Devon-based franchise brands walk off with top prizes at 2024 BFA HSBC UK British Franchise Awards
Two Devon-based franchise brands have come out as big winner at this year’s BFA HSBC UK British Franchise Awards.
The Creation Station and Football Fun Factory, based in Exmouth and Exeter respectively, have won coveted awards at the BFA’s annual black-tie event, considered the ‘Oscars’ of the franchising world.
With their tag line of ‘Discover Your Tomorrow’, the BFA is widely recognised as the UK’s self-regulatory body for franchising.
The results of their latest national survey in October revealed that the franchising sector contributes £19.1 billion to the UK economy and has a failure rate of just 0.5%. They also saw a 53% growth in the ‘Personal Services’ sector which includes children’s activity brands like The Creation Station and Football Fun Factory.
The most prestigious children’s activity award of the evening went to The Creation Station, who won Franchisor of the Year (Lifestyle) for their award-winning arts and crafts franchise. The Creation Station was founded in 2002 and franchised in 2007. It now has over 60 territories with franchisees in the UK, Canada and India; their founder Sarah Cressall was honoured with an OBE for her services to creativity in education, entertainment and business in December 2023.
Commenting on the Creation Station’s win, founder Sarah Cressall OBE said: “We are truly honoured to receive the Lifestyle Award. This recognition is a testament to the creativity, dedication, and passion of our entire team and our amazing franchise partners. It fuels our commitment to continue inspiring imagination, nurturing potential, and supporting our franchisees in achieving the financial and personal fulfilment they aspire to. The future is bright, and we are excited to keep making a positive impact on the lives of so many."
The second Devonian brand of the night to be recognised was children’s football training franchise Football Fun Factory. The franchise was founded in 2017 and franchised in 2019. They currently have 100 franchisees delivering a weekly schedule of football programmes to boys and girls aged two to twelve, as well as school holiday camps, parties and events.
Franchisee Jon Radford who owns the Exeter and Cranbrook territories, won the Community Focus Award.
A delighted Jon said: “I couldn’t be more delighted to be named the winner of this award. My franchise journey to date has been a whirlwind and I’m so excited for the future. The Football Fun Factory is more than just a business. It is a way of giving back to my community and making a positive impact on the lives of the children and their families. I’d like to say a massive thank you to our head office team, my wife and my talented assistant coaches who represent our fantastic community so well.”
Pip Wilkins, Chief Executive of the BFA said: “These are such great wins for The Creation Station and Football Fun Factory. As our recent survey showed, the ‘Personal Services’ franchise sector, which includes these brands, has seen a 53% growth since the last survey, and we are delighted to see them winning so many awards. We thank them all for their hard work and dedication and for being great ambassadors for ethical business format franchising in the UK today.”
UK Head of Franchise at sponsors HSBC UK Gillian Morris said: “Judging the awards is always so hard, but I am forever impressed by the calibre of entries we receive and the achievements of the winners. It was a pleasure to attend the awards this evening and I am glad to report that the UK franchise sector is a buoyant and successful place to do business, and I send my huge congratulations to all the winners.”
