Franchise Business Opportunities

Financial Post:

U.S. franchise corporations have always eyed Canada for expansion — its geographic proximity and similar language and culture make it a natural fit — but going north of the border wasn’t always a top priority.

“You know it’s on their list somewhere after Wyoming, Alaska… Canada,” says Larry Weinberg, a Toronto franchise lawyer who recently co-chaired the American Bar Association’s Annual Forum on Franchising in Toronto.

A trend appears to be emerging among U.S.-based franchisors to target the Canadian market first for international expansion. A slow-to-recover U.S. economy, combined with Canada’s relative strength during the recession, seems to be luring franchise operators to Canada.

“Now they’re thinking differently,” Mr. Weinberg says. “I think the word is getting out that Canada is a good place to do business.”

Read more.

Photo: Walter Tychnowicz / Canwest News Service.

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Caribbean PressReleases.com:

Marco’s Pizza, an authentic Italian pizza company headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, has 31 stores planned for a brand new territory: the Caribbean. Brothers and franchise veterans Chris and Terry Tsavoussis are Marco’s area representatives for the new territory and plan to open six stores in the Bahamas and 25 additional stores throughout the Caribbean region.

The first Marco’s location in the Bahamas has opened in Solomon Spring Center, Prince Charles Ave., Nassau.

“Chris and I decided to become area representatives with Marco’s Pizza because we were impressed with the company’s growth and high-quality products,” said Terry Tsavoussis. “We strongly believe in quality franchise concepts and always invest in the talent of the people in the Bahamas and the Caribbean to grow each new franchise. Bahamians and visitors alike will love Marco’s authentic Italian pizza.”

PRLog.Org:

You’d think the worst economic times since the Great Depression would discourage budding entrepreneurs from going into business on their own. Yet with corporate layoffs, record unemployment rates, shrinking nest eggs and a number of other variables, many entrepreneurs are seeking franchises as a safer track to owning their own business—and that’s attracting franchise owners from a variety of backgrounds.

“It used to be your franchise owners drew more investor-types—celebrities, pro athletes and others with deep pockets looking for a turnkey operation,” said Peter Hans, CEO of Resort Maps Franchise, Inc., a franchisor and creator of more than 90 customized travel maps across the United States, England and Puerto Rico. “The economy has turned a number of franchise owners our way, either as an appealing option to corporate life and a shrinking job market or as a lifestyle option.”

Some of the areas attracting new franchise owners include…

Read on.

The Franchise Magazine:

Kitchen facelift franchise Dream Doors has revealed that it has implemented a radical realignment of the management service fee (MSF) paid by franchise owners. The new system is designed to encourage sales with a staggered set of discounts to reward high turnover.

“This new deal adds thousands of pounds to our top performing franchise owners’ bottom line,” said Dream Doors Managing Director Troy Tappenden. “Those who continue to push themselves each year and help Dream Doors to grow more rapidly could see a 20 per cent increase in their profits as a result of the new initiative. The move is a huge incentive for our existing franchise owners and will also encourage new franchise owners to join Dream Doors. For many, this is the icing on the cake!”

Six existing Dream Doors franchise owners are already benefiting from the new scheme, with their turnovers having surpassed the £400,000 mark and qualifying them for reduced rates on their MSF.

“Dream Doors’ current MSF is calculated as a percentage of a franchise owner’s turnover.,” Troy added.

PR Web:

As jobless rates soar across the country, Mom Corps, a premier staffing solution company, is expanding and opening a franchise in Northern Virginia.

Jennifer Bainbridge is the new Regional Owner of Mom Corps Northern Virginia. Bainbridge says Mom Corps will provide Northern Virginia area professionals more alternatives in finding flexible work opportunities and afford area companies the option of hiring “on-demand” talent to meet their changing business needs.

Mom Corps provides companies direct access to top-tier experienced talent ready to work on an as needed basis, an option that meets the demands of many businesses’ cycles. While enabling professionals to engage in challenging work in their fields, they are also afforded the flexibility for their personal needs and responsibilities. With the launch of its franchising, Mom Corps is tapping into an ever growing pool of experienced, educated professionals seeking flexible, career alternatives.

“Mom Corps’ idea is such a wonderful niche market previously untapped in the Northern Virginia area,” said Bainbridge, “and bringing the staffing idea to my city was a natural fit for me as I am a Mom and do think that flexible work lets you balance it all.”

RisMedia.com:

Realty Executives International, Inc. has awarded franchising rights to 48 franchisees year-to-date, welcoming 2,429 new Executives (real estate agents). Around the world, new regions have been added to the company’s portfolio including the Dominican Republic, Honduras (Roatan) and Turkey. In the United States, New Jersey and Grand Rapids, Michigan are the newest regions, and California and the Southern Region (Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia) experienced the most franchise sales.

“Brokers and top producers are choosing Realty Executives because of the value in aligning with our highly reputable brand and because of the tools we provide our Executives so they can leverage every opportunity in today’s dynamic real estate landscape,” says Rich Rector, owner and Executive Chairman of Realty Executives International, Inc.

Irish Franchise Magazine:

Aspray specialise in project managing all types of insurance related property repairs offering a ‘recession resilient’ business which excels in bad weather. A highly lucrative business with 50 per cent margins achievable.

The service provided is free to the general public and uses local and qualified subcontractors. Aspray provide a one stop shop for all types of building repair works and pride themselves in reducing the stress for people at an often anxious time.

Take a look at Aspray’s summary here…

Greenville Daily Reflector:

Mr. Rooter Plumbing, which has a franchise in Winterville, has been recognized in the Franchise Times Top 200 list for 2009.

“It is an honor to be included in this prestigious list,” Hal Conger of Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Pitt County franchise said in a news release. “We believe it is a testament to the outstanding customer service we provide this community.”

The annual ranking lists the top 200 franchises based on worldwide sales. Mr. Rooter appears at No. 184.

The Top 200 list is featured in the magazine’s October issue and online at www.franchisetimes.com.

Nation’s Restaurant News:

Jack in the Box Inc. said Monday that Leonard Comma will be promoted to senior vice president and chief operating officer for the company’s namesake chain in February, after current president and chief operating officer Paul Schultz retires in January.

Linda Lang, Jack in the Box chair and chief executive, will take on the role of president once Schultz retires.

As COO, Comma will oversee operations for all 2,200 corporate or franchised Jack in the Box units. He joined the company in 2001 as director of Convenience-Store and Fuel Operations for what was then the company’s Quick Stuff convenience store chain, which was sold earlier this year.

Franchising.com:

Unishippers Global Logistics, LLC, the nation’s largest reseller of complete shipping services, has been included for the third year in a row in Franchise Times magazine’s Top 200 Franchise Systems list of the nation’s largest franchise systems by total sales. A franchise system had to take in more than $235 million in system sales to make the Top 200 this year, compared to $204 million a year ago.

The Franchise Times Top 200 collectively demonstrated a remarkable ability to withstand the economic turmoil of the past year. All today, the franchisors on this list took in $474 billion last year, 7 percent more than the year before.

Unishippers Global Logistics, LLC, headquartered in Salt Lake City, has kept its revenue strong over the past several years through strong corporate initiatives, including recruiting high quality B2B sales representatives, expanding its core group of shipping carriers and enhancing its customer support through state-of-the-art technology for shipment preparation, price quoting and tracking. In addition, growth has also been accelerated by an expanding franchise sales footprint.