Franchising in Europe – Introduction to the Top 500
Franchising is huge in Europe. With a population of 450+ million, Europe represents one of the most dynamic marketplaces for franchising in the world. Though American brands still dominate the Top 500 franchises, many European franchises also have become big names on the continent and beyond.
| Rank | Franchise Name | Units | Established | Country | Industry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ▲ ▼ | ▲ ▼ | ▲ ▼ | ▲ ▼ | ▲ ▼ | ▲ ▼ |
| 101 | Kamps | 930 | 1982 | Germany | Food: Baked Goods Donuts and Pastry |
| 102 | Ibis (Accor) | 927 | 1974 | France | Hotels |
| 103 | Minuteman Press Int'l. Inc. | 916 | 1973 | United States of America | Business: Products and Services |
| 104 | Haagen Dazs | 900 | 1961 | United States of America | Food: Ice Cream and Yoghurt |
| 105 | Mandarina Duck | 900 | 1977 | Italy | Retail: Other |
| 106 | Brums | 900 | 1955 | Italy | Retail: Clothing and Footwear |
| 107 | Sylvan (Schuelerhilfe) | 900 | 1979 | United States of America | Education: Children |
| 108 | Nacex | 900 | 1998 | Spain | Couriers |
| 109 | Laforet Immobilier | 900 | 1981 | France | Real Estate |
| 110 | Color Me Beautiful | 900 | 1983 | United States of America | Health and Beauty: Hairstyling and Cosmetics |
| 111 | Gamm Vert | 900 | 1977 | France | Retail: Gardening Products & DIY |
| 112 | Telepizza | 872 | 1987 | Spain | Food: Restaurants |
| 113 | Okaïdi | 860 | 1994 | France | Retail: Clothing and Footwear |
| 114 | Lacoste Boutique | 850 | 1933 | France | Retail: Clothing and Footwear |
| 115 | Elephant Bleu | 850 | 1973 | Switzerland | Automotive: Car Wash / Car Cleaning |
| 116 | Esprit | 835 | 1968 | United States of America | Retail: Clothing and Footwear |
| 117 | Brioche Doree | 800 | 1976 | France | Food: Baked Goods Donuts and Pastry |
| 118 | Depaso | 800 | 1989 | Spain | Food: Convenience Stores |
| 119 | Apollo Optik | 800 | 1972 | Germany | Health and Beauty: Opticians |
| 120 | Gruppo Buffetti | 800 | 1852 | Italy | Business: Products and Services |
| 121 | Ben & Jerrys | 790 | 1978 | United States of America | Food: Ice Cream and Yoghurt |
| 122 | CruiseOne | 782 | 1989 | United States of America | Travel |
| 123 | Golden Tulip Worldwide | 780 | 1962 | Netherlands | Hotels |
| 124 | 8 à Huit (Carrefour) | 778 | 1977 | France | Food: Supermarkets |
| 125 | Zafiro Tours | 752 | 1989 | Spain | Travel |
| 126 | Uniglobe | 750 | 1979 | Canada | Travel |
| 127 | RENO | 750 | 1977 | Germany | Retail: Clothing and Footwear |
| 128 | A & O | 750 | 1960 | Italy | Food: Supermarkets |
| 129 | Albert Heijn | 750 | 1887 | Netherlands | Food: Convenience Stores |
| 130 | Southern Fried Chicken | 721 | 1983 | UK - England | Food: Restaurants |
| 131 | Gold's Gym | 711 | 1965 | United States of America | Health and Beauty: Sports and Recreation |
| 132 | R-Kioski | 710 | 1910 | Finland | Food: Convenience Stores |
| 133 | Alfa Inmobiliaria | 706 | 1996 | Spain | Real Estate |
| 134 | Mex | 706 | 1996 | Spain | Couriers |
| 135 | Swatch | 700 | 1983 | Switzerland | Retail: Jewellers |
| 136 | Barcelo Viajes | 700 | 1961 | Spain | Travel |
| 137 | Stagecoach | 700 | 1988 | UK - England | Education: Children |
| 138 | Gabetti | 700 | 1950 | Italy | Real Estate |
| 139 | Mercure (Accor) | 695 | 1973 | France | Hotels |
| 140 | GS Insieme A | 690 | 1961 | Italy | Food: Supermarkets |
| 141 | Guy Hoquet l'Immobilier | 670 | 1990 | France | Real Estate |
| 142 | The Athlete's Foot | 665 | 1971 | United States of America | Retail: Clothing and Footwear |
| 143 | Getifix | 650 | 1983 | Germany | Building, Construction |
| 144 | Ballancer | 650 | 2000 | Germany | Health and Beauty: Hairstyling and Cosmetics |
| 145 | Ad-Autodienst | 650 | 1992 | Germany | Automotive: Products and Services |
| 146 | TUI Reise Center | 650 | 1991 | Germany | Travel |
| 147 | GiraMondo Viajes | 642 | 1979 | Italy | Travel |
| 148 | Smoothie King | 638 | 1987 | United States of America | Food: Specialty Shops |
| 149 | Ihr Platz | 630 | 1932 | Germany | Health and Beauty: Other |
| 150 | APP Informatica | 611 | 1994 | Spain | Computer, Electronic and Internet Services |
| 151 | Husse | 600 | 1988 | Sweden | Retail: Pet Products and Services |
| 152 | Original Marines | 600 | 1983 | Italy | Retail: Clothing and Footwear |
| 153 | Adolfo Dominguez | 600 | 1994 | Spain | Retail: Clothing and Footwear |
| 154 | Alain Weiz | 600 | 1983 | France | Retail: Clothing and Footwear |
| 155 | Délifrance | 600 | 1918 | France | Food: Baked Goods Donuts and Pastry |
| 156 | Cash Converters | 600 | 1984 | Australia | Retail: Other |
| 157 | Franck Provost | 600 | 1975 | France | Health and Beauty: Other |
| 158 | Professionecasa | 600 | 1986 | Italy | Real Estate |
