Did Vodafone place dangerous pressure on franchisees? The Guardian reports that Vodafone allegedly placed significant pressure on former employee and soon-to-be franchisee Adrian Howe – echoing claims raised by many others in our group.

Today we begin a new series: Questions Raised – a closer look at the issues highlighted by The Guardian’s deeply troubling report on the treatment of the late Adrian Howe and other Vodafone former franchisees. The first question is this: Is this really just a “commercial dispute”?

Vodafone has just released its “Vodafone Rewind: Highlights from 2025” – a polished recap of innovation, growth, partnerships and progress. New technology. Big ambitions. Bold milestones.

“For some, coming to work is more than just a job. It’s a lifeline.” Those are Vodafone’s own words, shared in a LinkedIn post celebrating the company’s culture of care, belonging, and compassionate leadership for its employees.

Proactive Investors published its own report after Parliament shone a spotlight on Vodafone’s treatment of its franchisees. www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/ne...

ITV News has now reported on the experiences of Rachael Beddow-Davison, Dan Attwal, and Rikki Lear – three former Vodafone franchisees whose stories expose the human cost behind what Vodafone continues to describe as a “commercial dispute.” www.itv.com/news/2025-12...

Greatest Hits Radio has now reported on the story of Rachael Beddow-Davison, a Lincolnshire mum who says Vodafone’s franchise model left her “broken”, as the scandal surrounding its treatment of franchisees continues to grow. www.hellorayo.co.uk/greatest-hit...

4,000 voices calling for change in franchising Almost 4,000 people have now signed the 38 Degrees campaign calling for stronger regulation and safeguards in UK franchising. you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/st...

📣 STOP the Next Post Office Scandal — and Protect Small Business Franchise Owners Now 👉 Sign the petition: you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/st...

Parliamentary scrutiny of Vodafone’s franchise model is now overdue - and welcome. If you have experienced similar treatment in UK franchising - now is the time to come forward. #FairerFranchise #JusticeForVodafoneFranchisees #MakeItMeaningfulMargherita www.theguardian.com/business/202...

BREAKING: Sky News' Mark Kleinman reports that Vodafone has finally agreed to meet MPs over what Sky has called a franchisee scandal. news.sky.com/story/vodafo...

Following last week’s broadcast, @itvnews.bsky.social published further reporting on the experiences of former Vodafone franchisees – detailing how small business owners say they were left in financial ruin after commission cuts, store pressures, and a lack of meaningful support.

We’ve been Shaw-Shanked. @itvnews.bsky.social reported last week on a voicemail left by Vodafone executive Jon Shaw, in which he admits that commission cuts “shanked” some franchise operators. www.itv.com/news/2025-12...

The human cost of Vodafone’s actions can’t be ignored. Dan's story lays bare the truth of what Vodafone's franchise program was really like - and the moral failure at the heart of one of the UK's biggest companies.

FAIRER Franchise – Family Statement We are sharing the following statement on behalf of Adrian’s family. The words below are the family’s own and are shared in Adrian’s memory.

As reported in The Guardian today, we welcome the fact that the government is now considering new franchising laws following the harrowing experiences of former Vodafone franchisees.

Vodafone’s own Commercial Operations Director , Jon Shaw, admitted the company knew its commission cuts had “shanked” franchise operators.

Thank you Justin Madders MP for highlighting our mistreatment by Vodafone and the harm that can be caused by the huge power imbalance that exists in franchising in the UK today.

@itvnews.bsky.social at Ten last night – and Tom Bradby opened our story with a comparison some MPs have made to Mr Bates vs the Post Office.

Member of the Fairer Franchise group Rachael Beddow-Davison appeared on ITV News today, bravely sharing her harrowing experience as a Vodafone franchisee. We’re grateful for her courage in speaking out.

In her Big Boss Interviews appearance, Margherita Della Valle spoke with pride about Vodafone’s work on satellite connectivity – positioning the company as a future competitor to Elon Musk’s Starlink.

During her BBC Big Boss Interviews appearance, the host suggested that the scale of innovation and transformation at Vodafone must surely “keep [her] up at night.” Margherita Della Valle replied: “I’m very lucky that I sleep well.”

In her BBC Big Boss Interviews conversation, Margherita Della Valle spoke proudly about the Vodafone–Three merger:

In her BBC Big Boss Interviews appearance, Vodafone CEO Margherita Della Valle proudly announced a milestone: “From 1 December I will have a female CFO… It’s important we lead by example.”

