Top franchises announced at Irish Franchise Awards 2007
The winners of the Irish Franchise Awards 2007 were announced at a formal black-tie award ceremony presented by the inimitable Marty Whelan on November 22nd at the Conrad Hilton Hotel in Dublin, The Irish Franchise Awards, sponsored by Ulster Bank, recognise excellence in franchising and top honours went to Holohan Solicitors, Kendlebell, Chem-Dry, Quiznos, Snap Printing and Abrakebabra Investments which includes three franchises; Abrakebabra, The Bagel Factory and YO!Sushi.
The awards are notably prestigious this year as the franchise sector has recently shown spectacular growth and an increase in turnover to €2.099 billion with currently 270 active systems in Ireland providing 25,461 jobs. This year’s awards ceremony was also a momentous occasion for the Irish Franchise Association as they unveiled their new corporate identity.
In his address John Green, chairman of the Association, said, “The latest survey produced by Franchise Direct shows a very vibrant industry and this has been achieved without any recourse to state assistance or intervention, and I must say that our policy makers should not overlook the importance of the franchise sector. Numerous reports have highlighted the growing importance of the service sector in delivering future wealth and employment growth in Ireland, and I think that the Irish franchise industry has a valuable contribution to make towards the shaping of future industrial and business policy.”
John McGrane, head of commercial and business banking at Ulster Bank, said, “We are delighted to be sponsoring these prestigious awards which recognise creativity, drive and commitment to excellence, and promote the development of franchising in Ireland. As the fastest growing financial player in the Irish market, we are proud to support their success and look forward to continuing our partnership with this sector in the years ahead.”
Winners by category:
Franchise Person of the Year – presented by Irish Franchise Exhibition
BILL HOLOHAN: HOLOHAN SOLICITORS
Best Emerging Franchise – presented by Irish Franchise Magazine
KENDLEBELL: TOM SHANAHAN AND DAVID KELLY
Franchisee of the Year, Service - presented by Irish Independent, Business
DONNCHADH AND DENISE McGINN: CHEM-DRY
Franchisee of the Year, Retail - presented by Irish Independent, Business
EDWARD MARCUS: QUIZNOS
Franchise of the Year, Service – presented by Ulster Bank
SNAP PRINTING
Franchise of the Year, Retail – presented by Ulster Bank
ABRAKEBABRA INVESTMENTS
More on the winners
Franchise Person of the Year - Bill Holohan: Holohan Solicitors
Bill Holohan, senior partner at Holohan Solicitors, Intellectual Property Lawyers and Trade Mark Agent, is the first service professional ever to be recognised by the Irish Franchise Association. Bill Holohan is, uniquely in Ireland, qualified as a solicitor, and a Commissioner for Oaths, and he is also a Notary Public, a Chartered Arbitrator, CEDR Accredited Mediator, an Irish Trade Mark Agent and an EU Community Trade Mark Practitioner. Bill Holohan is the co-author of a number of books on “Bankruptcy”, “Leasing”, “Civil Procedures”, “Insolvency”, and “Bankruptcy & the Rescue of Companies”, as well as being the author of booklets on “How to Franchise Your Business” and “Franchising and Business – Issues to Consider”, which were compiled by him for the Irish Franchise Association. Other finalists in this category included Raymond Cowzer from The Bagel Bar, Owen Corcoran of Handyman Matters, Adrian Garvey of O’Briens Sandwich Bars and David Zebedee of Abrakebabra.
Best Emerging Franchise - Kendlebell (www.kbell.ie)
Kendlebell is a ‘virtual office’ business providing telephone answering, secretarial services, postal addresses and a host of other related services to the SME sector. It was founded in 2006 by local businessmen David Kelly and Tom Shanahan and has successfully opened four additional franchised offices across Ireland. Kendlebell in Fairview already provides services to over 300 companies. Commenting on the shortlist, David Kelly said, “We are delighted to win the best emerging franchise award and it’s a tribute to the wider Kendlebell team that we’ve enjoyed success thus far. Demand is high for outsourced, personalised, quality services like ours and any recognition of our work to date is extremely welcome.” Other finalists in this category included Handyman Matters, the streat, Zumo and Munster Tool Co.
Franchisee of the Year, Service - Donnchadh and Denise McGinn: Chem-Dry (donmcginn@eircom.net)
Chem-Dry is the largest carpet & upholstery cleaning franchise in the world, cleaning over one billion square feet of carpeting. Chem-Dry celebrates 19 successful years in Ireland, with 47 franchises operating around the country. Donnchadh and Denise operate three franchises and service the whole of Co Kildare. Other finalists in this category included Derek O’Dwyer of Action Coach, Michael O’Hara of Signs Express and John Dawson of Snap Printing.
Franchisee of the Year, Retail - Edward Marcus: Quiznos (www.quiznos.ie)
Quiznos delivers uncompromising quality for today's busy consumers who are looking for a tasty, fresher alternative to traditional fast food restaurants. Quiznos Sub takes the classic "submarine" sandwich and toasts the ingredients on artisan breads, with proprietary sauces. The commitment that Quiznos Sub made to its customers from day one was that it would source the best ingredients for every part of the food to offer better tasting food through creative, chef inspired recipes to give a food that’s a cut above the rest. It is estimated that a new Quiznos location opens every 16 hours somewhere in the world. The first Irish Quiznos Sub was launched in November 2004 and there are now 11 restaurants in the Republic of Ireland, with a number of additional units in the design phase or the build phase. Other finalists in this category include Padraig Brady of The Bagel Bar, Paul Dalzell of the streat, Aonghus McGuinness from O’Briens Sandwich Bars, and Martin and John Griffin of I/2 Price Ink.
Franchise of the Year, Service – Snap Printing (www.snapprinting.ie)
Snap Printing is Ireland’s largest business design and print provider. The company was founded in 1984 and employs 180 people across its 23 Irish franchised centres. Snap Printing offers a comprehensive range of products and services including marketing communication advice, graphic design, direct mail, hundreds of promotional products, point of sale, personalisation and fulfilment services, presentation of quarterly and annual reports, and all forms of digital and litho printing. Other finalists in this category included Signs Express, Shredit, ½ Price Ink and Chem-Dry Ireland.
Franchise of the Year, Retail – Abrakebabra Investments
Abrakebabra Investments includes three franchises owned by Graeme Beere and David Zebedee - Abrakebabra, The Bagel Factory and YO!Sushi. Abrakebabra is the number 1 fast food brand in Ireland, with over 55 franchisees operating successfully around the country and with a group turnover in excess of €33m. The Bagel Factory was established in March 2003. YO!Sushi opened its first outlet recently in Ireland at the Dundrum Shopping Centre. YO!Sushi food is based on a mixture of traditional Japanese and Western dishes - fresh, seasonal - and prepared daily by trained chefs, with over 100 staple items to choose from. Other finalists in this category included O’Briens Sandwich Bars, The Bagel Bar, the streat and Apache Pizza.