The Franchise 500 includes 500 companies that together generate billions in revenue worldwide. Amy Cosper of Entrepreneur, said, "This tremendous success supports the fact that franchising continues [image-nocss] to present entrepreneurial-minded leaders with excellent opportunities for business ownership. In the face of corporate downsizing and economic volatility, for many individuals, franchising can be a new path to business ownership."
The No. 1-ranking franchise is a good example of that path to success. In spite of recent economic troubles, CEO Fred DeLuca said 2008 was Subway's "best year ever." The chain has surpassed the 30,000-restaurant mark and has 1,600 stores scheduled to open in 2009, with another 2,400 franchisees approved and waiting in line.
Rounding out the top five from the Franchise 500 are McDonald's at No. 2, Liberty Tax Service at No. 3, Sonic Drive-In at No. 4, and Intercontinental Hotels Group at No. 5.
The rankings for all 500 companies are determined using an exclusive formula that takes into account objective and quantifiable factors for all companies. The most important factors include financial strength and stability, growth rate and size of the system. All franchises are given a cumulative score, and the 500 franchises with the highest cumulative scores become the Franchise 500 in ranking order.
Click hereto view the complete list. And click here for the latest CSP Daily News coverage of Subway's co-branding activities in the convenience store/petroleum retailing sector.
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