The Year We Started To Shake Up the Franchise Industry

2025 was our first full year in the franchise world and we didn’t just join the industry, we disrupted it. 

We made noise, challenged old habits, and changed how franchisors think about recruitment. This wasn’t a soft entry. We came in fast, with a clear goal: prove there’s a better way to grow.

We built systems that replaced guesswork with data, and marketing fluff with measurable results. We showed franchisors that automation, transparency, and consistent delivery outperform outdated recruitment tactics. The result? Stronger pipelines, better candidates, and a growing roster of some of the UK’s biggest franchise brands.

Redefining How Franchising Grows

The UK franchise market is solid, but 2025 proved it’s also ready for change. We worked with major national and international brands that shared one frustration the process of finding new franchisees was stuck in the past. So, we rebuilt it.

We streamlined every step. Automated qualification. Cleaned up CRM chaos. Turned lead generation into predictable performance. And instead of “broad marketing,” we gave franchisors structured, data-led recruitment ecosystems that scale.

 

 

What We Achieved in 2025

Our first full year in the franchise space wasn’t just busy — it was defining.

Partnering with Leading Brands

We brought 15 new franchise brands into the SOOM® partnership. From established national names to international groups entering the UK market, each partnership focused on clarity, structure, and building recruitment systems that actually work.

Franchisee Prospects and Conversions

We generated 11,856 qualified franchisee prospects across the UK and beyond. These weren’t weak leads or empty numbers. They turned into 1,002 discovery meetings, with an average lead-to-meeting rate of 8.45%  well above industry norms.

Setting New Benchmarks

We didn’t aim to meet the industry average. We aimed to raise it. Through sharper creative, smarter ad targeting, and AI-driven qualification, our clients saw measurable improvements across every stage of recruitment.

Visibility and Influence

We exhibited at four of the UK’s biggest franchise events, met hundreds of serious investors, and built strong relationships with key figures shaping the sector. These events gave us insight, exposure, and a growing reputation as the agency doing things differently.

Evolving the Brand

We rebranded this year to align every part of SOOM® strategy, design, and messaging around a single purpose: to make franchise recruitment simpler, smarter, and more transparent. The result was a cleaner identity that now stands out across the industry.

 

 

 

How We’re Changing the Game

We Simplified Recruitment

Franchise recruitment doesn’t have to be slow or complicated. Our systems prove that automation and clarity deliver faster decisions, higher quality candidates, and stronger ROI.

We Raised the Bar

From lead-to-meeting ratios to conversion quality, we pushed every metric up. We showed what happens when marketing and recruitment work as one.

We Worked with the Best

Some of the UK’s biggest and most respected franchise brands trusted us to take their recruitment to the next level. They came to us because we don’t do generic — we do results.

 

 

We are not stopping there, this is just the beginning of what is about to come next!

We’ve laid the foundation. Now we’re scaling it. 2026 will be the year we move from disruptors to industry leaders. Here’s what’s on the board:

    • Become the UK’s go-to marketing agency for international franchise brands entering the market.
    • Take the title of the UK’s No.1 franchise recruitment agency built on data, delivery, and results.
    • Feature in headline talks, podcasts, webinars, and partnerships across the industry.
    • Grow our portfolio by a further 40+ franchise brands by year-end.
    • Join the British Franchise Association (BFA) to further cement our credibility.
    • Go global, speaking at major international shows and events.
    • Launch our new flagship product, the first of its kind in the world built specifically for the franchise industry and set to debut at the International Franchise Show in April 2026. More information will be released between January & April and this will be designed for forward thinkers, industry leaders and brands that intend to stay ahead and not follow “Wolves not Sheep”

Looking Ahead

In one year, we’ve gone from new entrant to recognised force. We’ve shown the industry that franchise recruitment doesn’t need to rely on luck, it just needs a system that works.

2026 is where we turn that system into a standard. We’re not slowing down. We’re building faster, smarter, and on a global scale.

Because at SOOM®, we don’t follow trends — we set them.