Positive feedback from franchisees in an independent survey has seen Mac Tools shortlisted as one of just three finalists in the ‘Man in a Van’ category at the Best Franchise Awards 2017.

The awards are unique in franchising in that they are based exclusively on the views of franchisees, who are asked to confidentially share their views on the leadership, culture and training provided by their brand.

Research firm Smith+Henderson benchmark the responses against those from similar franchisors, with the top three brands in each category going on to compete for the award. Winners are announced at the Best Franchise Conference on 30 November.

Mac Tools Franchise Operations and Recruitment Manager, Lesley Cobb, said: “As a team we take great pride in the support we offer franchisees to help them thrive as successful business owners, which is why we’re particularly thrilled to be shortlisted. It’s one thing to be nominated for an award by a panel of experts, but to get there because of franchisees’ confidential views is special to us.”

“It’s hard to imagine a more passionate group of people than our support team, from the top down they care deeply about franchisees succeeding. This nomination reflects that passion and we look forward to continually evolving our business model by working closely and synonymously with franchisees.”

Steven Frost, director of Smith+Henderson, said: “We would like to offer our heartfelt congratulations to these franchisors who have already shown themselves to be amongst the very best in the country. All the finalists have received outstanding feedback from their franchisees, who completed our independent and confidential Franchise Satisfaction Benchmark survey, which uniquely identifies the franchises that live up to their franchisee’s expectations. We congratulate them on this achievement.”

The award nomination is a natural development for the brand following success at last year’s Best Franchise Awards, where Mac Tools picked up the ‘Continuous Improvement’ award after franchisee satisfaction levels rose sharply year-on-year.