International Women's Day is a prime opportunity for celebrating the fantastic women in our lives. Women are taking the world by storm and yesterday was the perfect time to pay homage to their many achievements. See how franchises marked the occasion in today's Friday Franchising News.
McDonalds Flips its Iconic 'M' Sign
McDonald's made an unprecedented move to flip its iconic arches into a 'W' sign for International Women's Day, which was met with a wave of criticism. The brand had redesigned their logo on their social media channels and had also supplied 100 restaurants with special branding. Wendy Lewis, McDonalds' Global Chief Diversity Officer, stated that the move was "in honour of the extraordinary accomplishments of women everywhere, and especially in our restaurants." However, many people took to social media to question why McDonald's are not committed to paying their employees a decent wage.
ChipsAway Encourage Women to Defy Stereotypes
ChipsAway reported that a third of women feel that they have been overcharged for repair services purely because of their gender. The repair company are advocating for more women to enter the automotive industry and marked International Women's Day with a series of empowering quotations from women in their network. One such quote was from Debra Siseman, Franchisee for ChipsAway Cheltenham, who said: "Cars are now an interest we can share as a family – my four-year-old daughter wants to spray cars when she grows up." ChipsAway's Head of Marketing, Ella Pugh, stated that ChipsAway are committed to helping women feel more confident in dealing with all things automotive.
SafeClean Celebrate their Female Franchisees and Management
60% of the employees at SafeClean are women and the brand is renowned for empowering women in business. Maria Hartnell is the National Franchise Manager for SafeClean and she guides the business with an incredible thirteen years experience in franchising. Franchisee Kim spoke about her partnership with her husband and how nothing sets her back at work: "When I go into a customer's home, I like to make sure that I can put them at ease...I can do this job just as well as my husband and that is reflected in the results I achieve."
Home Instead Introduce their Leading Ladies for 2018
Home Instead chose to mark International Women's Day by sharing inspiring stories about their female franchisees. Major Nell Light, a former Medical Support Officer, used two thirds of her military pension to open her Andover and East Wiltshire franchise. Tasnim Rehman was a Business Manager with Chanel who realised that she wanted to make a real difference to the lives of older people in her community. This realisation led her to open a Home Instead franchise on Christmas Eve three years ago and she has not looked back since. Home Instead have 115 territories available at present and they are delighted to offer franchise opportunities to women who wish to be business leaders.