“The illusion of my life was to set up my own business, as my father had done. There is nothing better than working for you. ” Susana Expósito (55 -year -old Technical Engineer) tells how after a dismissal in the computer company where she worked she decided to make her dream come true. In May 2022 he opened his D-Uñas manicure and pedicure center in Madrid. It took some time to pass through the lack of experience in the beauty sector, but those responsible for the chain (with 190 stores in Spain and Latin America) encouraged it and used its compensation so that its establishment saw the light. Expósito opted for a franchise because, as the president of the Spanish Association of the Franchise (AEF), Luisa Masuet, says, the «allows who wants a business adventure, but has no knowledge to do so, she is ally with a recognized brand, which already has a proven success model, and takes her hand.» It is his great advantage. While the greatest inconvenience is that the businessman cannot do what he wants, but what marks the contract with the franchisor, he says. In Spain the franchise system is highly developed: there are 1,471 teachings with 84,664 stores that moved a turnover of 35,575 million euros last year, 1.1% more than in 2023, according to the data of Tormo franchises. Restoration and food are the sectors that concentrate the highest percentage of brands, establishments and billing, ahead of the specialized services, where the activity that is opening the most stores is aesthetics, says Laura Acosta, head of marketing and business development of Tormo.Carmen Beotas is since November 2024 McDonald's franchise 95% managed through this system. She, an expert in the 38 -year -old commercial area, launched a restaurant because she learned that the American chain was looking for entrepreneurial women: “I didn't look more. McDonald's meets all the requirements I was looking for to undertake, it is a leading brand and allows me the flexibility and conciliation that other jobs do not give me with my three children. ” She is excited about her store in the center of Madrid, in which she has invested 300,000 euros financed at seven years, which is when she calculates that she will have amortized the investment. It has 36 employees. «The fact that McDonald's gives you the key project, with the place already mounted and with the staff, gives you a lot of peace of mind,» he says. Beotas has formed for 14 months to take the restaurant, through all positions. Investments to face to open a franchise depend a lot on the chosen business. There are from 30,000 euros to 300,000, according to Luisa Masuet, which also emphasizes that the teachers offer financing throughout the life of the franchise. Some brands provide local and personal and others. They ask for an entrance fee, as well as some royalties for the use of the brand and monthly payments for advertising. The duration of the contracts is also variable, between one year and 20. The same as profitability, that the president of the AEF indicates that it is common to move between 7% and 10%. Of course, not everyone arrives, in fact, in 2024 more establishments were closed in Spain than opened: 6,372 for 10,000 units, which represents a 4% drop and a loss of 13,000 jobs (currently, the sector uses 384,173 people), according to torming data.Isabel Díaz, Dia franchisee in Viveiro (Lugo).
The race for expansion
Chains want to expand in a hurry. For example, D-Uñas opened 35 beauty centers in Spain and Latin America in 2024 and is about to enter the United States through Miami, indicates its co-founder, Sandra Benzaquen, which ensures that its franchisees need a minimum of 50,000 euros to start in a 35-meter store (in the case of Susana Expósito they were 75,000, «because there are always unforeseen events in the reforms,» he clarifies. For its part, McDonald's intends to inaugurate 200 restaurants until 2028. That is why they are increasingly lax with the investment requirements of their franchisees and more prone to have the premises for rent or in property and that the franchisee be its manager. This is the case of Dia, which operates 64% of its 2,302 supermarkets in a franchise regime (more than 1,500). And 93% of them without the need for initial investment, requesting a reimbursable guarantee of between 40,000 and 100,000 euros, and financing the necessary stock. This is how Lara Manjón, 36, has done with three stores in the chain in Salamanca (30% of its franchisees are multifranchicalized). “I have half a life in Dia, I started as a replanting at 19 and I always wanted to have a business. They proposed it to me with 22 years and now I have three stores, the last open last September, and 22 employees in my charge. I really like a fourth, ”says Manjón. In the supermarket chain, almost half of the franchisees are women. Like Isabel Díaz, who closed with the financial crisis her merchandise and a year ago she manages a supermarket in Viveiro (Lugo), at 50. “From one store to another is like day and night. When you are an entrepreneur, you go on your own, without a network. Here, with all the support of Dia, it allows you to see things with another perspective. In addition, you do not have to advance money and finance the merchandise, ”says Díaz. The largest battle horse of franchisees is staff management, because almost everything else is very standardized. It is the advantage of having a brand behind.