A way of doing business that involves a franchisor and a franchisee
Franchisor
A business with an established brand, intellectual property and business systems
Franchisee
A person or business that pays an initial fee and an ongoing share of profits to the franchisor for the right to do business under their name and using their business systems
Benefit of purchasing a franchise
Utilise the reputation of the franchisor
Use tried and tested business processes
Use recognised branding
Access a solid customer base
Successful franchises
Starbucks
Subway
Skechers
McDonald's
The most successful franchise on the planet
Over 90% of McDonald's restaurants operate as a franchise in over 100 different countries
Advantages of purchasing a franchise
Don't have to establish own brand and reputation
Buying into an established business
Lower risk of failure
The average UK McDonald's franchise has annual sales between 1.5 and 4.3 million pounds
Positives of investing in a franchise
Support and advice from franchisor
Training provided by franchisor
Key business areas like advertising and marketing taken care of at corporate level
Franchise rights and equipment cost
350 thousand to 1.8 million pounds in the UK
Ongoing fees paid by franchisee to franchisor
Annual franchise fee of 12.25% to 21% of net sales
Monthly service fee of 5% of net sales
Contribution to marketing fund of 4.3% of net sales
The total ongoing fees can be up to 30.3% of net sales
Drawbacks of purchasing a franchise
High initial investment
Lose proportion of profits through ongoing fees and royalties
Less control over business decisions like product range, marketing and pricing
Overall, the franchise model is a low-risk way of starting a well-recognised, successful business, but this low risk often comes at a cost in terms of a high initial investment and losing a proportion of profits through ongoing fees and royalties