GF Issue 54

All eyes on Europe urope’s franchise market is considerable, launching exciting homegrown concepts with pan continental appeal, as well as opportunities for international brands to expand. For global brands looking to increase their footprint, EU nations are brimming with possibilities. For some, the unregulated haven of Germany has proven attractive, while others may find the Netherlands, with its Dutch Franchise Act, to be a reassuring platform on which to build a successful empire of multinational franchisees. France, too, has proven to be particularly resilient, with successive governments in favor of supporting the franchising business model. In fact, numbers collected by the European Franchise Federation (EFF) show more than 14,900 franchise brands currently operational in Europe, compared to 3472 networks in the U.S. and 4000 in China. According to EFF director Alisdair Gray, “Over 75% of franchise networks operating in Europe are homegrown, and we want that number to increase year on year by helping our brands cross borders and replicate their domestic success in their neighboring markets.” Ahead of the Franchise Expo Paris in March 2024, we took a deep dive into European franchising, only to find a market brimming with dynamism and capacity to innovate and expand. GERMANY: a self- regulated haven for franchising Franchisors operating in Germany aren’t governed by a specific franchising law, but there are still several considerations to be made before gung-ho expansion. Germany’s history with international franchising can be traced back to the 1970s, when E Franchising may have emerged from the States, but vibrant markets are now rooted in many European nations. We track the latest trends from the EU’s primary development destinations ahead of Franchise Expo Paris 2024 INS IGHT 68 GLOBAL FRANCHISE | ISSUE 8.2