Franchise Times Top 400

Franchise Times Ranks the Top 400 Brands in Franchising

Franchise Times recently released its annual ranking of the largest U.S.-based franchise systems, based on systemwide sales.

We are fortunate to work with some great brands that made the list and are especially proud of our work with Ace Hardware:

Ace Hardware moved from No. 5 to No. 4, growing sales by $3.5 billion – the best dollar amount sales growth across the franchise space last year.

We’re seeing trends that make sense – lots of home projects and lots of pizza!

• Ace Hardware’s growth and move up the rankings demonstrates how home improvement continues to be important for consumers. Home services and home improvement franchises did well this year.
• Pizza was big, and providing delivery options is key. In total, the segment was up 4.8 percent for delivery players, but dine-in pizza concepts saw sales decrease by 15.2 percent.
• International location growth was strong over the past year, however, in the US, only corporate entities grew in location counts.
• The hospitality and travel industries continue to be affected by uncertainty and challenges due to regulations.

Find more information about how the Franchise Times conducts its ranking.

The Value of Franchising

The franchising business model is under scrutiny from the US government and from franchisees themselves. Franchisee advocates are urging the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to more heavily scrutinize franchise contracts for unfair or deceptive practices. The International Franchise Association (IFA) has launched a campaign to support the franchise business model, finding that independent franchise owners are local business leaders who are the drivers behind economic growth and charitable endeavors in their communities. Read more about their efforts here.

Location3 is a proud supporter of the franchise community, but we are certainly aware that some bad apples spoil the bunch. We are in support of franchisors whose mission is to provide success and partnership to their franchisees and who are fair and transparent in their business practices.