Franchise Industry News

Seniors Helping to Fuel PT Franchise Industry Growth

The personal training franchise sector is experiencing a boom and it’s the senior market who is fuelling this growth. Positive Outlook for Franchising Growth With a combination of positive consumer spending trends and the Trump Administration’s promises around labor and tax regulations, experts are predicting positive growth for the franchising industry for a seventh consecutive year. President Donald Trump has made it clear that he plans to make it more attractive for businesses, both large and small, to operate in the United States, stressing his push to, “buy American and hire American.” The International Franchise Association predicts that the personal services industry will likely see the greatest amount of growth as it attempts to meet demand. The Personal Training (PT) industry is one such sector within the personal services industry that franchising experts, All State Franchise Finders, believes is of particular interest to watch. “The demand for PT services is...

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All I Want for Christmas – Is to Own a New Franchise

Franchising offers many advantages for both franchisors and franchisees. When you look at the facts, it’s easy to see why franchising is the popular choice for entrepreneurs. A History of Franchising The franchise business model is unique. It is one of the most widely used business models across the world today. In basic terms, a franchise is the granting of a license or right to an individual or group with the intent to market a company’s goods or services in a particular area or territory. While early concepts of franchising date back to the middle ages, franchising first appeared in the United States in the mid-19th Century. One of the earliest, and most successful, examples of franchising was when John S. Pemberton licensed his home-made drink to selected people to bottle and sell, a product that became known world-wide as Coca-Cola. Other early examples of companies who took on the...

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Franchising in UK and Ireland Equals Big Opportunity

The UK & Irish economies have picked up significantly over the past few years, equalling big opportunity for those looking to franchise on the big stage. After the market downturn of the 2007-2008 global financial crisis (GFC), which lasted several years, the economy in the UK and Ireland has seen a progressive and steady turnaround. And this has led to strong growth in the franchising sector within these two countries. Big Business Opportunity Both the U.K. and Ireland have strong, steady economies that have experienced continued positive growth over the last 10 years. In terms of the respected Ease of Doing Business rankings by The World Bank, these countries rank highly, with the U.K. ranked in seventh place and Ireland not too far behind in 13th place. A high Ease of Doing Business ranking means a particular country’s regulatory environment is more conducive to opening a business. The potential for...

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The Master Franchising Model

Master franchising is where the business owner, or master franchisor, expands through using a master franchisee. This master franchisee takes over the responsibility of opening further units within a given territory, which may cover an entire country. The master franchisee is responsible for recruiting franchisees, training, support and ongoing development of future units. Under this franchising method, the master franchisee also becomes a franchisor over his or her given territory. Master franchising is a popular method of expanding, especially among business owners looking to expand internationally, into countries they may not know the culture, language or business environment in any great depth. The Importance of the Master Franchisee The master franchisee, whose aim is to meet targets and become franchisor of units within his or her territory, plays an important role in the success of a business expanding their brand into a foreign market. “An experienced master franchisee who has local...

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Franchising: the Low-Risk Option for European Entrepreneurs

While some European countries are considered more entrepreneurial, countries like German & France like the idea of an established brand from which to grow a business. State of the Franchising Market in Western Europe Businesses looking to franchise into the European market usually consider the English speaking countries of the United Kingdom and Ireland as the go-to destinations for growth and development. However, there are some countries, like Germany and France, who are considered more reserved when it comes to business entrepreneurialism and risk than the likes of the UK and Ireland, who have a large number of independent business owners starting up all year round. For these more conservative business-minded countries, the franchising model offers greater support and stability, as well as less risk, than an independent start-up business concept. Franchising in Germany When one thinks of German business enterprise, the engineering and technical industries are what comes to...

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Franchisors Now Looking to Africa for Expansion

Companies are actively seeking franchising opportunities into Africa as the continent continues to shed negative associations of the past & position itself as a strong & growing economy. Changing Face of Africa’s Economy Over the past decade or so, Africa as a whole has gone through quite significant government and economic changes, and countries around the globe are taking notice. The continent is seeing great movement with a strong emerging middle class and strong economic growth. Many of the African nations, in particular, South Africa and Nigeria, have spent the last several years shedding their reputation of lack of infrastructure, corruption and poverty. This has led to governments and companies from around the world to actively seek direct trade and investment with these nations. According to the African Development Bank Africa’s middle class consists of approximately 34 percent of the population, an increase of seven percent over the past 10...

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Master Franchising the Ideal Choice for International Franchisors

Business owners looking to franchise into areas like Turkey and Israel often find master franchising to be the best method of international franchising. Expanding a business globally takes careful consideration and planning as well as in-depth knowledge and experience about the area one is planning to branch out into. For those looking to franchise into areas like Turkey and Israel, master franchising is often the preferred method. Master Franchising Method While there are a few different methods of franchising, master franchising is one of the most popular ways for businesses to expand internationally into new and foreign markets, in particular into Turkey and Israel. Master franchising is where the master franchisor, or the business owner, hand over significant control of franchising to the master franchisee. Usually, the master franchisee is given a large area where they have the rights to sub-franchise smaller units. In this case, the master franchisee also...

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Editor’s Note: September ’17

Youth – The case for change in the Board Room Young people are reshaping the business world, and the benefits businesses can reap are significant when they give youth a seat in the boardroom. Company founders like Mark Zuckerberg at Facebook or Sergey Brin and Larry Page at Google all set up their businesses at a young age. Many of the next generation of innovators and disruptors coming through are similarly young, tech-savvy millennials, some of whom have raised millions and sold their companies to giants. Jon Reynolds and Ben Medlock sold their company SwiftKey to Microsoft for $250m last year when they were 30 and 26, respectively. Despite this, few companies have any non-executive directors below the age of 35. According to a recent study by the IRRC Institute and Board Governance Research in the US, the median average age across all S&P 500 boards is 62.4 years, with...

