An Update of the Franchisee Motivations: a Study in Spain

This paper presents an empirical study of the motives for acquiring a franchise, based on a sample of franchisees operating in the Spanish market. The results are compared with the obtained in the previous studies. Although this topic has been studied previously, the spectacular progress of franchises throughout the world in the last decade may have changed franchisees’ opinions about their motives. This manuscript establishes an update of motivational incentives for individuals to enter franchising from the previous studies. The results provide the following ranking: (1) Proven business format, (2) Start-up support, (3) Established name, (4)Training provided, (5) Faster development, and (6) Ongoing support. This study and the previous literature suggest there is a limited group of motives involved in the franchisee decision, but the ranking varies from study to study. It shows a different ranking of motives for selection of a franchisee from previous studies. In this work, we have determined the motives which lead an individual to choose the franchise system over other options. We consider that research on this topic, despite that already done, is scarce, especially in view of the significant recent growth in many countries which has influenced franchisees’ opinions. The latest study in this field was done by Guilloux et al. (2004) with data from 1999. This study represents another recent step toward establishment the reasons for selection of a franchisee. It establishes an update of motivational incentives for individuals to enter franchising from the previous studies.