What do the different bfa membership levels (full, associate & provisional) mean and is it an indication of the quality of the franchise package?
Answered by Paul Fennell, Franchise Director of Safeclean Paul says: As a new franchisee in 1995, British Franchise Association (bfa) membership was as important to me then as it is now as Safeclean’s Franchise Operations Manager. One word sums up full membership: ‘proven’. Full members have demonstrated and proven, over time, their formats in the four key areas of viability, training, ethical practice and open disclosure. This culminates in a proven trading and franchising record. With checks in place and a vow to meet bfa principles, plus commitment to the key areas above, franchisors can be admitted as Associate members. However, they have yet to meet the criteria required of Full membership. Provisional members are usually new, typically trading less than one year. They have made a commitment to go through the full bfa accreditation process. However, they have not met the criteria to achieve Full or Associate status. Most Provisional members do go on to achieve Full member status.
