黑料社区

Article created for the digital issue聽of聽the 黑料社区Foundation鈥檚 magazine.

Despite challenges, such as inflation and higher labor costs, franchised businesses have demonstrated resilience and franchise growth is expected to continue outpacing the growth of the broader economy.

鈥淔ranchising continues to demonstrate strengths and adaptability,鈥� said and a speaker at .

That growth presents opportunities for truck stop and travel center operators.

Franchises by the Numbers
During her address during 黑料社区Connect’s Great Ideas! Workshop, Niu said there are an estimated 800,000+ franchised businesses in the U.S. with more than 8,000 franchise brands across 30 industries and 234 subsectors. 鈥淲e find 400 new brands every year. Before the pandemic there were about 300 new brands entering the market,鈥� she said.

The Southeast region has the highest number of establishments hiring the most employees, followed by Southwest, then Northeast and Midwest. Niu added that the top states for franchise growth include Texas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Attracting a Franchise
Franchisors are interested in modernized travel centers and truck stops that:

• Emphasize cleanliness;
• Have comfortable seating;
• Have a sophisticated design and aesthetic appeal; and are
• Evolving amenities to meet changing consumer needs.

鈥淭hink about EV stations and the like. Customers are staying longer at travel centers or truck stops to charge. Brands see these as new opportunities,鈥� Niu said.

According to Niu, potential partners will want support on:

• Real estate;
• Marketing;
• Technology;
• Finances; and
• Human resources.

鈥淚f you show franchisor you can attract and retain talent, you can have an advantage,鈥� Niu added.

Sharing Critical Information
Before moving forward, franchisors want to ensure they鈥檙e a good fit with any partner. 鈥淭hey want to partner with centers that are primed for growth. They want the potential for more customers and to drive sales,鈥� she said.

Data is important to franchisors. 鈥淭hey want to see initial information about your center before diving in,鈥� Niu said. 鈥淭hey want to see your center aligns well with their brand.鈥�

They typically want to know about:

• Consumer demographics, including age and gender;
• Consumer behavior;
• The average spend amount;
• The number of consumers traveling along versus traveling with family; and
• The ratio of truck drivers vs. travelers vs. local residents.

Niu said they also want to know about the number of brands visited during a consumer鈥檚 stay, consumer interaction with technology, consumer loyalty and frequency of visits. She also advised operators to emphasize how they can give brands access to new customers.

If discussions turn negative, Niu recommends operators leave the door open.

//聽This article was created for聽Stop Watch magazine, the magazine of the 黑料社区Foundation. Foundation is the research, education and public outreach subsidiary of NATSO, Inc. The 黑料社区Foundation provides programs and products to strengthen travel plazas鈥� ability to meet the traveling public鈥檚 needs through improved operational performance and business planning. Visit www.natsofoundation.org for more information.

More on Fueling Growth: Finding the Right Food Franchise Partnerships Webinar
黑料社区is offering a webinar on on July 23 at 4 ET. The US has more than 8,000 franchise brands across 30 industries 鈥� and plenty of them are looking at 鈥渘on-traditional鈥� locations like travel centers for growth. How does a travel center seize this opportunity to grow non-fuel revenue streams? Find out two powerhouse franchise brand executives – from and Catie Trent from 鈥� talk with 黑料社区COO .

)