Its regular polls typically ask nearly 3,000 franchisor, franchisee, advisor and supplier members for information about them, their businesses and their thoughts on the franchising industry – an industry that contributes £19.1 billion to the UK economy.
According to a 2024 British Franchise Survey, sponsored by NIC Local, franchising in the UK consists of over 1,000 franchise brands, 50,420 franchisees and 770,000 employees and has had a failure rate of less than 6% for the past 25 years.
Asking the questions
The BFA used their most recent QOTM poll to ask members two questions: ‘how old were you and how did you first discover what franchising was?’ and ‘Approximately what proportion of your current network or workforce is under 25yrs of age and what steps are you taking to introduce more young people into your business?’
Results showed that the average age a BFA member first discovered franchising was 33 and that the majority found out about it through work. 47.5% said they plan to do more to bring younger people into their brand in the next 12 months.
Some 46.7% of respondents indicated they had no current network/workforce under age 25. However, 43.3% did meet the 25% criterion, while a further 6.7% put the figure at between 26 and 50% and 3.3% said it was more than 50%.
Challenges going forward
Whilst some members said their franchise brands were not suitable for young people, for instance where there is the need for a specialist background, others mentioned how obtaining finance was sometimes an issue.
Sarah Dunwood, chief ops officer and director of education at Conexus Tuition has two new young franchisees. She said: “This is the first year we have had franchisees join us who are under the age of 30, (27 and 28). Increasingly we are getting more enquiries from younger teachers who want to continue working in education, but not within the education system as it stands, so we do expect that we will have more franchisees joining who are under the age of 30.”
Graduate success and increased enquiries
Meanwhile, Jessica Bonnard, CEO of language for Fun Ltd said: “Seven years ago we recruited a graduate while she was in her last year at university; now she is in our top three franchisees. We want to replicate this success by offering more support and better payment terms or reduced rate franchises.”
Elsewhere, Rustico Enterprises director and co-founder Luca Venditto said his “last three franchise enquiries have come from people under 30” while Sally Barter, owner of a Bright and Beautiful franchise said: “I own a cleaning company and have applicants of all ages. I look to keep a balance of youth and maturity”.
Jo Stone, CEO of Puddle Ducks added: “We have got lots of young teachers and poolside assistants. With the right training they are excellent and often want to work evenings and weekends when we have lots of classes.”
Preparing for the future
In recognition of the explosion of AI across all industries, some franchisors are focusing on training to keep them and their staff upskilled for the future. Jon Kynaston, general manager at DALROD UK Ltd said: “We are focusing on AI apprenticeships to attract both young employees and upskill our business skillset for the future.”
CEO’s warning
Pip Wilkins, CEO of the BFA, who has recently committed to launching an education pack for members to use in their local schools and universities said: “As an industry that represents a wide range of businesses we know that there is a huge diversity in what franchisors are looking for in their franchisees and workforce and sometimes it simply will not be appropriate for them to recruit younger people, however, as a sector we need to be mindful that the average age of a new franchisee is now up from 40 to 49yrs old and we’d like to see that figure come down.
“With AI still in its infancy but now also being used by businesses across the board, it is crucial that young people, who I think we can all agree will be the generation that truly masters the tool, have a place in our franchise businesses, to keep driving them forwards, innovating and building as they go.”
Key takeaways
- The BFA’s latest member poll found the average age at which members first discovered franchising was 33, with the majority finding out through a friend, colleague or family member.
- 46.7% of BFA members reported no current workforce members under age 25, but 43.3% did have young people in their networks – suggesting the sector is beginning to attract younger talent.
- Several BFA members cited recent success with young and graduate franchisees, including Conexus Tuition, Language for Fun and Rustico Enterprises, where the last three franchise enquiries came from under-35s.
- Some franchisors noted their models were not yet suitable for younger franchisees due to capital requirements or experience thresholds, highlighting the need for tailored pathways.
- Pip Wilkins, CEO of the BFA, has committed to launching an education pack for members to help young people understand AI and prepare them for a business landscape increasingly shaped by technology.
