LONDON (ShareCast) - (Sharecast News) - Franchise Brands said on Wednesday that trading in the first quarter of 2025 showed signs of improvement across several parts of its portfolio, underpinned by resilient demand for essential services and ongoing strategic initiatives to drive integration and efficiency.
The AIM-traded firm said in a statement ahead of its annual general meeting that performance had generally strengthened since the start of the year, with a number of businesses delivering strong results in March.

Executive chairman Stephen Hemsley said that at Pirtek, system sales rose year-on-year, supported by improving trends in cyclical sectors and early indications of larger project work later in the year.

In the water and waste services division, market conditions remained challenging, but demand for reactive services was holding firm.

The division continued to benefit from operational efficiencies generated through integration efforts.

Meanwhile, Filta North America posted strong system sales growth, driven by the FiltaMax initiative and an expanded service offering.

Strengthening prices and volumes in used cooking oil also contributed to a materially improved performance compared to the prior year.

The group said its autonomous B2C brands - ChipsAway, Ovenclean and Barking Mad - continued to trade steadily despite recruitment challenges in the franchise market.

Strategic progress was also noted on the 'One Franchise Brands' initiative, with major IT projects, including a new group-wide finance system and the deployment of Vision across Pirtek, progressing on schedule and within budget.

Franchise Brands said it remained focussed on driving cost efficiencies and capitalising on cross-brand sales opportunities to mitigate the impact of persistent macroeconomic pressures and external uncertainty, including recent US trade and tariff developments.

The company said it was continuing to diversify its operations to reduce exposure to any single market or sector.

At 1106 BST, shares in Franchise Brands were down 1.33% at 144.06p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.

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