We thought we knew how the end of this first generation of substantial multi-unit expansion was moving into the next generational phase, i.e., a combination of family/investor ownership buyouts, M&A consolidation, and continued expansion within and across brands. But the Covid-19 crisis is showing some initial signs of changing how this next generation of multi-unit […]
Building a multi-unit future While some franchisors have owner-operator models, most would like to attract more multi-unit operators (MUOs). Let’s look more deeply at MUOs. How do MUOs look demographically? What common underlying characteristics do they have that can be used to identify the prospects who will become the MUOs of tomorrow? I’ll start with […]
All the statistics point to continuing expansion For the past decade or more, you have heard me say that the majority of franchised units in the U.S. are owned by multi-unit operators. With more than 450,000 franchised units in the country, multi-unit operators control about 54 percent of those units. That’s impressive, and the percentage […]