Archived article
Please note that tax, investment, pension and ISA rules can change and the information and any views contained in this article may now be inaccurate.
Franchise Brands PLC on Wednesday in a statement prior to its annual general meeting said resilient demand has boosted group performance despite ‘challenging’ market environments.
The Manchester, England-based owner of the ChipsAway, Willow Pumps and Metro Rod brands said its first quarter performance has ‘generally improved’ since the start of the year, with a number of businesses delivering strong performances in March in particular.
At Pirtek, its franchise businesses delivered on-year System sales growth in the first quarter, with early signs of additional larger project work to come through later in the year. Filta North America also experienced ‘strong’ on-year System sales growth, supported by a strengthened used cooking oil price in the three-month period.
Franchise Brands noted that market conditions in its Water & Waste Services unit were particularly challenging, while its autonomous business-to-consumer division, which includes the ChipsAway, Ovenclean and Barking Mad consumer brands, continues to trade ‘respectably’ despite a ‘difficult franchise recruitment environment’.
‘While challenging macroeconomic conditions persist in many of our key markets, including more recently the uncertainty created by the recent US trade/tariff announcements, we are controlling the controllables by driving cost efficiencies and maximising group-wide sales opportunities. We also continue to reduce our sector dependency by diversifying into growth markets,’ said Executive Chair Stephen Hemsley.
Shares in Franchise Brands were down 1.0% at 144.50 pence each in London on Wednesday afternoon. The stock is down 27% over the past year.
Copyright 2025 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.