The British Franchise Association (bfa) has announced the nine finalists who will be seeking recognition in next month’s 2005 Franchisee of the Year Awards.

The judging panel, led by bfa President Sir Bernard Ingham, was looking for franchisees whose businesses have outperformed competitors and excelled at ‘Managing Change’, the theme for this year’s competition.

The winner of the Awards, sponsored by HSBC in association with Express Newspapers, will receive a cheque for £5,000 from HSBC. Second and third-placed franchisees will receive cheques from HSBC for £3,000 and £2,000 respectively.

JOHN PASSFIELD and ROY SHARPE joined forces to run seven franchises for commercial landscaping specialists Countrywide Grounds Maintenance in the Derbyshire area. Initially they formed Countrywide Central to secure a five-year grounds maintenance contract with Severn Trent Water, but the directors have since merged all their business interests, enabling them to build a firmer platform for ongoing development.

Expense Reduction Analysts franchisee TONY WILCOCK advises businesses in Cheltenham on how to reduce costs. Launching his franchise in 2001, he drew on his past experience in sales and marketing for two major multi-nationals, and the core strengths of the ERA franchise model, to set himself measurable targets. Last year he increased sales by 67 per cent, and profits by 114 per cent.

KAREN WELSH runs the Lisburn, Northern Ireland franchise for Jo Jingles, the music, singing and movement classes for pre-school children. Set up in 2002, the franchise now turns over £55,000, but for Karen, business success is only one of her goals. In a particularly divided area of Northern Ireland she delivers Jo Jingles classes across the entire community, with the message that music is for all children regardless of their background.

JOHN BASSETT runs a prime Mitchell & Butlers pub near the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. A former pub manager for the company, he decided to invest when they launched their pub business franchises. He used their purchasing power to put together competitive food and drink offers, and developed a strong sports theme to give the pub a specific identity. As a franchisee his turnover was 71 percent higher than the previous year when the pub was a managed business.

SIMONE BERRISFORD-INCE runs the second largest UK franchise of domestic cleaning specialist Molly Maid in Knutsford, Cheshire. Franchisees are expected to secure three routes in 12 months and six in two years. Simone had six routes and 12 staff within 13 months, and was ready to purchasing her second franchise, a struggling business that she has since turned around. She attributes her success to following the franchise system and adapting skills she learned building her first business to help her rescue the second.

Rainbow International franchisees ANDY AND CAROL WEST provide disaster restoration and cleaning expertise in Rugeley, Staffordshire. As the first Rainbow franchisees to employ a dedicated sales team, the Wests wanted to broaden their business base and become less dependent on insurance contracts. Now over 50 per cent of their work is self generated. They operate an incentive scheme that encourages their 28 staff to be equally pro-active in their approach to new business.

PETER HARRIS, of Rowlands Castle, near Portsmouth, runs three Snap-on Tools car repair diagnostics franchises. He left school at 16 to work in a garage restoring vintage cars, but aspired to run his own business, eventually deciding to invest in a Snap-on Tools franchise. With the support of a global organisation, and the attributes that every successful franchisee needs – tenacity, and unwavering focus on his customers - he is predicting a current this year turnover in excess of £750,000.

THOMAS PALFREYMAN operates the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Urban Planters interior landscaping franchise. Launched nine years ago, the business is now a limited company with 12 employees and a turnover of £650,000. Thomas recently organised a management buyout of the franchise company, safeguarding not only his own business but also the rest of the network, which faced an uncertain future following the retirement of the former owners.

Wiltshire Farm Foods franchisee ADAM MICHALLAT-COX employs 11 people in the Bristol area providing quality frozen home meals to the elderly and housebound. Starting up in 1993, he struggled to market the concept effectively. In 1996 the franchise was taken over by Apetito, who brought a wealth of expertise and substantial investment in marketing. Adam has since completed an MBA, applying much of the theory he learned to the practice of running his business, and was recently awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise 2005.

The awards will be presented at a gala dinner at the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham on Thursday, October 6. The event is a highlight of National Franchise week and precedes the National Franchise Exhibition at the NEC Birmingham.