Franchise Brands reported accelerating sales growth across its business-to-business franchises, driven by strong demand for its essential services.
The company, which owns brands including hydraulic hose repair specialist Pirtek and commercial kitchen services provider Filta, said system sales grew 8.4% in the third quarter, up from 6.7% in the first half and 4.2% a year earlier.
Pirtek’s UK business grew 8.9%, while its Filta business in North America was the standout, up 20.8%, helped by a 42% rise in used cooking oil prices.
The company is simplifying its business to focus on three core brands — Pirtek, Filta and Metro Rod — and using any disposal proceeds to cut debt.
It said the momentum underpinned its confidence in meeting full-year profit expectations, despite challenging economic conditions.
The market reaction was fairly muted, likely because the stock was already trading near the year’s best levels.
Stephen Hemsley, Executive Chairman, said: “The Group achieved another period of record System sales in Q3 2026, building on the momentum achieved in the first half and delivering growth at a significantly higher rate than the prior year.
“This performance was broad-based across all three core B2B franchise brands, with Pirtek’s key franchised businesses returning to more robust growth and a particularly strong performance from Filta as it expands its services with FiltaClean Pro.”