Mike Goddard, Chairman of the British Franchise Association (bfa) and Belvoir, one of the UK’s largest specialist residential lettings agencies, represented Great Britain at the World Franchise Council meeting in South Korea.

 

“I was honoured to represent Great Britain and Belvoir at this international conference,” says Mike, who was accompanied by bfa Director General, Brian Smart. “The three-day meeting was attended by 36 countries including the USA, which is the biggest franchising economy in the world. Great Britain’s attendance further established its position on the world stage as a trading nation.”

 

Mike describes the three-day meeting as very intense, but extremely productive. “The event was hosted by the Korean Franchise Association and the Prime Minister of South Korea gave a serious presentation on the importance of franchising in his country and the government support that it receives. As a practicing franchisor I was able to fully understand the issues that were raised and contribute to the debate.

 

“The bfa is well recognised internationally as a leading organisation in franchising and it was fantastic to be part of an event that brought together all the major nations of the world with an interest in franchising.

 

“At present in Britain franchising does not have the profile or the political will to to bring more people into business, but I believe that franchising can play a huge role in the recovery of the UK economy via small businesses. This meeting enabled us to share strategies and learn how to effectively lobby our government, educate the public and generally promote franchising as a successful business model, which can only be good for the UK economy.”