London Recruitment agency named one of Britians star franchisors

Antal International Network, has been crowned one of the UKís brightest franchisors by The British Franchise Association after being shortlisted in the HSBC Enterprise category in this yearís Franchisor of the Year Awards.

Now Antal is hoping it will scoop the HSBC Award for Enterprise when the judges announce the winner at a glittering gala luncheon at Londonís Savoy Hotel on Thursday 26th May 2005.

The Awards, sponsored by HSBC and the Daily Express, are designed to showcase Britainís best-performing franchisors in a booming industry worth an annual 10 billion to the economy.

Companies entering the awards could nominate themselves in three categories, the others being Express Newspapers Brand Builder of the Year and BFA Franchisor of the Year, where the theme was ìSupport for Successî.

Antal International is a recruitment agency that has found success where most others fear to tread.

Launched in 2002, the fledgling company set out to target the former Soviet and other Eastern European economies which they identified as having relatively advanced industrial bases but little experience in the business service sector.

It was a high risk market, but Antal were convinced that the potential rewards were equally high - according to Managing Director Kevin Cox, it was a matter of finding the right balance between stability and flexibility.

At the heart of the business is an intrinsic stability, based on an understanding of the recruitment industry and a well-founded understanding of franchising.

At the same time, Antal recognises that in spite of the ëshrinking worldí effect, every country has its own culture which you ignore at your peril. A cookie cutter approach is bound to fail as the recruitment requirements of France and Romania, for example, will be very different indeed.

Antal have succeeded because they ëculturaliseí their basic business model, identifying franchisees within each business culture, not outside it, recognising the intrinsic barriers to achievement that may exist and finding individuals who are prepared to embrace the new challenges of a global economy ñ both economically and intellectually.

It goes without saying that training is crucial to the success of the Antal network and the company will invest significantly in each potential franchisee to ensure their success. Careful monitoring of results and the ability to respond promptly to any perceived difficulties is paying off.

Todayís figures show the judgement to have been astute ñ with 19 UK franchises and 17 internationally, they have a presence in Latvia, Croatia, Romania, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic, as well as major Western European centres including France, Switzerland, Benelux and others.

The company continues to thrive, with nine new outlets scheduled to open in the UK this year and a further ten abroad. Most of all, Antal is proud of a track record that includes not a single failure in the difficult markets they have targeted.

ìIt is great to see the success of domestic and international franchisees being recognisedî, said MD Kevin Cox. ìTo be a category finalist for the second year running really is testament to the strength of the franchise group.î

HSBCís national franchise manager, Cathryn Hayes, said: Antalís achievements underline the many benefits franchising has to offer for those seeking to start up in business.

HSBC has been supporting the franchise industry for 20 years and we are pleased to see another crop of high quality entries, demonstrating the strength of the franchise market. Everyone at Antal should be justly proud that they have been shortlisted in this category.

Director General of the BFA, Brian Smart, said ìThe Franchisor of the Year Awards recognise the very best within our industry ñ those who constantly strive for excellence to achieve success both for themselves and their networks. We congratulate Antal on reaching this stage in the awards.î

Express Newspapersí Advertising Manager Jon Notley added : ìAntal clearly demonstrates how enterprise can drive a business forward - we look forward to sharing the winnersí story with our family of over four million readers.î