In The News 
How franchisors supported franchisees after Gabrielle 20th March 2023
March 2023 – How did franchisors help after the Anniversary Day floods and Cyclone Gabrielle?
Support KidsCan – earn free advertising 8th March 2023
Franchises supporting this little Mini on the Pork Pie Charity Run can earn a week’s free advertising on our Home Page at www.franchise.co.nz
Happy birthday, Speedy Signs 24th February 2023
24 February 2023 – Speedy Signs celebrated its 25th birthday in New Zealand yesterday, marking the long-term success of the popular business-to-business franchise
Franchise marketing software company re-brands 13th February 2023
13 February 2023 – Brand Machine, the well-known marketing software provider to the franchise industry, has re-branded to Storyteq
Australia's first joint employer prosecution against franchisor 12th February 2023
10 February 2023 – Australia’s first prosecution of a franchisor for wage underpayments by its franchisees has commenced in the Federal Court more than five years after legislation that makes franchisors jointly liable was first passed. Jason Gehrke reports.
Westpac’s Flood Relief Fund for small business customers 12th February 2023
7 February 2023 – Westpac has established a $1million flood relief fund to support its small business customers who have been affected by the recent floods in the upper North Island
Tax relief for adverse events 9th February 2023
9 February 2023 - The Inland Revenue is offering additional support to those affected by recent severe weather events. The following information has been provided by the IRD - all links will take you direct to the relevant page on the IRD website
Former liquor store employees to be paid outstanding $260,000 9th February 2023
8 February 2023 – Five former employees of a Bottle-O franchisee will receive over a quarter of a million dollars in back pay after an Employment Court ruling. The owner has also been banned from employing anyone for 12 months
Online and in-person seminars to improve franchisee performance 3rd February 2023
Four seminars being held in May/June are designed to give franchisor teams the tools they need to help franchisees get the most out of their businesses.
The sessions, run by multi-award-winning Auckland experts Franchize Consultants, are designed to respond to real-life challenges and help answer real-life questions. They are facilitated by two of the company's most experienced consultants: Michelle Bentham, who has many years of operational experience with McDonald’s and Subway; and Dr Callum Floyd, who has led franchise system development and improvement projects for local and international franchises across a range of business sectors.
They cover:
Franchise field support visit training
Improving franchisee performance
Managing a franchise system
Franchisee business planning for field managers
Four Square franchise getting a face lift 1st February 2023
2 February 2022 - The Four Square mini-supermarket chain is one of the country’s longest standing brands, having been in business for 99 years, and owner Foodstuffs is keeping the brand up-tp-date with a nationwide revamp. The green, red and yellow branding update has started in the North Island with plans to extend to all 226 stores nationwide.
SUPPORT KIT for franchisees hit by flooding 30th January 2023
31 January 2023 - The flooding in Auckland and the Upper North Island will see franchisees needing help and support to deal with the consequences. The Franchise Relationships Institute offers a free Franchisee Support Kit to assist franchisors and others wanting to help franchisees and families affected by disasters.
5 tips for small business after flooding 30th January 2023
31 January 2023 - Over the last weekend, Auckland was hit by severe flooding in many parts of the city. Many roads in the North Island are still closed due to the flooding. These floods have affected the livelihoods of many Kiwis living in the North Island. This article from Stuff helps outline some steps that small business owners can take to navigate the unexpected circumstances that they find themselves in.
Join the NZ delegation to International Franchise Expo in New York 25th January 2023
Which franchise can you afford? 23rd December 2022
NAMED – the best franchises in New Zealand 23rd December 2022
What do franchise buyers want? 23rd December 2022
A new survey has some lessons for prospective franchisees as well as franchisors. Dr Callum Floyd and Adrienne Heard of Franchize Consultants and Simon Lord of Franchise New Zealand media report
Where do you want to be? Moving for a new business 23rd December 2022
McDonald's franchisee pays $28/hour for new staff 21st December 2022
22 December 2022 - A McDonald’s franchisee in Queenstown is offering $28 an hour for untrained and inexperienced staff to work during its busiest time of the year.
The difficulty of finding staff in the hospitality sector has been highlighted by the McDonald's franchisees in Queenstown and Frankton, who are offering $28 an hour for untrained and inexperienced staff to work during their busiest time of year. Workers will also be paid time-and-a-half on public holidays – a total of $42 an hour before tax. Workers at the two stores are already being paid a starting rate of $25 an hour, necessary to meet Immigration NZ requirements.
