Baskin Robbins Australia CEO Ian Martin has shared with attendees at a recent franchise best practice event how the franchise is rebuilding franchisee relationships, and the brand. Keynote speaker Martin said Baskin Robbins’ core focus is helping franchisees sell ice-creams, looking after the supply chain, and passing on mass buying efficiencies to franchisees.

Franchisors, CEOs and senior franchise executives attending the Franchise Forum 2011: Rebuilding Franchise Profits, also heard from McDonaldÍs multi-unit franchisee Mike Bolton, who was formerly a national franchise manager in the head office, and LookSmart Alterations franchisor Abraham Hatoum.

The event aimed to increase understanding of franchise best practice and was jointly hosted by Griffith UniversityÍs Asia-Pacific Centre for Franchising Excellence and the Franchise Advisory Centre.

Recurring themes from speakers throughout the day included reviewing operations to reduce non-essential costs, getting your core right first and setting benchmarks across the franchise system to track and measure performance. Other topics explored included how to use social media for franchisee recruitment, overcoming recruitment challenges, leasing and franchise performance metrics.

The second annual Franchise Marketing Forum 2011 will be held in November.