Wild Birds Unlimited Wins Franchise Update Media 2020 Innovation Award

“We are honored to have received the Franchising Update Innovation Award,” said Amy Moore, Vice President of Retail Concepts of Wild Birds Unlimited. “This award is a true reflection of what can be accomplished in a very short period of time under difficult circumstances if you have incredible trust, partnerships and an opportunity to collectively collaborate with all key stakeholders. We have an incredible system comprised of adaptive franchisees, innovative and supportive suppliers and a franchise support center staff geared towards delivering an exceptional level of support.

The speed at which all team members were able to change course as new developments unfolded during COVID, allowed our system to continue to address the needs of our customers and keep them participating in a hobby that brought joy into their lives through backyard bird feeding.”

Seven judges evaluated the innovation, objectives, and results of more than 130 entrants. Franchise innovators, game-changers and disruptors competed in four categories: Marketing & Branding, Products & Services, Operations and Human Resources. Eighteen winners were chosen from among the four categories.

Wild Birds Unlimited won the Most Innovative Franchisee Support Award in the Operations category. Judges reviewed many top-notch operations teams to determine the true innovators which quickly pivoted to update, streamline and scale best practices and processes post COVID-19.

“Submitting the application for the Franchise Innovation Award made so much sense,” stated Paul Pickett, Chief Development Officer of Wild Birds Unlimited. “The Wild Birds Unlimited system was able to turn on a dime and continue to Share the Joy of backyard bird feeding with customers across North America due to both our Franchise Support Team working tirelessly on creating new marketing, purchasing and operational tools, collateral and best practices and our amazing franchisees who worked and communicated so closely with us and implemented these new opportunities so effectively. Our culture of collaboration was the foundation that we needed to be so innovative during these challenging times.”

Wild Birds Unlimited is the original and largest franchise system of backyard bird feeding and nature specialty stores with more than 330 locations throughout the United States and Canada. Wild Birds Unlimited specializes in bringing people and nature together with bird feeding and nature products, expert advice and educational events. Wild Birds Unlimited has consistently ranked in the top 10 in the overall category for more than ten years on Franchise Business Review’s prestigious Franchisee Satisfaction Awards.

Franchise Update Media been a leader in the franchising space for more than 30 years. Founded in 1988, the company produces online franchise opportunity and educational websites, two print magazines, four e-newsletters, four conferences, independent research, and books, all focused on franchising. Targeting franchise audiences online, in print, and in person, Franchise Update Media delivers a unique combination of educational and lead generation sources to help franchisors, multi-unit franchisees, opportunity seekers, and suppliers achieve their growth objectives.