The Westpac New Zealand Franchise Awards, held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Auckland on 16th November and attended by more than 200 members of FANZ and their guests, is the annual showcase for outstanding performers in franchising and suppliers to the franchising sector.
Once again, this year’s awards attracted a quality entry and all those who reached finalist status were commended by the judges. The Westpac New Zealand Franchise Awards entries are independently evaluated and judged under the internationally recognised Baldrige criteria for business excellence and administered by the New Zealand Business Excellence Foundation. The Franchise Export Award receives additional judging by New Zealand Trade & Enterprise.
The highly contested Supreme Franchise System of the Year award went to The Coffee Club Franchising (NZ) Ltd., who for the second year in succession, took out both the category and the supreme awards. In the judges’ opinion, The Coffee Club is a sound franchise system which truly sets the benchmark. They have taken yet another step up from last year with further development in their approaches to understand and respond to customers. They have also clearly taken on board previous feedback to continuously improve their business systems and reporting and have used it to further grow their franchise system. The Coffee Club’s approach to align the strategy, structures and processes in their business is approaching ‘role model’ level.
The Supreme Franchisee of the Year Award was again won by The Coffee Club, Bethlehem. The judges commented that the Coffee Club Bethlehem continues to be a standout franchisee. They maximise the strong business systems and reporting information of their franchise system. They combine this with a comprehensive understanding of their customer base and innovative approaches to customer relationships. Operating in a small and competitive environment, the attention to detail of The Coffee Club Bethlehem is second to none and is a deserving winner for the second year in a row.
Ian Robertson, Chairman of FANZ said, “This event allows us to recognise excellence by awarding those members of the Association who have had their business evaluated and judged using the key performance measures within the internationally recognised Baldrige criteria for business excellence, whether as franchisors, franchisees or as service providers within the franchise community. In entering the Westpac New Zealand Franchise Awards each entrant opens up their business to the scrutiny of the evaluators and judges. Through this process those entrants learn more about their business; its strengths and its weaknesses, which in turn enables them to better chart their roadmap for on-going success.
Joy Marslin, Head of Private Wealth Management, Westpac New Zealand Ltd. commented, “We know the importance of businesses of all sizes to the economy – that’s why we’ve sponsored these prestigious awards for 19 years. Over that time we’ve seen the franchising industry grow, develop and enhance its reputation both domestically and internationally. Franchising is a key driver of growth in New Zealand and an important part of our economy – and we’d like to congratulate the Franchise Association of New Zealand for the partnership we’ve now built up over many years. It’s a real tribute to the industry that so many franchises entered this year’s awards and that a number were also acknowledged in the various local Business Excellence Awards around the country.
Mike Watson, Chief Executive Officer of the New Zealand Business Excellence Foundation said that the judges had been impressed by the commitment to customer service and the entrepreneurial spirit and leadership displayed by the applicants. The evaluation and judging process provided a valuable insight into the health of the industry and there were inspiring stories being told, coupled with the achievement of some exceptional results. In spite of the challenging economic climate the Franchising sector continues to evolve and grow.
The 19th Westpac New Zealand Franchise Awards Winners:
SUPREME AWARDS
Westpac Franchise System of the Year – The Coffee Club Franchising (NZ) Ltd
Westpac Franchisee of the Year – The Coffee Club, Bethlehem
CATEGORY AWARDS
Business Services Franchisee of the Year sponsored by KGA Limited
Paramount Services Ltd. Bruce Mildon – Hawkes Bay
Business Services Franchise System of the Year sponsored by KGA Limited
Paramount Franchise Services Ltd.
Food and Beverage Franchisee of the Year sponsored by Super Liquor Holdings & Lion – The Coffee Club – Bethlehem
Food and Beverage Franchise System of the Year sponsored by Super Liquor Holdings & Lion– The Coffee Club Franchising (NZ) Ltd
Highly Commended – BurgerFuel
Home Services Franchisee of the Year sponsored by Franchise New Zealand magazine & website – V.I.P. Home Services Mount Maunganui
Home Services Franchise System of the Year sponsored by Franchise New Zealand magazine & website – Green Acres Franchise Group
Lifestyle Services Franchisee of the Year sponsored by Waipuna Hotel & Conference Centre – Just Cabins – West Coast
Highly Commended –SKIDS Willow Bank and Sancta Maria
Lifestyle Services Franchise System of the Year sponsored by Waipuna Hotel & Conference Centre – Just Cabins Ltd.
Retail Franchisees of the Year sponsored by Franchise Accountants – Mister Minit – The Palms and Mister Minit – Shore City (Joint Award)
Retail Franchise System of the Year sponsored by Franchise Accountants – Minit New Zealand Ltd.
SPECIAL AWARDS
Franchise Exporter of the Year Award sponsored by MacDonald Bailey Law –
BurgerFuel
Service Provider of the Year Award sponsored by Westpac New Zealand –
Franchize Consultants
Emerging Franchise System of the Year sponsored by Silver Chef Ltd. –
Pack & Send New Zealand
Highly Commended – Refresh Renovations
