Excellent franchisors honoured

(L - R): Derek Smith of The Coffee Stop, winner of the Newcomer Franchisor of the Year; Tonie Roskell of The Coffee Stop, winner of the Franchisor: Leading Developer of Emerging Entrepreneurs award; Gerald and Cedric Brown of DoRego’s, winner of the Franchisor of the Year Award; Masurick van der Walt of Tina Cowley Reading Centre, winner of the Franchisee of the Year Award; and Renier Hattingh and Riaan van den Berg of Scooters Pizza, winners of the Brand Builder of the Year Award.

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Commenting on the awards and the industry at large, Vera Valasis, executive director of FASA, says, "Despite the economic downturn, franchising continues to be a dominant business format as far as SME development is concerned. Across the globe, small business is recognized as the safety net of any economy and franchising proved its resilience in the face of the global recession. One must remember that some of the greatest companies and franchises have been started and built during the worst of times."

The association now represents the highest number of franchisors in its 32-year history and in the past year over 25 franchises joined, many of them new concepts.

Winners

• Franchisor of the Year category - DoRego's, which was started in the early seventies in Cape Town, has adapted to the changing socio-economic times to become one of the country's fastest growing food brands. Its 72 stores cater for all income groups, offering a variety of food items ranging from chicken, fish and chips, burgers and sandwiches. Selected stores incorporate a fresh/frozen fish counter.
  The runners-up were:

  • Fastway Couriers (South Africa)
    
  • Scooters Pizza
    
  • Spec-Savers

• Franchisee of the Year - Masurick van der Walt, owner of the Tina Cowley Reading Centre, Gezina, Pretoria for her 'compassion and passion', combined with financial success that lie at the heart of the business. The franchise, one of the largest in the country with 100 outlets, sets itself apart in that it aims at improving the life potential of the individual rather than just developing a skill.
  The runners-up were:

  • Steven Dally, franchise owner of DoRego's, Johannesburg
    
  • Retha Veldman of Tina Cowley Reading Centre Muckleneuk & Alberton franchises, Gauteng
    
  • Marietjie Taljaard of Tina Cowley Reading Centre - Brackenfell, Western Cape
    
  • Rene Theunissen of Tina Cowley Reading Centre - Eversdal, Western

• Franchisor - Leading Developer of Emerging Entrepreneurs - was won The Coffee Stop, an initiative with retailer Massmart and the National Youth Development Agency assisting previously disadvantaged youths to becoming small business owners. The training program recruits 15 individuals from the local community who participate in six-months training and mentoring program to be able to work in and manage every aspect of the franchise. One cadet is then chosen as the Top Cadet and awarded a 51% loan (assisted by the franchisor) to purchase shares in The Coffee Stop store in which they trained.
  The runners-up were:

  • DoRego's
    
  • Hot Dog Cafe
    
  • Nizams
    
  • The Courier Guy's

• Newcomer Franchisor of the Year - was won by the Coffee Stop restaurant at Builders Warehouse.
  The runners-up were:

  • Fastway Couriers (South Africa)
    
  • Rhapsody's Flavours of Life

• Brand Builder of the Year - Scooters Pizza's for getting the balance between brand awareness and great value product offerings with their 'Double up with Double Deals' campaign, which has earned them the award.
  The runners-up were:

  • Boost Juice Bars
    
  • Maxi's
    
  • Roman's Pizza
    
  • Sandwich Baron

• Hall Of Fame Award - this honours individuals or companies who have made not only a significant contribution to the franchise sector but have played a positive role in the running of the franchise association. The 2011 award went to Eugene Honey, head of the Intellectual Property department at Bowman Gilfillan, a long-standing member of FASA and its legal advisor. He acts for many local and international franchisors and licensors particularly in the structuring, set up and development of franchise and license systems, including the preparation of franchise and license agreements, distribution agreements or the auditing thereof, as well as advice in relation to the operations manual and the disclosure document.

The Awards not only put the spotlight on those franchisors and franchisees that are members of FASA and uphold its ethical standards, but also highlights the contribution that the sector makes to the various industries within the economy. Its contribution of 11.8% to GDP is larger than many other industries, including agriculture, mining, electricity, construction, transport etc.