Right at Home Solent win twice at bfa Franchisee of the Year awards

Husband-and-Wife Duo Claim Franchisee of the Year Accolade at Flagship Franchising Awards

Husband-and-wife team Kev & Amy Popat, owners of in home care providers Right at Home Solent and Southampton, have been named the Franchisee of the Year winners at the 2019 bfa HSBC Franchise Awards, held on June 27 at the Vox, Birmingham.

They won the Franchisee of the Year accolade ahead of five other franchisee category winners on the night of the awards to represent the industry for the next 12 months, with all attendees voting on their Franchisee of the Year.

Earlier in the evening, the pair won the Customer Engagement award after implementing initiatives that ensured the care they provide Clients is truly exceptional. This includes all office staff shadowing CareGivers (the carers who provide the support), as part of their training, and ensuring that the CareGivers remain really active in the network, which in turn has a positive effect on staff retention and wellbeing, which also helps them deliver outstanding care.

“The customers, those that rely on us, are at the core of our business. Right at Home has the same beliefs and having its support has helped us be the best we can possibly be for our business. This customer focused approach clearly chimed with attendees on the evening, too, allowing us to claim the Franchisee of the Year accolade.”

Kev added: “It is an honour to be recognised for our hard work and we want to thank the whole team and our Clients for making this happen. To be given two awards, one from a judging panel of franchising professionals, the other from all attendees on the evening, is something that has made us both truly humble.”

The awards evening is the flagship event in the franchising calendar and getting a nomination in itself is a major achievement, proving the business works ethically and in the best interests of staff and customers, fighting off many other companies vying for the accolade.

Pip Wilkins, CEO of the British Franchise Association, states: “Kev and Amy know every single one of their Clients, and are incredibly active in the business, which shone through in their application. For them to claim two major accolades on one night is fully deserved.”

Andy Brattesani, UK Head of Franchising at HSBC, added: “Kev and Amy were given a CQC outstanding rating on their first inspection, and that is because of the core values they subscribe to every single day. The time they have for their staff and customers has resulted in them taking both awards.”

Kev and Amy managed to claim the Franchisee of The Year award ahead of Lifestyle winners John & Elaine Warburton – Barking Mad, Business Transformation champion Ed Pockney – Driver Hire, Young Male winner Craig Bishop – Snap-on Tools, Young Female winner Jennie Mills – Rainbow International, and Mark Sadleir – Multi-unit winner – Window to the Womb.

They won the Customer Engagement award by staving off competition from Berkeley Harris, franchisee at Sandler Training, and Sarah Reeves, from Bright & Beautiful.