An entrepreneur from Peterborough, who gave up a full time career as a managing director of a vegetable growing business to launch a franchise specialising in property lettings, has been crowned Gold Winner in the 2007 British Franchise Association Franchisee of the Year Awards, sponsored by HSBC Bank and Express Newspapers.

Beating off stiff competition, Terry Lucking was presented with the Gold Winner's trophy and an HSBC cheque for £5,000 at a glittering gala dinner held last night at Birmingham's International Convention Centre.

Speaking immediately after the Awards, Terry said: "This is one of the proudest moments of my life and terrific recognition for my team who have worked so hard to achieve this success."

The prestigious bfa Franchisee of the Year Awards were launched in April as a celebration of the best-performing franchisees in a booming industry, now employing over 370,000 people and worth an annual £10 billion to the UK economy.

Terry has run the Peterborough franchise of Belvoir, the property lettings and management specialists, for eight years and has built it into one of the most successful businesses in the extensive network.

For Belvoir, customer focus requires double vision as the business needs to consider the needs of tenants and landlords equally. And Terry, in tandem with his franchisor, has developed a series of initiatives providing his customers with greater value for money and to help keep Terry ahead of his competitors with the changing needs of these two market sectors.

These include using feedback forms, encouraging customers to grade the level of service received, and all suggestions and criticisms are addressed personally. Former prospective customers are contacted for their opinions and "mystery shopper" reports are carried out on Belvoir agents and their competitors, while tenants can earn a £50 cash back voucher if they introduce new customers.

Improving customer service is at the heart of the business's success and Terry Lucking makes sure he reviews all key management data to see where changes can be made. Identifying needs and developing procedures and products to meet those needs is an on-going process that makes the system more robust and helps the company stay a step ahead of the competition.

Belvoir Peterborough has developed and implemented a system, now used by many Belvoir franchisees, for making digital recordings of properties at the beginning and end of tenancies, which has helped resolve disputes over claims for damages. Prospective tenants can also view "mini movies" of properties on home or office computers. Branded uniforms are another Peterborough development and Terry has also been responsible for providing landlords with access to a free investment and protection review with a leading wealth management company.

While developing many of these improvements himself, Terry has also continued to work closely with the Belvoir network. He has regularly chaired the networking group that meets quarterly to assess and review changes within the industry and generate responses that keep Belvoir at the head of its field.

Belvoir Peterborough has recently moved into new premises that reflect the success of the business and, at the same time, reported a record month for sales revenue. According to Terry Lucking, it's all due to treating everyone as though they are a valued customer and putting their interests first.

The judging panel, chaired by bfa President, Sir Bernard Ingham, was looking for franchisees who could show how they have achieved customer focus - the theme for this year's Awards. Terry demonstrated this by illustrating how they are tracking consumer needs and responding with systems, products and services to meet demand.

Cathryn Hayes, Head of Franchising for HSBC Bank, said: "Judging these Awards is always a difficult task but we felt that Terry showed determination and commitment to building a successful business.

"This is a franchisee who truly understands that without the customer, there is no business. It's a strategy that has seen a whole raft of innovation and inspired initiatives flow into the business. Indeed, so successful have these been that many of Terry's ground breaking ideas have quite rightly been adopted through the Belvoir network."

Director General of the bfa, Brian Smart, added: "The franchise sector is home to some of the UK's most successful brands. These brands have been built on the foundation of a franchisor driven to build and support a network and franchisees who are committed to developing their own business.

"The awards recognise the very best franchisees and how their focus and drive, when supplemented by the support of a franchisor, results in the growth of a sustainable, and profitable business."

"Terry is an inspiring example of such a partnership working at its very best - and we congratulate him on winning the 2007 Gold Award."

Express Newspapers' Advertisement Manager, Yvette Taylor, said: "The Gold Award Winner in these important awards are an ambassador for the franchising industry and an inspiration to all those thinking of starting up on their own. We look forward to sharing Terry's success story with our family of four million readers."