One Stop Franchise on Sept 28 hosted their first retail conference at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole Hotel to mark its first successful 10 years.
The franchisor has thrived through massive industry changes since its launch, such as the collapse of Palmer & Harvey in 2018, Tesco’s purchase of Booker in 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic. The conference saw the culmination of 10 years of success for One Stop Franchise and proved a valuable event for all attendees.
Stephanie Wood, appointed as One Stop’s Managing Director in May 2022, addressed franchisees and updated the business on strategic objectives moving forwards, discussing her areas of focus and sharing her vision for the future.
Jill Livesey from Lumina Intelligence attended the event, sharing market data and insight with attendees, before several franchisees took to ‘retailer panels’ discussing multi-site retailing, seasonal trading, and other learnings they have gathered throughout their retail careers.
A live question and answer session was held as strategic direction was discussed between the One Stop leadership team and franchisees, empowering franchisees to have their say and share their knowledge of the sector.
One Stop Franchise also launched their ‘Store of the Year’ programme, set to begin in 2024, which will see franchisees voting for one another to be recognised as exceptional, to the result of a financial prize.
Retailer feedback post-conference has been excellent, One Stop reports, setting a great foundation for the annual conference.
Head of Franchise John Miller commented, “I was pleased to have such positive feedback on how valuable our franchisees found the conference. It truly encouraged strategic thinking around the future of their business. Our franchisees really understand the power of working together as a collective group. I look forward our next large-scale event, the National Convenience Show, and our second annual franchise conference in 2024.”
