In just the last two months, we’ve helped two of our partners secure 3 Master Franchisees and Area Developers in key overseas markets, with two more well on their way to being finalised. These weren’t household names or multinational corporations. They were focused, ambitious franchisors with strong, well-supported models, and a desire to grow beyond the UK.

Last month’s Franchise Pool International Forum (FPI) in Lisbon was one of the best yet. Now into its 19th year, the FPI Forum has always been a big deal, but this year saw more brands presenting than ever before. There were a few big names you will have heard of before, all pitching their concept and doing all they could to learn how to enter the European market for the first time. Others were new brands taking their first steps into international franchising. Many of them were medium size operations, but they all had fantastic ideas and proven systems and I am sure we are going to be hearing a lot more from them in the future.

It was also wonderful to see a few old friends, such as Matthew from Bread Ahead – a wonderful example of how you don’t have to be a huge UK franchise to make a splash overseas. Just have a great concept and know what you’re doing! (Read more about the Bread Ahead story here – well worth a look!)

Why is this important to you? Well, I believe it all points to one thing:

International expansion through franchising is back in a big way

However, I should let you into a little secret: it never really went away. Sure, the pandemic stopped everything for a while, and the economic situation in the UK hasn’t exactly felt favourable for many years now, but sometimes it’s easy to forget that it’s a big, big world out there. The UK is just a small part of it, and there is always something positive happening in at least a few of the 195 different overseas markets out there. International franchising is a huge deal, and there is never a shortage of opportunity.

The big difference now is that there is clearly a renewed appetite for UK-based concepts out there. Overseas markets are buzzing with genuine interest, serious buyers, and international partners actively looking to invest in the right brands. There is a serious window of opportunity here.

If international franchising has been on your radar for a while, or even on the back burner while you wait for the right moment, this might be exactly the time to bring it to the forefront.

So, where are you on your franchising journey?

Whether you’re actively exploring international markets or simply wondering if your brand is ready, it all starts with a simple conversation.

We’ll take the time to understand where you are, what you’ve built, and where you want to go so that we can help you think about the next step. Now might just be the best time in years to take your brand global and we’d love to help you explore how.

Just click the button below to schedule a chat.

I look forward to hearing from you.