They say the race goes to the swift—that certainly seems
to be the case in international franchising. U.S. franchisors who
realize this are opening stores quickly in an attempt to corner
global markets. So which U.S. franchises opened the most
international locations last year? We've compiled the following
top 10 list of the very fastest, based on information from
Entrepreneur's 2001 Franchise 500 listing.
1. Burger King Corp.
Hamburgers, fries, breakfast & other items
International unit growth: 1,759
2. McDonald's
Hamburgers, chicken, salads
International unit growth: 1,034
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3. Century 21 Real Estate Corp.
Real estate services
International unit growth: 300
4. Worldsites
Internet services
International unit growth: 238
5. KFC
Corp.
Chicken
International unit growth: 222
6. Subway
Submarine sandwiches & salads
International unit growth: 211
7. Jani-King
Commercial cleaning
International unit growth: 165
8. Blimpie
Int'l. Inc.
Submarine sandwiches & salads
International unit growth: 134
9. Mail Boxes
Etc.
Postal, business & communications services
International unit growth: 107
10. Choice Hotels Int'l.
Hotels, inns, suites & resorts
International unit growth: 96