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Franchise Trends to Watch in 2013 |
The past few years have seen a key trend towards recession-proof franchises and, this year, the trend intensifies. Recession-proof franchises not only cater to the needs of the cash-savvy consumer, but also have low franchise fees and set-up costs. Bearing this in mind, we’ve put together our pick of the best franchise industries in which to invest in 2013… Frozen Yoghurt Franchises Frozen yoghurt is a frozen dessert made with yoghurt and milk. It’s considered a lower-fat, healthier alternative to ice-cream (even so, the jury’s out on that one). Although the first frozen yoghurt brand was introduced back in 1978 (Frogurt), over the last five or so years frozen yoghurt franchises have mushroomed across the United States and the UK – far from cooling off, frozen yoghurt is a red-hot trend. In fact, frozen yoghurt franchises are considered the number one franchise trend in America, right now.
We may not be able to afford splashing out on expensive treats – like sports cars, exotic holidays or big-brand luxury goods – but we still want to feel we’re living the rock star life and, what’s more, we want to look like rock stars, too. Two areas on which people aren’t willing to compromise are personal care (cosmetics and grooming products) and personal fitness (exercise equipment and gym memberships) – in fact, spending on these so-called ‘affordable luxuries’ is up. When it comes to fitness and appearance, it seems, time is money – franchises which help us look and feel beautiful in thirty minutes or less are tops.
Beauty franchises to watch: Find more health franchises and beauty franchises. Education Franchises Last year, we reported on profitable tutoring franchises. This year, up-skilling remains a priority, with folks continuing to invest in education and training to give themselves, and their children, a better shot in a tough economy. Education franchises to watch: Education franchises to watch: Find more education franchises Business Services Franchises As the global economic meltdown took hold, millions of people the world over found themselves out of a job. When the going gets tough, the tough get going – many of these former permanent employees turned to entrepreneurship and set up small businesses. Thriving small businesses has had a knock-on effect of creating greater opportunities for small business services franchises – that is, franchises which provide services like bookkeeping, IT, tax, payroll and admin and marketing support. Business services franchises to watch: Find more IT & Communications Franchises and Commercial Franchises. Cleaning Franchises Considering all the time we’re now spending working on our start-ups, who has time to clean the home or office? Enter cleaning franchises – this franchise niche is one of the fastest growing worldwide. Engaging the services of a cleaning franchise, instead of employing a full-time office cleaner or home domestic worker has several advantages to the consumer, including no human resources woes and no paperwork to do (like paying UIF and providing benefits). Cleaning franchises to watch: Find more cleaning franchises. |