The survey shows the most popular cuisines are Australian, Italian and Thai, followed by Chinese and Indian.

Australian cuisine is most popular among pescetarians and flexitarians, and second most popular among meat eaters and vegetarians/vegans.

Vegans and vegetarians pick Indian meals as their favourite cuisine.

The latest study reveals that 66 per cent of Aussie consumers regard themselves as carnivores. Almost one-fifth (19 per cent) label themselves flexitarians, enjoying a predominantly plant based diet with occasional meat and fish meals.

Survey reveals dietary choices of Aussie consumer

Just six per cent of those surveyed eat a vegetarian or vegan diet. Pescetarians, who eat fish but not meat, account for only three per cent of Australian consumers.

There are generational trends in the dietary results, with one quarter of Millennials and Gen X regarding themselves as flexitarians. This cohort is also more likely to adopt a vegan or vegetarian diet than the older generations.

Taste is shown to be the key factor across the ages when deciding what to eat. However, among meat eaters taste far outweighs price and health factors which are bigger considerations for flexitarians and vegetarians.

This story first appeared on our sister publication Franchise Executives

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How do weekly sales numbers compare with pre-COVID figures?

With all the uncertainty of the last couple of years, it is little surprise that “resilience” is now high on the checklist for many prospective franchisees.

There is no substitute for reviewing and testing financial information, especially with the help of your professional advisor. However, there are a few basic questions that can be asked of existing franchisees early in the process to gain some valuable insights.

Ask them how their weekly sales numbers had held up in the last two years compared to pre-COVID levels. It is also worth asking them how the business was tracking in the couple of years before COVID. Some businesses were marginal heading into the pandemic and may have only survived due to the range of assistance programs and packages on offer. Questions around franchisor support, customer behaviour, the impact of competitors and the effectiveness of marketing campaigns may provide additional insights.

The next step would be to probe what their recent experience had been with key expenses in the business (stock purchases, wages and rent etc). Even more importantly try to get to find out what they think is causing those changes. For example, challenges in getting stock in a timely manner, difficulties recruiting or retaining staff and issues with landlords.

In isolation these answers don’t reveal much, but when consistent themes emerge the picture may become very clear very quickly.

Weekly sales number insights from Darryn McAuliffe, CEO, FRANdata Australia. Darryn has 30+ years in business banking, risk management and franchising. FRANdata researches, reports and rates franchise systems.

Check necessary licenses, permits and debt commitments

Franchisees should ensure their franchise lawyer reviews the franchise documents, The lawyer should highlight any red flags regarding the franchisor’s financial performance over the prior two years. It is also important to closely look at the recent history of franchisees who have left. These details do tell a story about the health or otherwise of the franchise system.

A brand new business is of course a higher risk than an existing business that has a track record. For an existing business, consider the following points:

If there is a lease review the lease terms and rent review provisions. Did the landlord provide any rent relief in the lockdown periods? When is the next market review due? There is a risk the rent may increase at that point and significantly impact on your profit.

Ensure that all the assets of the business you are acquiring are clear of debt. Your lawyer can do a PPSR (Personal Property Securities Register) search to make sure there are no security interest registered over the business assets

Check all of the necessary licenses and permits for the business and any supplier agreements are current. Check that the terms are commercial.

Buying any business carries risk but you can reduce that risk by getting specialist legal and financial advice before you commit. 

Licence, permit and debt commitment insights from Robert Toth, Special Counsel. Robert is an accredited commercial law and franchise specialist named as a leading franchise lawyer in Australia by Who’s Who Legal 2021.

This story first appeared on our sister publication Inside Franchise Business

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Visitors to the expo will be able to drop into any of the seminars to pick up some crucial tips on franchising.

Diana Williams, the founder of women’s gym chain Fernwood Fitness, will be sharing her insights in a keynote presentation entitled ‘Opportunities and obstacles in franchising’ at 12.30 on the first day of the event.

Another keynote speaker, Andrew Morello from The Entourage, will talk about ‘Accelerated growth strategies for business owners’ at a session held on both days.

To shed some light on some of the money issues that crop up in franchising Inside Franchise Business editor Sarah Stowe will quiz Kate Groom from Franchise Accounting & Tax in a session called ‘Let’s talk about money: 5 facts you absolutely need to know about buying a franchise’ on Friday at 1.30pm.

A not-to-be-missed conversation about ‘What makes a good franchisee from a franchisor perspective’ will also be facilitated by Sarah Stowe, on the Saturday; Sarah will be chatting with David Mansfield of Quest Apartment Hotels, Darren Lane at Degani, and Sean O’Connor from Craveable Brands.

