REG - Franchise Brands PLC - AGM Statement and Q1 Trading Update

Franchise BrandsAnnouncement

07/05/2025 07:00

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RNS Number : 5754H  Franchise Brands PLC  07 May 2025

7 May 2025

FRANCHISE BRANDS PLC

("Franchise Brands", the "Group" or the "Company")

 

AGM Statement and Q1 Trading Update

 

 

Resilient demand for essential services and early signs of improvement in
certain markets

 

Franchise Brands plc (AIM:FRAN), an international multi-brand franchise
business, will hold its Annual General Meeting today at 11.00am, at
which Stephen Hemsley, Executive Chairman, will provide the following update:

"The Group has benefited from resilient underlying demand for its essential
reactive and planned services. While the market continues to be challenging,
the performance in Q1 has generally improved since the start of the year and,
encouragingly, a number of businesses delivered strong performances in March.

At Pirtek, the franchise businesses experienced System sales growth
year-on-year. We have seen a gradual improvement in our more cyclical sectors
and some early signs that we may see additional larger project work come
through later in the year.

In the Water & Waste Services division, market conditions are
challenging, however, the demand for essential reactive services has remained
resilient. The division continues to benefit from efficiencies driven by
integration initiatives.

Filta North America experienced strong growth in System sales year-on-year
driven by good traction from the FiltaMax strategic growth initiative and, in
particular, from expanding the range of services. The used cooking oil price
strengthened throughout the first quarter and, together with increased volume,
delivered a much-improved year-on-year contribution.

The autonomous B2C Division that includes the ChipsAway, Ovenclean and Barking
Mad consumer brands continues to trade respectably despite the ongoing
difficult franchise recruitment environment.

Good progress is being made with the "One Franchise Brands" strategic
initiative to enhance sales, create an efficient overhead structure and drive
operational gearing. The major IT projects of a single Group-wide finance
system and the roll out of Vision across Pirtek are progressing on time and on
budget.

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."

 

Enquiries:

 Franchise Brands plc                                                 + 44 (0) 1625 813231
 Stephen Hemsley, Executive Chairman

 Peter Molloy, CEO
 Andrew Mallows, CFO
 Julia Choudhury, Corporate Development Director

 Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited (Nominated Adviser and Joint Broker)  +44 (0) 20 7710 7600
 Matthew Blawat
 Nick Harland

 Allenby Capital Limited (Joint Broker)                               +44 (0) 20 3328 5656
 Jeremy Porter / Daniel Dearden-Williams (Corporate Finance)
 Amrit Nahal / Joscelin Pinnington (Sales & Corporate Broking)

 Dowgate Capital Limited (Joint Broker)                               +44 (0) 20 3903 7715
 James Serjeant (Corporate Broking)
 Malar Velaigam / Colin Climie (Sales)

 MHP Group (Financial PR)                                             +44 (0) 20 3128 8100
 Katie Hunt / Hugo Harris                                             +44 (0) 7884 494112
                                                                      franchisebrands@mhpgroup.com (mailto:franchisebrands@mhpgroup.com)

About Franchise Brands plc

Franchise Brands is an international, multi-brand franchisor focused on B2B
van-based service with seven franchise brands and a presence in 10 countries
across the UK, North America and Europe. The Group is focused on building
market-leading businesses primarily via a franchise model and has a combined
network of over 600 franchisees.

The Company owns several market-leading brands with long trading histories,
including Pirtek in Europe, Filta, Metro Rod and Metro Plumb, all of which
benefit from the Group's central support services, particularly technology,
marketing, and finance. At the heart of Franchise Brands' business-building
strategy is helping its franchisees grow their businesses: "as they grow, we
grow".

Franchise Brands employs almost 650 people across the Group and there are over
3,000 people in the franchise community.

For further information, visit www.franchisebrands.co.uk
(https://protect.checkpoint.com/v2/___http:/www.franchisebrands.co.uk___.bXQtcHJvZC1jcC1ldXcyLTE6bmV4dDE1OmM6bzo5MGZkOWJhYmU5Mjc0Yjc2OGEzNGVmMzgzYmMyMDVkNzo2OmE0ZWI6YzhhYjgwOTkzOGU3NzIxYzg0NjM4N2VkYjhjNGNlZjcxZWI0YTY1MDBkNzMyMTA5NDFjMDhhMGNlZmE3YmRiYzpwOlQ6Tg)

 

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