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 AUSTRALIA
FRANCHISE NEWS ARCHIVE
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: Jul - Dec 2006
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Amazing Loans sells its master franchise. Unsecured personal loans provider Amazing Loans is preparing to open more than 30 branches in the next 18 months after selling its master franchise for $4.4 million. .... [more]
29 Dec, 2006
Bakers Delight to tackle the US market. Australia's biggest bakery chain, Bakers Delight, is set to start kneading its dough in the United States, with plans to open its first store in the west coast city of Seattle in March. .... [more]
26 Dec, 2006
Snooze to abandon the captain. CAPT’N Snooze has hung up his snooze hat for good. The bedding store is undergoing a nation-wide makeover and will now be known simply as Snooze. .... [more]
19 Dec, 2006
Donut King dunks for Brumby's Bakeries. Talk about making dough. The company behind the Donut King brand is forking out $38 million to add the Brumby's Bakeries chain to its menu. .... [more]
18 Dec, 2006
ABC splurges on US, Kiwi and UK child care. ABC Learning Centres has snapped up US-based child-care services provider La Petite Academy for about $US330 million ($420 million). .... [more]
14 Dec, 2006
Bakeries to rise. Brumby's bakeries are on the rise again in Townsville with plans for three new stores over the next 12 months. .... [more]
9 Dec, 2006
Scoop of year into meltdown. It was meant to be the scoop of the year. Instead, Allied Brands managing director Peter Graham found himself apologising for one of the core drivers of his business – overindulgence. .... [more]
3 Dec, 2006
Restaurant Brands exiting Pizza Hut in Victoria. Fast food company Restaurant Brands said today it has sale agreements for 35 of its 50 Australian Pizza Hut stores, and will get help from franchisor Yum to exit a further 10 stores early next year. .... [more]
30 Nov, 2006
Ice cream maker eyes acquisitions. Ice cream maker Allied Brands Ltd, which oversees the Baskin-Robbins franchise across Australia, remains focussed on acquisitions despite missing out on buying Wendy's Ice Cream. .... [more]
28 Nov, 2006
Brumby’s Bakeries targets 60 stores in New Zealand market. Trans-Tasman franchise Brumby’s Bakeries will open its 23rd store in New Zealand this week with as many as three additional stores planned over the next year. .... [more]
27 Nov, 2006
The right people to build a brand. It used to be that anyone who came up with the money could get themselves into a franchise. Now the fastest-growing sector of the economy, franchising is a somewhat more exact science. .... [more]
24 Nov, 2006
Harvey plots his Europe invasion. Gerry Harvey is so enamoured with his overseas operations that he plans to attack the United Kingdom and Italian retail markets. .... [more]
23 Nov, 2006
Aussie Home Loans boosts profits. Aussie Home Loans Group's aggressive expansion has helped bump up its annual profit despite stagnant east coast housing markets. .... [more]
22 Nov, 2006
Canberra lays down the laws for concessions. The federal Government is doing a spring clean-out to rekindle its relationship with small business, but surprisingly, one reform could create a $29 billion black hole. .... [more]
21 Nov, 2006
Franchises under CARE. Industry fund CARE Super is thinking laterally on how to reach potential members after it signed a sponsorship agreement with the Franchise Council of Australia (FCA), an association that represents the country’s $128 billion franchising industry. .... [more]
15 Nov, 2006
Debt-free Brumby's on prowl. Bakery franchise operator Brumby's says it will chase a number of new acquisitions once its debt-reduction strategy is finalised next month. .... [more]
14 Nov, 2006
Flight Centre acquires leading franchise agent in Queensland. As part of the Flight Centre Limited’s new franchising operation, the group has acquired one of the Harvey World Travel franchise agents. .... [more]
14 Nov, 2006
PODS Inc., Announces the Opening of Franchise Operations in Australia. PODS Enterprises Inc. ("PODS"), a leading provider of mobile storage and moving solutions announced that service is now available in Australia. .... [more]
14 Nov, 2006
Burger bunfight over franchisee's supersized prices. A McDonald's franchisee is suing the fast food giant for $7 million, claiming it withdrew support for his business because he raised prices for products such as McValue meals above the company's recommended price threshold. .... [more]
