The FBS Group - adding real value to the franchising industry

Ltr Celeste Herman and Marlize Smit discuss work in their open-plan working environment. Megan Bruno in the FBS Consulting reception area. Ltr Anita Cloete of XConnection and Isaac Kekana of Bakaone, both member companies of the FBS Group, discuss the needs of the franchisees. Nelson Cama of Xvector, a member of the FBS Group, liaising with franchisees. Liza van Zyl of Symphony Software, a member of the FBS Group, meeting client deadlines.

Successful franchising requires the franchisor to be competent in all disciplines associated with supporting a wide pool of franchisees. This task is complicated by a varying level of business and entrepreneurial skills amongst franchisees. Specialist franchise service supplier, the FBS Group, renders a range of franchise-related services designed to assist franchisors to enhance their existing infrastructure.

A member of the Franchise Association of Southern Africa (FASA), the FBS Group comprises of a group of companies with a range of competencies specific to the franchising environment. The group recently took up space at the Hub, where their data centre and state-of-the-art training facilities are also housed.

The group was formed from the success of the bakery franchise, Butterfield. Former Butterfield CEO, Kobus Oosthuizen, implemented a restructuring plan in 2004 that left the Butterfield franchisor structure with core technical competencies and outsourced all other disciplines to the various companies that now form the FBS group. This resulted in the development of a groundbreaking management system that can be applied to a myriad of franchises, and lead to the formation of the FBS group of companies earlier this year.

The group prides itself on the use of innovation and cutting-edge technology to provide effective location-based services and solutions. The CEO of XConnection, a member of the FBS group, JP Dippenaar adds that most of the group's business is sourced by word of mouth. "In a very short space of time, we have built a very good reputation. This results directly from our drive to make our technology world-class and address the real concerns of franchisors", he says.

As a part of its unique package of services, FBS's web-hosted application database, the Symphony platform, is the hub powering the franchisee operational and franchisor management information and communication systems. FBS's offering also includes the innovative Club 36995 loyalty programme, which allows brand managers to share in the customer database of other brands for the purpose of direct SMS marketing campaigns.

Commenting on The Innovation Hub as a location from which to operate, Dippenaar says, "The Hub's image and presence fits FBS's profile very well. The look created is corporate and professional which is exactly what FBS is". With clients as large as the Sasol chain of Express Shops and Butterfield, it is evident that the group successfully lives up to this image and delivers on its promise of adding real value.

For more information on FBS Consulting, contact Anita Cloete on (012) 844 0232.

[Back to top]

Next