| 159 | Club Tan | 600 | 1994 | Italy | Health and Beauty: Other |
| 160 | Lav'pro | 600 | 1986 | France | Dry Cleaning, Laundry |
| 161 | Shopi (Carrefour) | 600 | 1973 | France | Food: Supermarkets |
| 162 | Blokker | 587 | 1896 | Netherlands | Retail: Household Furnishings |
| 163 | Super GB Partner (Carrefour) | 582 | 1860 | Belgium | Food: Supermarkets |
| 164 | Party Land | 560 | 1986 | United States of America | Miscellaneous |
| 165 | De Keurslager | 560 | 1946 | Netherlands | Food: Products |
| 166 | Candy Bouquet | 555 | 1989 | United States of America | Food: Specialty Shops |
| 167 | Berlitz | 550 | 1878 | United States of America | Education: Children |
| 168 | Oviesse | 550 | 1972 | Italy | Retail: Clothing and Footwear |
| 169 | Pans & Co. | 550 | 1991 | Spain | Food: Restaurants |
| 170 | Datac | 545 | 1981 | Germany | Business: Financial Services |
| 171 | Gall & Gall | 540 | 1884 | Netherlands | Food: Other |
| 172 | Obi | 530 | 1970 | Germany | Retail: Gardening Products & DIY |
| 173 | Sunpoint | 524 | 1979 | Germany | Health and Beauty: Tanning |
| 174 | Ada | 500 | 1969 | France | Automotive: Automobile Renting and Leasing |
| 175 | Jacques Dessange | 500 | 1956 | France | Health and Beauty: Other |
| 176 | Office 1 | 500 | 1989 | United States of America | Business: Products and Services |
| 177 | Computer Troubleshooters | 500 | 1997 | Australia | Computer, Electronic and Internet Services |
| 178 | Pressto | 500 | 1994 | Spain | Dry Cleaning, Laundry |
| 179 | PORTAS | 500 | 1974 | Germany | Home Services: Other |
| 180 | Clarks | 500 | 1825 | UK - England | Retail: Clothing and Footwear |
| 181 | Tumble Tots | 500 | 1979 | UK - England | Education: Children |
| 182 | Compagnia della Bellezza | 500 | 1993 | Italy | Health and Beauty: Hairstyling and Cosmetics |
| 183 | Hema | 500 | 1926 | Netherlands | Retail: Other |
| 184 | Etos | 500 | 1918 | Netherlands | Health and Beauty: Other |
| 185 | Profnorm | 500 | 1963 | Netherlands | Retail: Other |
| 186 | Holiday Land (Thomas Cook) | 500 | 1924 | Germany | Travel |
| 187 | Groszek | 494 | 2000 | Poland | Food: Convenience Stores |
| 188 | Line-X | 488 | 1993 | United States of America | Automotive: Products and Services |
| 189 | Viajes Ecuador | 485 | 1959 | Spain | Travel |
| 190 | Quick Restaurant | 483 | 1971 | Belgium | Food: Restaurants |
| 191 | Point Vert | 481 | 1985 | France | Retail: Household Furnishings |
| 192 | Phildar | 480 | 1903 | France | Retail: Other |
| 193 | Country Inns & Suites (Carlson) | 479 | 1986 | United States of America | Hotels |
| 194 | Libreria Mondadori | 471 | 1998 | Italy | Retail: Bookshops |
| 195 | Les Briconautes | 470 | 1969 | France | Retail: Gardening Products & DIY |
| 196 | Cache Cache | 470 | 1985 | France | Retail: Clothing and Footwear |
| 197 | Musikschule Fröhlich | 469 | 1977 | Germany | Education: Children |
| 198 | Charley's Philly Steaks | 463 | 1986 | United States of America | Food: Fast Food |
| 199 | Etap Hotel (Accor) | 461 | 1991 | France | Hotels |
| 200 | Martinizing Dry Cleaning | 459 | 1949 | United States of America | Dry Cleaning, Laundry |
Methodology Franchise Top 500
November 20, 2008 / TOP 500 ARTICLE
Franchise Direct has identified the Top 500 biggest franchise opportunities operating across Europe. This year's list is based on the number of units the franchise currently operates in Europe.
To arrive at this figure we referred to several European Franchise Association Web sites as well as numerous franchise directories. We verified the figure by referring to the franchise's own Web...
Read more.
Franchise Statistics for the European Union
August 26, 2008 / TOP 500 ARTICLE
Franchising in Europe in on track for continuing positive growth. The 27 nations that comprise the European Union represent a single market of more than 450 million consumers.
Read more.
Franchising in Europe: Past, Present and Future
August 26, 2008 / TOP 500 ARTICLE
Although franchising is mistakenly thought to be twentieth century innovation, the concept has its first beginnings in the European feudal systems of the middle ages.
Read more.
European Franchise Federation
August 26, 2008 / TOP 500 ARTICLE
The European Franchise Federation (www.eff-franchise.com) is a non-profit international organisation that represents, promotes and defends the interests and development of franchising in Europe. The EFF was founded in 1972, and its headquarters are in Brussels.
Read more.
European Franchising – Trends and Developments
August 26, 2008 / TOP 500 ARTICLE
The franchise industry in the European Union has tremendous growth possibilities. With 450 million consumers in 27 nations, many franchisor companies worldwide, especially U.S. businesses, are eager to expand franchise units into Europe.
Read more.