14 Nov, 2006
Next step, the world. Franchising is having an increasingly large impact on the Australian economy, but exporting may be the key to continued growth. .... [more]
12 Nov, 2006
Gerry to net $143m on Rebel. Retailer Harvey Norman stands to make a $143 million profit after agreeing to sell its majority holding in sporting goods retailer Rebel Sport to private equity outfit Archer Capital in a deal that values the company at nearly $370 million. .... [more]
9 Nov, 2006
Hi-tech pizza plan. Pizza lovers can now
track their pizza from dough to delivery through a new Domino's Pizza
hi-tech internet ordering system being implemented as part of a push
to boost sales. .... [more]
8 Nov, 2006
Harvey Norman busy with offer. Harvey
Norman's Gerry Harvey says he is dealing with "the Rebel thing"
after what is believed to have been a $400 million-plus offer for
the sporting goods chain. .... [more]
8 Nov, 2006
Betta Stores sold to franchisee consortium. The core franchise business of Betta Stores Limited (BSL) has been sold as a going concern to BSR Australia Limited, a consortium of senior franchisees within the BSL Group for an undisclosed price. .... [more]
6 Nov, 2006
Brazin investors out on a high note. Shares in music and lingerie retailer Brazin soared more than 30 per cent yesterday after founder and biggest shareholder Brett Blundy offered to buy out minority shareholders for $81million. .... [more]
4 Nov, 2006
Franchises boom. No longer just a hobby business for the retired – Australia's booming franchising sector turns over a record $128 billion, accounting for 14 per cent of the country's gross domestic product. .... [more]
29 Oct, 2006
Which exec is banking on franchising? Ralph Norris declares that by 2010 most CBA branches will be run as a "virtual franchise". Never before has any major bank embraced a franchise system in its mainstream operations. .... [more]
28 Oct, 2006
Athlete's Foot owner plans surgery. Retail group Retail Cube Ltd plans to raise $4 million in new capital and change its name in a bid to turn the company's retail businesses around. .... [more]
27 Oct, 2006
BoQ's franchise boasts queried. Bank of Queensland's claim that its franchised interstate branches have been a huge success has been undermined by revelations that only two of the 16 established Sydney branches met their budgeted level of business. .... [more]
25 Oct, 2006
Little fish get a weapon to fend off the sharks. The breaking of a legislative stalemate means small businesses will be able to bond together to take on big business rivals guilty of unconscionable and misleading conduct. And the news comes as a long-suffering franchisee in dispute with her franchiser chalks up an overdue win. .... [more]
24 Oct, 2006
Oz Bin Cleaning celebrates fifth birthday.Since Oz Bin Cleaning's early days around Sydney's North Shore, the network has grown substantially through the power of franchising and will celebrate its fifth birthday in October 2006. .... [more]
23 Oct, 2006
Survey shows franchising is big business. Latest research by Griffith Business School reveals that Australia's booming franchising sector turns over an estimated $128 billion - or 14 per cent of the country's gross domestic product. .... [more]
22 Oct, 2006
S8 gets a turbo charger. A move into the ASX200 by acquisitive MFS has boosted its share price as shareholder offers for the friendly takeover of travel company S8 are finalised. .... [more]
21 Oct, 2006
Minnows' woes like broken record. Small business needs a Good Samaritan law in a battle that has been one-sided and, in some cases, extraordinarily unfair. .... [more]
17 Oct, 2006
Buoyant BoQ ramps expansion. Bank of Queensland will continue its aggressive interstate expansion using a franchising model, undeterred by a group of ex-franchisees in NSW who say the model is not sustainable in high-cost, metropolitan Sydney. .... [more]
13 Oct, 2006
Betta Stores' debts amount to $40m. Electrical retailer Betta Stores owed 350 creditors more than $40 million, the first meeting of creditors since the company went into voluntary administration and receivership heard yesterday. .... [more]
13 Oct, 2006
Sydney branches hit out at BoQ. The sacked franchisees of two Bank of Queensland branches in Sydney have hit back, saying they were terminated for daring to question the sustainability of the owner-managed-branch (OMB) business model in NSW. .... [more]
