The recession hit Britain’s businesses incredibly hard. Entrepreneurs could only watch in horror as their life’s work turned to an empty property and a mountain of debt. Shops stood deserted, companies crumbled, and the retail and commercial sectors were destroyed.
But it looks like a new trend is set to turn the market on its head and give Britain’s businesses the boost they need. With a 14 per cent increase in franchises over the course of just two years, the retail sector is being revolutionised.
We take a look at the all American fashion that’s taking the country’s retail scene by storm…
A Surge in Franchises
We are all familiar with the names of the UK’s biggest franchises: McDonald’s, Subway, Starbucks, KFC, and Burger King, to name but a few. Their signs stand in relief on every high street, vividly illuminated, and most of us know their menus as well as we know our own names.
What a lot of us don’t know is just how much these businesses are worth to the British economy. A recent study has revealed that franchised companies contribute a phenomenal £15 billion to the country’s finances each year, after a record 14 per cent surge in the popularity of the franchising model.
The research revealed that there are now an astonishing 44,000 franchise owned units on Britain’s streets, run by 901 central companies. The largest proportion of these belongs to the personal services sector, which has seen a stunning degree of growth over the last five years, rising by 19 per cent.
The Secret to Franchising’s Success
Many are asking why this all American model is proving so popular in the British commercial sector, and economic experts have been quick to offer their opinions. The majority attribute its success to the power of a well-established name, and the businesses’ unique access to on-going support from some of the most profitable and experienced companies in the world.
If we look at it from the other side of the coin, the reason that so many business owners are buying into the franchise model is equally clear: profitability. A record 97 per cent of franchise-owned units recorded a strong turnover in 2016, with 56 per cent describing their earnings as ‘quite’ or ‘very’ profitable. Considering that over half reported a turnover in excess of £250,000 for the year, this should come as little surprise.
With franchising taking Britain’s commercial sector by storm, is it time that you employed such a model in your own business dealings?
