The 150 Fastest-Growing Franchises Meet the companies that are leveraging their ability to scale fast -- and take their franchisees along with them.
By Tracy Stapp Herold •
This story appears in the March 2018 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »
Meet the companies that are leveraging their ability to scale fast -- and take their franchisees along with them -- in Entrepreneur's annual fastest-growing-franchises ranking. The 150 companies on this list opened a net total of 10,356 franchise units in North America between July 2016 and July 2017. An impressive 375 of those units belonged to Dunkin' Donuts, which tops our list for the second year in a row as it continues to spread its reach beyond its Northeast stronghold and into more Western states.
Related: 2018 Top Franchises from Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 List
Beyond ranking individual companies that have mastered the growth game, this ranking helps highlight overall trends. Two of the most well-established categories, quick-service restaurants and personal-care businesses, dominate the list, with 60 companies combined adding more than 5,000 new franchise units. But smaller industries, such as tech and recreation -- represented by just five and six companies, respectively -- are making their mark as well, with each company adding an average of 60-plus new franchises. Maintenance businesses, which are usually inexpensive to start, are well-represented. But on the opposite extreme, opportunities with higher barriers to entry, such as hotels and retail stores, also made our list.
Related: 5 Affordable Franchises You Can Start for Less Than $10,000
Companies are ranked based on their growth between July 2016 and July 2017, and the total units listed represent the number of units open as of July 31, 2017. Ties are broken based on percentage growth. Keep in mind as you read through the ranking that it is not intended as an endorsement of any particular company. Growth can be a positive sign of a strong franchise opportunity, but it's essential that you do your own research on every aspect of a franchise before investing.
Check out the complete list here.