11 Oct, 2006
Receivers at Betta Stores. Electrical goods franchisor Betta Stores went into receivership yesterday after major secured creditor the Commonwealth Bank appointed receivers to eight of its companies. .... [more]
10 Oct, 2006
Franchisees sue BoQ over branch turnover. The Bank of Queensland has become embroiled in legal action by the former owners of a franchised Sydney branch, who have accused the lender of deceiving them so they would continue to incur losses and solicit business for the fast-growing bank. .... [more]
9 Oct, 2006
Betta Electrical creditors set to meet. Creditors of beleaguered Betta Electrical Stores Ltd will meet in Sydney on Thursday following the appointment of an administrator last week to look at its financial position. .... [more]
9 Oct, 2006
Domino's shareholder tempted by discount. Shareholders of the Australian Domino's Pizza chain may have to watch their weight this financial year, after the company offered them a discount card for use in its Australian and New Zealand Stores. .... [more]
6 Oct, 2006
Review extended. The Federal review of franchising will have more time to contact people making submissions. The review has received 70 submissions into the disclosure requirements of the franchising code, but their nature required more attention. .... [more]
2 Oct, 2006
Franchise promoter bankrupted. A notorious Queensland promoter jailed in both Australia and the US over his activities involving a string of failed francise operations has been declared bankrupt. .... [more]
29 Sep, 2006
A speedy path to business growth. Former rally drivers Jim Cornish and Stewart Nicholls came to a crossroad a few years ago when assessing the long-term expansion prospects of their waterless car-washing service. .... [more]
29 Sep, 2006
Jani-King toasts Brisbane’s 100th franchise operator. The world’s largest commercial cleaning franchisor Jani-King has celebrated the 100th franchisee to join its Brisbane portfolio. .... [more]
29 Sep, 2006
Domino's franchise hits 600 store-mark. Australia's only publicly-listed pizza company Domino's Pizza Australia New Zealand Ltd will be ordering one with the lot, perhaps with a dash of brie or camembert, in celebration of its 600th store opening last week in France. .... [more]
27 Sep, 2006
Betta rolls out three more superstores. National franchisor Betta Stores Limited (BSL) today announced it had added another three Superstores to the group under its revitalisation program. .... [more]
26 Sep, 2006
Seafood buyer found. The stockmarket shell of Sam's Seafood, which collapsed last year with tens of millions of dollars of debt, could be sold to a seafood industry company. .... [more]
26 Sep, 2006
Fifteen opens for business. Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver declared his latest Fifteen restaurant as "very cool, very Melbourne" as he opened its doors to a select VIP crowd last night. .... [more]
21 Sep, 2006
Movies on demand. Watching a DVD is for many the ultimate way to relax – and Red Room DVD founder Dan Joyce is counting on this veg-out phenomenon to continue. .... [more]
19 Sep, 2006
Betta Stores performing solidly in tough conditions. Betta Stores have announced its core franchise operations had performed well in the year ended June 30, 2006 despite tough competition in the industry and a poor retail trading environment. .... [more]
15 Sep, 2006
Fresh demand lifts Brumby's. Health-conscious consumers are taking their dough away from supermarkets and giving it to specialist bread shops and bakeries. .... [more]
13 Sep, 2006
Harvey Norman profit increases by 20% Harvey Norman Holdings Ltd says it's facing a much tougher retail climate this year, but strong growth from top-selling items such as flat screen televisions is expected to continue. .... [more]
13 Sep, 2006
Strathfield narrows losses. Car radio and mobile phone retailer Strathfield Group (SRA) expects to report a profit this year and that its long-awaited turnaround is on track. .... [more]
12 Sep, 2006
ABC set to sell childcare centres. The competition watchdog has received undertakings from childcare operator ABC Learning Centres Ltd to sell seven childcare centres to address concerns about its acquisition of Hutchison's Child Care Services Ltd. .... [more]
8 Sep, 2006