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Franchising in Russia Offers Enormous Development Potential

While several major players have already made quick success of franchising into Russia, smaller companies are realizing the potential that franchising into Russia offers. Almost twice the size of the U.S. and with a population of around 143 million, Russia sits strategically placed with Europe to its West and Asia to its South. Historically, this massive country has been very closed to the West. However, since the early 1990s, Russia has become more and more open to foreign investment, western brands and international franchising. “Russia may be relatively new to the concept of international franchise brands but they are a huge market that is gaining momentum all the time,” says Derek Cafferata, CEO and President of franchising experts All State Franchise Finders. “The development potential for international brands to enter into the huge Russian market is quite phenomenal.” Desire for International Brands As the country continues to open up, there...

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Understanding Employment-Based Visa Requirements

Those looking to gain permanent residency in America, employment-based visas are available. We look at EB-2 and EB-5 Visa Programs, the ideal options for investors and business professionals. Green Card Access into the United States Legal permanent residency into the United States, informally known as a green card, is something sought-after by foreigners across the globe. Being a green card holder entitles one to permanently live and work in the United States. A number of Visa programs are offered to potential immigrants, based on various eligibility categories, including family-based eligibility, employment-based eligibility and refugee-based status. For those foreigners looking to gain permanent residency into the U.S. through employment-based eligibility, there are five different visa program options, the EB-1 Visa through to the EB-5 Visa. Investors, entrepreneurs and business workers often find the EB-2 Visa Progam and the EB-5 Visa Program to be the most suitable. There are some similarities as...

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Editor’s Note: August’17

Data – The new paradigm for today’s successful Entrepreneur.  Successful businesses are increasingly focusing their energies on one area – data. And specifically, the use of it to drive business strategy. I’m in absolutely no doubt that, as time goes on, the difference between success and failure will be those companies who embrace data and those who don’t. Don’t panic. It’s more evolution than revolution. Most companies already possess a goldmine of customer data. They’ve been generating it for years – often unknowingly – through various portals like websites and apps, till sales and customer service logs. It’s just that many haven’t realized what they’re sitting on, let alone considered mining it. Ground-breaking companies like Google, Amazon, Farfetch and Missguided have generated rampant growth through making sense of billions of lines of customer data. By turning unstructured statistics into tangible insights, they’ve consistently acquired new customers, retargeted existing ones and...

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Direct Franchising Popular for Expansion into Middle East

Direct franchising into the Middle East, particularly Saudi Arabia & Kuwait, is becoming increasingly popular. According to franchise experts, the region is a growing fast. The GCC Powerhouse The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is made up of the six Persian Gulf states of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman and Qatar. It is an intergovernmental political and economic union, somewhat like the European Union, and consists of a combined population of 34 million people. While the GCC is a relatively small and new council, it is considered a powerful economy, one that matches many of the leading first-world economies. With a combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $600 billion, the GCC ranks easily within the top 20 of the world’s largest economies. Some of the main objectives of the GCC has been to formulate similar regulations in various areas, including tourism, trade, finance, administration and legislation, to...

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Green Card Access through Franchising Opportunities

Franchising is a popular ways foreign investors are gaining access to the coveted Green Card. And franchising experts All State Franchise Finders can help. What is an EB-5 Visa? An EB-5 Visa is one of the few ways a foreign investor can gain legal permanent residency into the United States, gaining themselves the popular and coveted Green Card. The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa Program was first introduced back in 1990 and has recently been extended under the new Trump Administration. The aim of the EB-5 Visa program is to encourage foreign investment and economic growth in the U.S. An employment based (EB) program, the EB-5 Visa requires the foreign investor to invest in a business that does, or will, employ at least 10 American employees. While the investment requirement is a minimum of $1 million, if an investor chooses a more rural area to invest in, with a higher unemployment...

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Editor’s Note: July ’17

Sports Marketing – How it effects consumer buying trends! We’re at the start of Wimbledon now and I can’t wait to see who will be this year Men’s Champion. I began the tournament thinking how Burberry, a British institution like Wimbledon, was using its heritage to grow abroad and at home, but what about foreign brands tapping into the history and glamour that Wimbledon has to offer? The Championships’ visibility has never been higher, and it remains the richest tournament in tennis in terms of prize money. The tournament’s impressive profile makes it a dream for sponsors, with a huge variety of brands vying to be linked with the very British institution or the athletes that compete to win it. Regardless of the outcome of the matches, one brand that has had good reason to celebrate this year is Ralph Lauren, with 2017 marking the 12th year that the inimitable American fashion...

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South Korea a Great Way to Test the East Asia Market

Franchising experts All State Franchise Finders share their knowledge about franchising into South Korea and why it is a great place to test the East Asia market. South Korea, located in Eastern Asia, has a population of approximately 49 million people. Since the 1950s, South Korea has experienced huge economic growth and development. With a national GDP of over S1.6 trillion, South Korea is now considered one of the largest economies in the world. Over the past 10 or so years, South Korea has really opened up to the concept of franchising in a big way. South Korea is currently ranked eighth out of 185 countries in the World Bank Group’s Ease of Doing Business Ranking. Franchising Laws in South Korea South Korea’s franchising industry is governed by specific franchising laws. The Fair Transactions in Franchise Business Act (Franchise Act) and the Enforcement Decree are the primary laws governing the...

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