This week, Vodafone CEO Margherita Della Valle appeared on BBC Sounds’ Big Boss Interviews. Over the next few days, we’ll be unpacking her comments to hold her words up against the lived experiences of the 62 former and current franchisees now bringing a landmark legal claim against Vodafone

The Post Office scandal remains one of the starkest reminders of what happens when powerful organisations hide behind flawed systems. Fourteen years on from the first real warnings, many victims are still waiting for compensation.

In July’s adjournment debate, Parliament sent a message that could not have been clearer. Standing in the Commons chamber, Sir John Hayes MP issued a stark warning: “Scores of franchise store owners face financial ruin.”

"Dreadful organisation. It can’t support its own staff who are trying to support customers. The idea of trying to do complicated things is laughable."

Vodafone celebrates its employee benefits. But what about the franchisees who ran its high street stores? Scroll through Vodafone’s careers pages or LinkedIn posts and you’ll see it all:

When your own CEO admits you have a ‘macho’ culture – as Vodafone CEO Margherita Della Valle admitted in 2024 – and employees describe an ‘old boys club’ - your company has a problem.

“Greater control, flexibility and freedom are at the heart of the entrepreneurial spirit for women.” This was the finding at the heart of the Small Business Britain 2024 report into Female Entrepreneurship.

Vodafone’s results show strong commercial performance and a raised dividend. But behind the numbers lies a troubling gap in transparency. Vodafone doesn’t mention our claim as a contingent liability or legal case in its results. In fact, it doesn’t mention franchising or franchisees at all.

Vodafone announced on Tuesday that it is raising its dividend for the first time in seven years. That’s good news for shareholders — but it brings no comfort to us, the 62 former Vodafone franchisees who helped build its success on the high street.

Vodafone results spark new demands for clarity over franchisee legal challenge – Yesterday's article from Proactive Investor highlighted how Vodafone has continued to leave our claim out of the Contingent Liabilities of its Financial Results.

“Today’s announcement by Vodafone of its H1 FY26 financial results should not distract from the serious behavioural and governance issues that we allege lie at the heart of the company – issues that demand full, independent investigation and accountability at the highest level.”

Five years. Four investigations. Countless unanswered questions.

The World Health Organization continues its global commitment to improving mental health through its Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013–2030, which calls on Member States to:

In a world where Vodafone’s leadership had asked us what we needed in our time of crisis, the answers would have been simple:

We want you to come forward Margherita, not stand back When asked what advice she could give to a leader “embarking on change”, Vodafone’s CEO Margherita Della Valle said: “Stand back and dispassionately look at what you’re managing from the outside”

When asked how she thought about trust when building relationships, Vodafone CEO Margherita Della Valle answered: “It’s all about transparency and honesty”

What began as a legal claim has become something much greater. When 62 current and former franchisees brought a landmark legal action against Vodafone, it wasn’t just about contracts, commissions, or clauses – it was about accountability, fairness, and dignity.

Just now in Westminster Hall, Luke Akehurst MP - the constituent MP for one of our claimants, Mick Wilson - raised the vital point about the crucial role of litigation funding in enabling access to justice for our group of 62 franchisees pursuing our claim against Vodafone.

Through the bravery of the 62 former Vodafone franchisees, we are turning years of pain and hardship into public awareness. Because when leadership won’t listen, sometimes you are forced to make them hear you.

“The research literature has identified three factors that universally lead to stress: uncertainty, the lack of information, and the loss of control.” - Dr Gabor Maté, physician and author of When the Body Says No

Five years ago, many Vodafone franchisees were struggling in silence. The franchise model placed them under significant financial and personal pressure, leaving many feeling isolated and unsure where to turn. Over time, that changed.

The Samaritans continues its efforts to combat mental health crises in the workplace through its online learning tool “Wellbeing in the Workplace” which gives businesses the tools to:

“I invested all my savings left to me by my late father and risked my family’s future. I was told Vodafone would support me all the way… but that all changed after only a few weeks.” – Scott Roberts

In partnership with leading retailers John Lewis, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, ASOS, Co-op, Marks & Spencer and NEXT, Samaritans has developed the Wellbeing in Retail initiative which aims to help retail workers recognise emotional distress, support one another, and access help.

Franchises are driven by entrepreneurs - passionate people who take risks, invest their savings, create local jobs and bring national brands to local communities.

In the wake of World Mental Health Day, Fairer Franchise want to talk about @mind.org.uk – one of the UK’s leading mental health charities and a voice for everyone whose wellbeing has been compromised by their workplace.