brightest individuals and businesses across a range of functions including franchisees, support staff and franchise systems.
Winner of the Franchisee of the Year (less than two staff) was OPSM’s Waurn Ponds. Franchisee owner Rowan Prendergast said, “OPSM are 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.”
Peter Baily, Director – Franchising & Acquisitions at OPSM, commented on the importance of OPSM’s franchise partners, “Franchising is increasingly becoming a bigger and more important part of our business. We are proud of the contribution our franchise partners make and their passion for providing leading eye care and eyewear for their customers.”
The OPSM Eye Check App was awarded in the category of Excellence in Marketing, a free app that takes users through a series of screenings for Near Distance, Contrast Sensitivity, Distance Vision, Astigmatism and Colour Vision in about two to three minutes. The innovative app can help Australians over the age of 18, gauge if they may have an issue with any of these areas of their vision, and easily book an eye test at their local OPSM store directly from the app.
One of the most exciting developments within the OPSM franchise partner network has been the increasing sophistication of the franchise partners. “Our strategy has always been to work hard during recruitment to ensure we partner with the right people. Our franchise partners have a high level of business acumen, share our focus on high quality services and have the capacity to grow with us. It is very satisfying to see our franchise partners embracing the model and growing their businesses through multiple stores,” concludes Bailey.