Tag Archive for: Great British Franchise Awards

Debbie Walker from Merry Maids of Croydon Awarded Great British Franchisee Status

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Merry Maids business owner Debbie Walker achieves coveted Great British Franchisee Award.

Debbie Walker, the owner of Merry Maids of Croydon, has been recognised at whichfranchise.com’s Great British Franchisee Awards 2025 for excellence in franchising.

This blog post has all of the details.

The Great British Franchisee Awards 2025

This coveted award, now in its fifth year, recognises the best of the best of British franchising and is only awarded to a handful of franchisees across the whole country annually.

As a winner, Debbie proved excellence in her franchisee stability, business experience, growth and performance, staff retention and care, customer satisfaction, community involvement, franchise brand investment and inspired leadership.

Achieving this coveted spot, Debbie stands as one of seventeen exceptional franchisees awarded this year, alongside Fiona Perks, from Merry Maids UK’s sister brand Rosemary Bookkeeping.

She also joins her fellow Merry Maids franchisees, Nicky Morris, Tom Jackson, and Siva Kugathas, who have achieved the accreditation in previous years.

“The quality of candidates was remarkable once more this year. It’s wonderful that this extraordinary group of franchisees is being acknowledged for exceeding “the norm.” Their enthusiasm and dedication to their brand truly shone in their applications. They are genuine ambassadors for franchising,” says Suzanne Melville, Head of Marketing, whichfranchise.

The judges were impressed with Debbie’s excellent involvement with her community and franchisor as a true advocate of the Merry Maids brand, as well as her growth over the past few years, brilliant business strategies to sustain and improve growth and create value for her customers; going above and beyond to make sure that their needs are met.

Debbie says she is thrilled to be recognised:

“Winning the Great British Franchisee Awards means a great deal to me. I’ve been in business for over 20 years, providing dedicated services for my community. My mission has always been to be a business with a heart, providing an exceptional standard of cleaning for the people we serve while creating a place where my staff can thrive and we can give back through philanthropy and community support. This award is a recognition of all that, and how it’s essential to what makes a great franchise. I’m so proud to be among the best franchise business owners in the UK!”

Need a new cleaner?

See how Debbie and her award-winning business can support you with all manner of professional cleaning services by calling 0208 663 3268 to arrange a free, no-obligation quotation.

Or, nationwide, book online or find your nearest Merry Maids business today to connect with your local cleaning experts.

Merry Maids owner in West Midlands recognised as Great British Franchisee

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A cleaning company boss who offers rare job security and long-service awards to the people he employs in the West Midlands has won a major industry accolade.

Tom Jackson, owner of the Merry Maids franchises in Dudley, Wolverhampton, Birmingham South, Solihull and Stafford, has won a Great British Franchisee Award, one of the most prestigious honours in the highly competitive franchise sector.

“It’s common for a high frequency of staff turnover in the cleaning industry,” Tom says, “but that’s not the case in my business.

“I offer long-service awards because, generally, many of our staff stay with us for a long time.

“Two of the admin support staff have been with me for 15 years and nine years respectively – each having started as cleaners.

“And even the original two members of staff that I employed 20 years ago still work for us.

“I believe our staff stay with us because we care about them, and they can feel it, but also because many have been part of our journey and have seen the business grow from just two staff into what it is now.

“I also think people are drawn to the job security that a business established for 20 years brings.”

The Future of Merry Maids

Tom, a former bingo firm manager, is proud, too, that some of his customers have been using the company for 18 years, and one has even had the same cleaner continuously for all that time.

He also actively supports the rest of the Merry Maids network and mentors new business owners like Mercy Ikeji (pictured) when they join us.

“I’ve grown my Merry Maids business from a zero turnover virgin business to, what is currently, the biggest Merry Maids franchise in the UK with 60 staff,” he says.

“It’s a far cry from when I started with myself and two staff using a spare office – but I’m not content to rest on my laurels.

“I’ve set challenging goals for the next three years of growth with a target to be the first Merry Maids with a £1 million turnover.”

Tom is not the only one who thinks he will achieve that.

“Tom is a real asset to the franchising world,” says Merry Maids Brand Leader Vikki Donnachie.

“He is passionate about everything business, from his customers to his staff, as exemplified by his industry-defying levels of staff and customer retention.”

Contact us

If you’re in Dudley, Wolverhampton, Birmingham South, Solihull, Stafford and the surrounding areas and would benefit from a compassionate and professional home cleaning service, find your nearest Merry Maids business to receive a free, no-obligation quotation from Tom and his dedicated teams today.

Merry Maids of Kingston is crowned a winner in the Great British Franchisee Awards

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Owned and operated by Gary Rolfe, Merry Maids of Kingston scooped a prestigious award this week which recognises excellence in franchising.

After setting up his business in 2017, Gary has taken Merry Maids of Kingston from strength to strength as well as shown resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic which forced many domestic cleaning companies to close their doors for a short while.

Offering services from regular house cleaning, to end of tenancy, builders and one-off cleans, plus more; Merry Maids of Kingston boasts an array of services to suit all requirements. Not only that, they are Dementia Friends trained, and with 12 staff members, are regarded as a great place to work.

Hosted by Which Franchise, the Great British Franchisee Awards focuses on the people who have made the UK franchising a success.  They recognise the outstanding performance of franchisees, regardless of the size of their business or the sector they work in.

With tough criteria to fill, Merry Maids of Kingston clearly demonstrated what it takes to be a Great British Franchisee. From proof of Franchisee Stability and Business Experience, Customer Satisfaction, Inspired Leadership and to Driving Business Growth and Community involvement – this prestigious award is no easy gain, especially following a challenging year following COVID-19.

Gary Rolfe said: “I am extremely honoured and delighted to have won this prestigious award, I am extremely grateful for the fantastic support I receive from Servicemaster, and the award would not have been possible without my amazing staff.”

The awards judging panel consisted of Suki Dehal – Lloyds Bank, Head of Franchising, Aman Nirwal – BDO, Senior Key Account Manager Franchising, Euan Fraser – AMO Consulting, and Derrick Simpson, Companion of the British Franchise Association.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed reviewing all the applications and it has been so refreshing to see how all sizes of businesses from various sectors have coped and adapted their business in response to not only Covid-19 but looking at sustainable growth and business resilience for many years to come. It was great to see so many applications and from a cross-section of franchisees too,” Aman Nirwal, BDO.

Learn more about the Which Franchise Great British Franchisee Awards at: http://www.whichfranchise.com/awards/