AustralasiaÍs coffee and food franchisor, Foodco Group, has named the winners of the newly entitled James Fitzgerald Award for Retail Excellence 2008, in honour of the late founder James Fitzgerald. Jamaica Blue franchise in Morley WA and the Muffin Break in Lavington VIC were the overall winners of this award, pocketing $10,000 each for excellence in all areas of business.

With more than 220 Australasian retail outlets through the Muffin Break and Jamaica Blue brands, Sharne Patient, marketing manager of the Foodco Group, believes the awards, which are held every 18 months, promote healthy competition between franchisees.

“Foodco Conference is a wonderful opportunity to support our franchisees, promote our positive team spirit and healthy competition. This encourages and provides extra motivation for business owners, which is especially important during the current economy.”

Jason Dang, franchisee of the award-winning Jamaica Blue in Morley WA said, “WeÍd like to thank Foodco for such a great gala dinner. We are over the moon and delighted to receive the prestigious James Fitzgerald Award. My wife and I are so grateful to our staff for their contribution and consistently working hard. Overall, we would like to thank the customers who have supported our store during the year – they are the key to our success.”