New Zealand is the world’s most-franchised nation and dominated by retail brands, ‘New Zealand’s Top Franchise Leaders’ book suggested.

“Franchising isn’t always thought about by people wanting to get into their own retail business, but it offers the best of both worlds by allowing people to run their own business with all the support of a head office behind them,” says the author Pete Burdon.

Companies featured in the book include Kitchen Studio, Night ‘n Day Foodstores, Liquorland and Helloworld, along with eight others from outside retail.

Kitchen Studio CEO Simon Harkness (pictured above) told Burdon in the book that it’s vital for people to do their homework before choosing a retail franchise to buy into, as support and having compatible values are critical to success.

“It’s also important to recognise that franchising isn’t for everyone. For example, among other criteria, we only accept people who are genuinely interested in succeeding along with likeminded people and won’t have a problem working within our framework,” said Harkness.

Burdon also addresses how Kiwi franchise leaders distinguish between corporate and franchise leadership. Harkness understands this well because he not only moved from corporate to franchise management, but Kitchen Studio is also a cooperative.

“In a nutshell, corporate leaders can tell their employees what to do, but a franchise leader must pitch and sell ideas to the network because decisions can impact the viability of every business. This is even more important for a cooperative because all the profits go back to our franchisees,” said Harkness.

New Zealand’s Top Franchise Leaders, Secrets Revealed has been launched online and through bookstores.