'I think it’s a significant amount of money to pay somebody you train on the job,' franchisee Sarah Lucas told Stuff. She said she was frustrated with Immigration NZ policies and had found the new Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) system and its implementation 'woefully inept'. The AEWV actually discriminates against franchisees as employers, charging them more than 5 times as much as independent businesses to become accredited under the scheme.
People were now paying more for the system and getting a worse service than before, Lucas said.
'I email Immigration all the time. Some of our people get stuck in the system, and they just don’t move. They just sit there, and nobody tells you,' she said. 'I just wish the Government would wake up and see what they’re doing to businesses.'
Modern slavery: record $1.55m fines for ex-franchisee 18th December 2022
19 December 2022 - A multi-unit liquor store franchisee and his associated companies have been slapped with a record $1.55 million in fines after he confiscated workers’ bank cards, forced them to work 70-hour weeks and made them sleep in a cubicle at one of his shops.
Sukhdev Singh, who owned four Liquor Centre stores, will have to pay $415,800 himself within 14 days. The Samra group of companies which ran the stores have to pay up $1.138m. Singh also received the longest-ever banning order from operating a company, a three-year term starting in January. The offending took place between 2015 and 2019.
The chief executive of franchisor Tasman Liquor, Grant Simpson, told Stuff the offending happened before they bought the Liquor Centre chain in 2020. He said they terminated their relationship with the Samra group in 2021 after the first judgement against them. Simpson said they would not work with the group again and was working with the Inspectorate to “eradicate this type of behaviour” from the industry.
Franchising unites to support Pork Pie run for charity 13th December 2022
13 December 2022 – Two franchising personalities are taking this Mini to Invercargill – and aim to raise a massive $100,000 for KidsCan along the way
NZ's best franchises named - with full pictures 9th December 2022
When franchisee finance can be illegal 9th December 2022
December – 2022 Might some franchisors’ attempts to help their franchisees with financing, pricing or selling cause them to fall foul of some unexpected laws? Michael Bright investigates
New Life Members for FANZ 7th December 2022
November 2022 - The Franchise Association has appointed three new Life Members in recognition of their long-term contribution to the franchise sector
Change and success in the food biz 5th December 2022
Food franchises have always been popular – after all, everyone needs to eat. But hospitality is going through massive changes, so what do new buyers need to think about?
Should you buy a business instead of a house? 2nd December 2022
2 December 2022 - An interesting article from Stuff today about the possible value of buying a business rather than a house. It interviews Krista Coningham, the new Westpac Supreme Franchisee of the Year (although it gets a little confused about her awards - see our full report here) and Chris Small of ABC Business Sales, who seems a bit less enthusiastic about franchises - his company doesn't specialise in franchises as much as some other brokers do. He previously recommended buying existing businesses rather than new ones, and we posted some thoughts here. As always, it pays to take expert advice before buying any business from anyone.
Attracting migrant capital 26th November 2022
26 November 2022 – Details have now been published of the new Active Investor Plus scheme. What might it offer to franchisors, franchisees and migrants? Simon Laurent reports
NZ Franchise Awards 2022 Results: YOU BEAUTY! 12th November 2022
12 November 2022 – Two home-grown beauty brands starred at the Westpac New Zealand Franchise Awards. Both were Supreme Award winners for the first time, while winning franchisees came from towns all over the country.
For results of the 2024 Westpac New Zealand Awards see Celebrating Excellence.
Christmas comes early thanks to KidsCan kids 7th November 2022
November 2022 – Every year, The Coffee Club and KidsCan collaborate on a special competition to design the seasonal takeaway cups used in The Coffee Club's 65 cafés around New Zealand. But it's not just about the glory of winning – the young artists also raise thousands of dollars for their schools
Fake review ex-franchisee faces bankruptcy 6th November 2022
November 2022 – A Quinovic property rental franchisee who had his franchise agreement terminated after posting fake reviews on Facebook and Google now faces bankruptcy, according to Stuff. Akshaya Khera lost a bid to set aside bankruptcy notices over nearly $600,000 in unpaid court-ordered costs which had been awarded following the termination. The franchise agreement between Quinovic and Khera's company Exuberant allowed Quinovic to claim “actual and reasonable” costs from the termination of the agreement. Quinovic was awarded costs of $683,201 after spending $860,862 trying to prove the reviews were fake, included legal expenses and witness costs, according to a High Court judgment in late 2021.
