Rather than adopting a defensive strategy of reducing prices, TaxAssist Accountants increased prices, and as a result, bucked a sector trend of decline to achieve growth and a rise in profits of 30 per cent in 2009.

Their commitment to the support and development of their network of 185 franchisees – currently the largest network of accountants specifically servicing the small business sector in the UK – has also reaped rewards, as they discovered when they were named 2010 British Franchise Association HSBC Franchisor of the Year earlier this month.

The awards, supported by Express Newspapers, set out to recognise those franchisors who have demonstrated exceptional levels of innovation and support during one of the toughest economic climates in decades.

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TaxAssist, which provides a full range of professional accountancy services to over 33,000 clients, recognised that in their sector success was not dependent on cutting prices; rather the opposite, and franchisees were encouraged to raise their prices.

In another move that has also proved both innovative and profitable the company invested heavily in local premises.

Franchise recruitment manager David Paulson said: “Out of 185 TaxAssist franchisees, 105 are now trading from shop premises. The move has made them more visible and recognisable, and with strategically chosen locations, more accessible to local business clients. This, coupled with the pricing focus has raised our profile and our market position.”  

Receiving the gold award at the gala awards ceremony at Nottingham’s East Midlands Conference Centre on June 2, chief executive Karl Sandall said: “We are delighted to receive this prestigious award. We have worked hard to build a strong and mutually profitable network, where the emphasis is on helping our franchisees to be successful. In spite of the fact that we are operating in an industry that has recently seen a decline, our network has gone from strength to strength with double digit growth achieved this year across all of our key performance indicators.”

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