Horizon support for the BRW Franchising Forum

Horizon was pleased to be able to support the inaugural BRW Franchising Forum, held in the Hilton Sydney. It was a great opportunity to bring together strong, iconic Australian brands and hear them discuss the things that matter the most to them. Our clients were present, including Pack & Send, Snap-on Tools and Gloria Jean’s Coffees, getting the most out of presentations from luminaries including Don Grover, CEO of Dymocks; Roger Gillespie, Founder and Executive Chairman of Baker’s Delight; and Nabi Saleh, Founder and Executive Chairman of Gloria Jean’s Coffees.

 

It was an insightful day, with more than 100 delegates avidly discussing the opportunities in a downturn. It included a lighthearted discussion by Roger on issues with landlords and finer points of rental negotiations – “just walk out on them if you don’t get what you need” – drawing wry laughter from our well informed group of retail operators.

There was ample opportunity to talk about how to recruit the best franchisees into the system, and confronting statistics from Adrian McFedries, Managing Director of DC Strategy. Adrian had some fairly strong opinions on the health of different franchise systems, giving most of our delegates pause for thought.

My colleague and business partner Liz McLaughlin from Horizon sat on a panel providing direct advice on how to improve the positioning of a franchise business in the consumer’s eyes and how to secure the best possible opportunities for expansion, attracting the right business partners as franchisees.

The day was well received and the content was thought provoking. Although by far the best part was being able to grab a coffee at the Gloria Jean’s coffee cart we installed just for the day. Nothing better than a shot of espresso to keep the brain working during the challenging sessions.

We’re looking forward to next year!

Posted by Justin Flaherty, Managing Director Horizon Communication Group