Razzamataz Theatre Schools announced as one of the UK’s best franchisors

The theatre school was named the Best Franchise in the £2-£10m network turnover category at the Best Franchise Awards 2020-21

Multi-award winning Razzamataz Theatre Schools was named as Best Franchise in the £2-£10m network turnover category, as well as scooped up two other awards at last week’s Best Franchise Awards 2020-21 virtual ceremony.

What makes the wins especially unique is that these awards are based on feedback from thousands of actual franchisees. To be considered, franchisors must have taken part in the Franchise Satisfaction Benchmark programme. Franchisees are asked to complete a confidential online survey, rating their franchisor on qualities such as initial training, ongoing support, their relationship with the franchisor and whether they would recommend the franchise to a prospective franchisee. The top-performing franchisors are then put forward as finalists in the Best Franchise Awards where they were invited to present to a judging panel of industry experts from Lloyds Bank, Hitachi Capital Franchise Finance, d&t accountants, Platinum Wave, Franchise Resales and What Franchise.

“During the most challenging of years, there has never been a more important time to celebrate how great franchisors have supported their franchise networks,” said Steven Frost, CEO of WorkBuzz. “Every winner and finalist was significantly impacted by the pandemic but demonstrated great leadership and innovation – some even launched brand new digital offerings when faced by lockdown. Once the pandemic is over, these franchisors will bounce back quickly and their franchisees will not forget the leadership and support they provided when they really needed it. I would like to congratulate them all on what they’ve achieved and the difference they’ve made.”

During the presentation, the Razzamataz team spoke about how they lead their team with trust, integrity and kindness to leave a positive legacy for students, franchisees and the franchising sector. “Our franchisees took on the task of supporting their teams and customers, resulting in some overwhelmingly positive testimonials,” explained Denise Hutton-Gosney, MD and founder of Razzamataz. “However, as a franchisor, we recognised the toll that it could take on them so we provided resources to help them take care of their own mental health. We launched our own wellness service, in which franchisees could request additional emotional support with a coach that we have been working with.”

As well as the award win, the most satisfaction has come through the hundreds of positive testimonials from franchisees and families. This has resulted in a 70 per cent to 90 per cent student return rate, an average of 85 per cent sign up for the online virtual Razzamataz classes and current franchisees have the confidence to take on multiple territories and expand their regions.