The UK’s leading franchise brands have gathered to celebrate the Elite Franchise Top 100 (EF100) Awards 2026, recognising the businesses and individuals driving excellence across the franchising sector.

Hosted at the Leonardo Royal Hotel, St Paul’s in London, the event brought together some of the industry’s most respected brands to honour the outstanding achievements showcased in this year’s EF100 rankings.

Since its launch in 2017, the EF100 has become a benchmark for success within the franchising community, highlighting brands that demonstrate exceptional performance across areas including growth, innovation and community impact. With another highly competitive year of entries, the 2026 awards celebrated those organisations and individuals setting new standards for the industry.

Anita Roberts, Franchise Director at HSBC UK and one of the EF100 judges, commented on the strength of the sector, “Franchising drives growth in the UK economy, and we’re proud to back an initiative that champions excellence while fostering the continued advancement of the franchise sector.”

This year’s awards recognised standout achievements across a range of categories:

• HSBC Exceptional Performance of the Year Award: Stagecoach Performing Arts, recognised for outstanding business growth and franchisee support.

• EF100 Emerging Franchisor of the Year Award: Black Sheep Coffee, celebrated for their strong growth trajectory and potential to make a significant impact on the franchising sector.

• BusinessesForSale.com EF100 Innovation of the Year Award: easyStorage, honoured for its forward-thinking and innovative strategies within the franchise space.

• Natalia Shvarts Community Builder of the Year Award: Caremark, recognised for making a meaningful and positive impact within its franchise community.

• AdSmart from Sky Sustainability of the Year Award: McDonald's Restaurants Ltd, acknowledged for demonstrating commercial success alongside a strong commitment to environmental and social responsibility.

• Knights PLC Diversity & Inclusion of the Year Award: Bluebird Care, recognised for their dedication to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion across their network.

• EF100 Highest New Entry of the Year Award: NIC Services, making an impressive debut within the EF100 rankings.

• EF100 Rising Star of the Year Award: Banana Moon, recognised for their continued growth and leadership within the franchising sector and climbing the highest in the EF100 since last year.

• Franchisee Outstanding Achievement of the Year Award: Tamsin Brewis, franchisee at Water Babies and Charity Director at Children’s Alliance, honoured for her exceptional contribution and dedication to the franchise community.

• People’s Choice Award: MOLLY MAID, retaining the title for a second consecutive year, voted for by the readers of Elite Franchise.

• Elite Franchise Supplier of the Year Award: Platinum Wave, recognised for their outstanding support to the franchising sector and voted for by this year’s EF100.

The evening also celebrated the EF100 Top Placing Franchise, with Stagecoach Performing Arts taking the number one position in the EF100 2026 rankings, recognising the brand’s exceptional performance and leadership within UK franchising.

Jodie Marsh, Commercial Director of Elite Franchise, explained, “Hosting the EF100 Awards is an incredible honour. This event is all about celebrating the very best in franchising, recognising the hard work, dedication and innovation that drives the industry forward.”

To find out more about the EF100 and explore the brands featured in this year’s rankings, visit: https://elitefranchisemagazine.co.uk/ef100-winners