Debut for Jamie's Aussie kids. There will be more phone lines than seats when Melbourne's hottest new restaurant opens its doors later this month, with 10 operators expecting to receive close to 100 calls at a time when Fifteen starts taking reservations from next week. .... [more]
7 Sep, 2006
Hooters of Australia's Sales Exceed Expectations in the First Month. The Hooters of Parramatta opened its doors on July 14th to an anxious crowd in Sydney, Australia. This is the first of 5 Hooters locations slated to open in Australia and New Zealand by the end of 2007. .... [more]
6 Sep, 2006
S8 chief gets seat on board of MFS. The friendly merger between MFS Funds Management and travel group S8 Ltd got even cosier yesterday when it was announced S8 founder Chris Scott would become an executive director of MFS. .... [more]
6 Sep, 2006
Franchising row reaching its climax. The plot is thickening, and the drama deepening, for franchising in Australia. Franchisees are pleading for help, former employees are forecasting financial disaster for one operation and the federal Government's small business minister is threatening to take action to kick the watchdog's proverbial butt. .... [more]
5 Sep, 2006
MFS and S8 embrace $700m merger. After almost three years of courting, the Queensland diversified property and funds management group MFS has unveiled a friendly merger with travel group S8 to form a $1.7 billion property and leisure development company. .... [more]
5 Sep, 2006
Ackman targets McDonald's. Hedge fund manager William Ackman, who last year tried to force McDonald's Corp to spin off its 8000 company-owned cafes, is again targeting the hamburger-chain giant. .... [more]
4 Sep, 2006
BoQ defends franchised branches. Bank of Queensland is defending its much-trumpeted strategy of using franchised bank branches to expand interstate against an attack by disgruntled franchisees in the key NSW market. .... [more]
1 Sep, 2006
Real Ugly on way. A trademark-approved Coyote Ugly bar could be making its way to North Queensland, with Townsville earmarked as a possible sight for the hyped American watering hole. .... [more]
31 Aug, 2006
Fast track to success with a quest franchise. When Australasia’s largest serviced accommodation operator hands out the gong for top Franchise of the Year, you can be assured that it is one gong worth having. .... [more]
29 Aug, 2006
INTEREST - Small business expectations 'plummet'. Small businesses are growing more concerned about the future of the Australian economy by the day as rising fuel prices, softer business demand and higher interest rates drag down sentiment, a survey shows. .... [more]
29 Aug, 2006
Code not the culprit in failed franchises. Franchising has been a true Australian success story, and now accounts for about 10 per cent of the country's gross domestic product, but that doesn't prevent it from coming in for a kicking when things go wrong. ....
[more]
22 Aug, 2006
Domino's posts fat pizza profit. Pizza maker Domino's Pizza Australia New Zealand Ltd believes a push into the European market is the key to growing future profits. ....
[more]
21 Aug, 2006
Count ponders franchisee fee increase. Count Financial is planning to raise its annual franchisee membership fee as a way of reducing its level of non-performing franchisees. ....
[more]
16 Aug, 2006
Snooze won't be caught napping. Capt'n Snooze bedding franchisees are in the business of sweet dreams, but what Lionel van Niekerk saw in the 73 stores under his purview was worth plenty of sleepless nights. ....
[more]
15 Aug, 2006
S8 defends position despite raid. Australian fair trading authorities have raided unit complexes managed by travel company S8, which is taking over Gullivers Travel. ....
[more]
11 Aug, 2006
ABC can tick Texas from list. ABC Learning Centres, the world's largest childcare provider by market value, agreed to buy Children's Courtyard for $US66 million ($86 million), increasing the number of its US daycare centres by 20 per cent. ....
[more]
9 Aug, 2006
Mr Rentals co-founder named Franchise Woman of Year. Kerrianne Hickman, founder of 2006 Queensland 400 member Mr Rentals, has taken out the 2006 Queensland PricewaterhouseCoopers Franchise Woman of the Year award. ....
[more]
7 Aug, 2006
Not in their name. More Australians than ever are choosing to give up their day jobs and buy themselves the position of their own boss as the proud owner of a franchise. ....
