Marston’s, the brewer and pub operator, is set to launch its first franchise committee to involve its franchisees in “consultation and decision making processes” across a range of areas.
It comes as the group launches two new ways of communicating to its franchisees. An online forum has been established enabling franchisees to communicate more freely with one another, irrespective of location, the company said.
A representative for the franchise management team will also actively participate in discussions and answer questions where required.
“Our aim is to encourage the sharing of ideas, information and best practice amongst our franchisees” said Celene Normoyle, franchise development manager. “One of the forum rooms will also serve as a marketplace where franchisees can both exchange and borrow various items from one another to support them with their sales activity.”
Secondly, a video news programme has been launched that rounds up the key news and developments from within the franchise estate and wider business.
“Internal communication has a fundamental role to play in strengthening our franchise relationships and we wanted to do this in a fun and engaging way” said Normoyle.
“We were keen to be creative and move away from more traditional channels such as newsletters and emails”.
Video news programmes will be released on a quarterly basis and include such things as key trading results, new franchisees into the network, franchisee achievements and recognition for creative sales activity, as well as updates on areas such as menu development, marketing services and training.
Dave Price, franchise operations manager at Marston’s, said: “The addition of these new channels forms part of our ongoing commitment to facilitate open, honest communication with our franchisees. Mutual trust is key and we place great emphasis on structuring the relationship in a way that supports the needs of the franchisee, and lets them know that their opinions are both needed and valued.”
The company said: “This is just the start for Marston’s however, as later this year they will be setting up their first franchise committee in order to formally involve their franchisees in consultation and decision making processes across a range of areas.”