Global franchise brands offered to NZ entrepreneurs 1st November 2022
November 2022 – Some top food brands are among nine international franchises looking for local partners in New Zealand
Small businesses increasing sales, employing more people 30th October 2022
October 2022 – Rising sales and slower increases in wages have signalled an improvement in small business prospects, new data from Xero shows
Xero NZ country manager Bridget Snelling said strong jobs growth in September was encouraging to see, and meant that small firms had the confidence to grow their teams and hire despite record low unemployment.
Snelling said the small business economy remained 'highly attractive to Kiwi employees' and was 'competing well with large businesses'.
Geotech named Australian Franchise Supplier of the Year 28th October 2022
October 2022 – Geotech Information Services has been named Australian Franchise Supplier of the Year at the recent FCA Business Essentials National Excellence in Franchising Awards
Domino's launches plant-based pizza 24th October 2022
25 October 2022 - Domino's has added the option of a plant-based 'beef' topping from Impossible Foods to its pizza range
Domino's Australia/New Zealand chief marketing officer Adam Ballesty said that the meat-substitute pizzas would be available every day of the week.
'We know people are actively seeking more sustainable food options, but it is also critical that these alternatives deliver on taste and a great pizza experience. The Impossible Beef pizza topping ... has all the flavour and texture of juicy, authentic minced beef, but with far less environmental impact.'
The Domino's launch comes just months after McDonald's ended trials of its McPlant burger in the USA owing to disappointing sales. The cover story in our latest issue looks at the move to meat-free and other major trends and opportunities in the hospitality sector.
Immigration support for hospitality and tourism sectors 9th October 2022
9 October 2022 - Immigration Minister Michael Wood today announced measures targeted to support the hospitality and tourism sectors and have adjusted the requirement to recruit chefs as requested by industry.
Support is also being provided to the wider tourism and hospitality sector, by extending their exemption to the median wage threshold to give them more time to transition.
“As the world recovers from COVID-19, labour shortages continue to be a persistent ongoing global symptom,” Michael Wood said.
“We are listening closely to the concerns of the hospitality and tourism sectors, and working with them to take practical steps to support them with these challenges where we can, as businesses work towards more productive and resilient ways of operating.
Staff availability has been a major concern for many hospitality businesses in recent months, with some operating shorter hours as a result - see our cover story here.
Taste the future with Katsubi 5th October 2022
Serving food that’s fast, fresh and healthy, Katsubi delivers a winning formula
Are food franchises worth more or less on resale? 5th October 2022
5 October 2022 - A report suggests franchise resales are attracting lower multiples than other businesses. Is that true?
BurgerFuel launches rescued bread-based beer 4th October 2022
5 October 2022 - Bread into beer into buns: BurgerFuel, in collaboration with Citizen Collective, is launching a craft beer made from rescued surplus bread
Finalists announced for 2022 Franchise Awards 30th September 2022
30 September 2022 – Many of New Zealand’s top franchise brands are fighting for honours in the Westpac New Zealand Franchise Awards. Here's the list of finalists
McDonald’s Hiring Day adds over 700 staff 28th September 2022
At a time when many hospitality businesses are struggling to find staff, 700 people have joined the McDonald’s crew following the chain’s first ever New Zealand National Hiring Day last Saturday, with a further 2000 people expressing interest. More applicants are currently being processed, so the initial number of new hires is expected to be closer to 1,000.
The day provided Kiwis with the opportunity to walk in and interview in restaurants across the country and be hired on the spot.
McDonald's NZ looks to hire 2,000 people in a day 20th September 2022
McDonald's is hiring 2000 workers in New Zealand with jobs being offered on the spot as part of its recruitment drive.
The fast-food chain is holding walk-in interviews at all of its restaurants on Saturday September 24, which it has termed National Hiring Day. People of all ages and experience levels are encouraged to show up between 9am and 6pm for an interview.
The move comes as many hospitality businesses struggle for staff, leading some to operate short hours. Read more in the cover story of our latest free magazine.
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