[more]
2 Aug, 2006
Franchise sans the fiddle. When Piers Rowan of Extrastaff devised a new franchising model, it freed up his company's franchisees to see the forest for the trees. ....
[more]
1 Aug, 2006
Strength in numbers for the little guy. One of the problems of being a small franchisee is that disputes with the franchisor are unequal. But the balance of power is moving a step closer to being evened out with the likelihood of the Senate passing legislation. ....
[more]
28 Jul, 2006
All the world's a franchise. Australian networks have established a global reputation, but planning and preparation are needed before jumping on to the world stage. ....
[more]
28 Jul, 2006
Brazin plans strategic review. The owner of Bras n' Things, Virgin Entertainment and HMV and Sanity music chains isplanning a strategic review to overcome challenging market conditions. ....
[more]
27 Jul, 2006
As usual, Oz ideas set trend at Maccas. The McDonald's world empire has earmarked Australia's latest innovation, a trial dinner menu, for a global roll-out with a team of senior McDonald's executives due to visit here next month. ....
[more]
27 Jul, 2006
Shape of things to come. David Hundt knows that the average Australian mum struggles to find time to exercise but thinks he has a solution in the form of Contours. ....
[more]
25 Jul, 2006
Pizza staff made to work for free. Domino's Pizza will
counsel the manager of a Perth outlet after allegations he told young
staff they'd have to work for free if they were late to work. ....
[more]
23 Jul, 2006
Travelscene shareholders okay S8 merger. Travelscene
Ltd shareholders have approved a merger with S8 Ltd, in a deal that
will see the creation of Australia's largest integrated travel company.
.... [more]
21 Jul, 2006
Pukka tucker on menu. Acclaimed Melbourne restaurant
MoMo is making way for celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's franchise that
trains disadvantaged youth. .... [more]
18 Jul, 2006
Franchise edges into Emirates. Cartridge World, the
inkjet and printer cartridge refilling franchise started in Adelaide
10 years ago, has doubled its number of outlets in two years to more
than 1700. .... [more]
18 Jul, 2006
After the death of a salesman, a chance to reform franchising.
Just when the federal Government has called for franchisees to make
submissions to a review of the industry's code of conduct, a franchisee
in dispute with his franchisor has paid the ultimate price, taking
his own life. .... [more]
11 Jul, 2006
Flight Centre Limited opens its first franchised store.
Flight Centre Limited announced yesterday the opening of the new Escape
Travel franchise in Caloundra, on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
.... [more]
11 Jul, 2006
Wendy's acquired by Navis Capital. Australian ice cream
specialist Wendy's has been acquired by its senior management and
Asian private equity firm Navis Capital Partners. .... [more]
11 Jul, 2006
Cash Converters raises $15m for acquisitions. WA's Cash
Converters International Ltd has announced a plan to raise $15 million
through the sale of 104 million shares at 40c each. .... [more]
10 Jul, 2006
Hilton plans global expansion. Hotel group Hilton has
said it is likely to boost its presence in Australia amid plans to
expand its 2800 worldwide properties to more than 4000 within five
years. .... [more]
10 Jul, 2006
Childcare tsar bids for last big chain. Voracious multi-millionaire
Eddy Groves, founder of childcare operator ABC Learning, will have
nowhere left to grow in Australia if his proposed $96.2 million takeover
of Hutchison Child Care Services succeeds. .... [more]
8 Jul, 2006
Batter assault on Krispy Kreme. Kath& Kim would
be proud. Upstart food chain SumoSalad staged what is probably the
best ambush marketing effort so far this year at the opening of a
Krispy Kreme doughnut store. .... [more]
6 Jul, 2006
Domino's pizza Europe. Europeans will see a lot more
of the box with the dots after Domino's Pizza Australia New Zealand
yesterday finalised buying 155 stores there. .... [more]
5 Jul, 2006
Franchisees must put up or shut up. The federal Government
has ignored the Franchise Council of Australia and bowed to public
pressure to review key sections of the franchise industry's governing
code of conduct. .... [more]
4 Jul, 2006
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