Also on the second day, Matthew Penfold from Kwik Kopy will share his story in a session ‘Built on trust: lessons from a lifetime as franchisee, franchisor, father and fisherman’.

Visitors will have a chance to hear from franchisees themselves in a daily panel discussion entitled ‘Conversations with franchisees’; to learn about franchising success, how to build a community in franchising, whether franchising is right for them, discover more about leases, and how to build resilience in business.

Check out the seminar program here.

The Melbourne Franchising & Business Opportunities Expo takes place on Friday and Saturday 1 and 2 April, 2022, at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, from 10am to 5pm daily.

This story first appeared on our sister publication Inside Franchise Business

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Rapid Tune was named the Australian Established Franchisor of the Year in the 2021 FCA Excellence in Franchising Awards, an annual event held by the Franchise Council of Australia.

Mark Rippon, CEO of Rapid Tune, said, “We’re so rapt to have won the award.”

Franchisees had been adaptable and tenacious, facing up to the challenges of the pandemic, he said.

“Their ability to adjust and adapt was absolutely incredible and it made me proud to be an Australian businessperson. That goes for the whole team at Rapid Tune as well, who really put in a strong effort and pulled together.”

Rapid Tune has outlets throughout Melbourne and Queensland. Servicing and repairing all makes and models, with many highly experienced & qualified motor mechanics. We are certain to meet all of your automotive needs.

Home Caring was named the Australian Emerging Franchisor of the Year, the in-home seniors and disability care provider outshining City Cave and Fitstop Australia in the category.

Logistics was a big winner on the night with some double wins: InXpress won the International Franchisor of the Year Award and Brisbane franchisee Bev Taylor scooped the award for Single Unit Franchisee, less than two staff; CouriersPlease picked up both the Excellence in Franchise Innovation and Franchisor Social Responsibility Awards.

Phil Colburn of Poolwerx was a back-to-back winner, taking out the Field Manager of the Year award two years running.

ANZ Mobile Lending was successful in two franchisee category awards: Alex McRae of ANZ Mobile Lending – Drummoyne, Balmain, Burwood was named Multi-Unit Franchisee of the Year; David Sulava and Janet Mu of ANZ Mobile Lending in Flemington won the award for Single Unit Franchisee, two or more staff.

The event, designed to showcase brilliant franchisees, revealed how the finalists and winners had withstood the testing times of COVID, Franchise Council of Australia CEO, Mary Aldred said.

“In one of the most difficult economic environments ever experienced by Australian business, the resilience, adaptability and determination that has been demonstrated by all Awards finalists and winners is truly outstanding,” Aldred said.

“We congratulate them of them for their persistence and achievements during an extraordinarily challenging time and commend each and every hard-working franchisee and franchisor across Australia for the for their vital contributions to employment, the economy and communities across the nation.”

This story first appeared on our sister publication Inside Franchise Business

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According to analysis firm IBISWorld, capital expenditure on our homes is expected to rise at an annualised 3.5 per cent through to 2026.

Painting, fencing and general landscaping will be among the important services benefiting from the lift in spending predicted with a boost to household discretionary income and increasingly positive consumer sentiment.

Post-lockdowns, more households will be outsourcing maintenance to the professionals, IBISWorld suggests.

“Household projects requiring skilled inputs are likely to be left to tradesmen, whether franchised or independent,” Tradesman and Handyman Franchises in Australia report author Anthony Kelly wrote back in December 2020.

IBISWorld points to an increased appetite for basic renovation work as Aussies sell-up and move on.

“The solid growth in the number of households is also forecast to drive demand for new housing, along with renovation or refurbishment work on existing properties, boosting industry revenue,” Kelly wrote.

The realestate.com.au director of economic research Cameron Kusher noted just this week a record number of buyers in August were looking online for properties.

Australia’s closed borders have devastated immigration and put the brakes on population growth. With the closed borders expected to end in early 2022, things are set to change. Kelly predicts a rise in the number of households over the next five years with a projected industry revenue growth of 2.2 per cent, annualised, through to 2026 and a figure of $1.1 billion.

In addition to more business resulting from a growing population, a rise in housing transfers and improved consumer sentiment boosting the general renovations, maintenance such as site cleaning, gardening and minor repairs on smaller non-residential buildings, such as schools, can deliver opportunities for franchisees.

IBISWorld points out a contraction in employment of 0.5 per cent over the past five years, which is however, a slower fall than the drop in industry revenue (0.7 per cent). And that’s because of the “tendency for franchisees to retain full-time employment and ride out the recession”, Kelly said.

This story first appeared on our sister publication Inside Franchise Business

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