Franchising in Italy
Interview with Michele Logiurato, Director of Franchising.it Srl, Italy
How did you get started as a franchise consultant and promoter?
I'm a businessman interested in different economical fields. First, I acquired the websites www.tuttifranchising.it and www.franchising.it. My purpose was to favour franchise companies with low prices and with the high quality of the conctacts received. Later we became leader and benchmark in the Italian market and we acquired www.franchising.eu with the aim of becoming a benchmark all over Europe.
Who are your clients?
We work mainly with small and medium size companies with whom we can interact in a very productive way. There are many companies that need to work and to spread and we help them doing this. However, we also collaborate with some big brands such as Yamamay, Subway, Mail Boxes etc., Mondadori etc.
What are the current trends on the franchising market in your country?
Franchising is a booming market where innovation goes better than tradition. Obviously clothing and footwear are always very requested by those who want to open an activity but, for example, a booming field is that of gold purchase (field that has been created by me...), or the brandnew sector of electronic cigarettes. Following one's instinct and commercial trends anyone can have success, if supported by a franchisor who is careful with his affiliates.
How many companies in your country offer franchises?
In Italy we have about 2.300 companies that offer franchise and we have divided them into 50 different categories on our websites.
Which are the best Franchises by growth, branch and demand? What makes them different?
Considering that we should not advertise brands here, let's say that the best ones are those who invest in promoting their affiliates and these can be found in any field and for any price category.
What's the average startup investment in money and time for a franchise?
The most popular investment goes from 0 to 25.000,00 euro and it is possible to obtain loan benefits or facilitations by the company itself, without involving banks.
Which branches experience a lack of franchises?
We do not usually deal with brands that have no franchising network, I can tell you which sectors receive the lowest percentage of contacts on our website: vending machines, laudry service, financial services. People prefer to invest on clothing and grocery.
What is the profile of the people who choose to buy a franchise?
The profile is young, people between 24 and 40 years old, unemployed or looking for a job after the end of school. These people usually have little experience and very little money to invest.
What should a franchisor know before coming to your country? Any specific requirements, legal restrictions.. etc?
Specific requirements in the global market no longer exist, those who propose a commercial network in franchise must have a respectful know-how, brand and agreement and should be able to support the network of the country with a specific office. As for those who are interested in the brand in Italy, we can develop any commercial network for our costumers, even abroad, at very convenient prices.
