. Lancashire-based Oscar Pet Foods received the runners-up trophy at last month’s awards ceremony at London’s Sheraton Park Lane Hotel.
The theme this year for the Express Newspapers and HSBC Bank-sponsored awards was ‘now and then, five years on’, with franchisors being asked to demonstrate to the judging panel the developments they have brought to their businesses over the past five years.
Five years ago, few would have believed that Oscar Pet Foods could transform itself quite so dramatically, but following a management buy-out Oscar did indeed improve almost beyond recognition in the highly competitive pet food arena.
Much of the company’s recent success has been credited to a renewed commitment to establishing and maintaining a strong partnership with all the franchisees in the network. This included organising a UK tour where Oscar directors had the opportunity to meet every single franchisee.
Franchisees' opinions and input are extremely important to the franchisor, with regular meetings taking place at their Preston head office to exchange ideas and consult on strategy.
Oscar's success has also been supported by a new marketing initiative and a complete re-branding of the company. With a range of new products, professional packaging, an innovative new van design and a re-launched uniform, the company set the scene for growth. 
Public relations have also played a key part, as Oscar went from generating very little publicity to receiving over a thousand pieces of national and regional press coverage, largely taking advantage of the great pet stories that franchisees encounter and that people love to read about.
Director General of the bfa Brian Smart, said: “Oscar Pet Foods stood out among the short-listed companies and deserves recognition for their outstanding achievements. They have continually developed their business model to support their network of franchisees, ensuring they maximise growth whilst building a sustainable and profitable business.”
Head of franchising for HSBC, Cathryn Hayes, added: “Oscar Pet Food has consistently developed products and services to meet new customers’ needs.”
“We at HSBC are committed to delivering the same level of service to our customers in franchising – a growing sector we have been supporting for more than 20 years.”
For more information on the world of franchising, please visit www.dailyexpressfranchise.com or www.thebfa.org.