Franchise Wire:
The Reading branch of leading dancewear shop Dancia International, has won a prestigious Pride of Reading award.
Dancia franchisees Jude and Richard Chapman received the Business In Action award for a company with less than 50 employees.
Known locally as “the big pink shopâ€, the Caversham branch – Dancia’s 10th UK franchised shop – only opened its doors in January 2009.
Jude Chapman says; “Starting your own business is exciting, but it can also be quite scary. By choosing to buy a Dancia franchise, I was able to tap into the experience of people who have been running dancewear shops for over 40 years. Big decisions became less daunting when there was a friendly voice at the end of the phone, and the training programme was rigorous but great fun.â€
Ann Piper of Reading Area Charities Together (RACT) nominated Mr and Mrs Chapman for the Pride of Reading Award after their Reading Dance Showcase event raised over £2,500 for RACT. The event brought together over 30 local dance schools and showcased styles of dance ranging from tap to tango and ballroom to Bollywood.