Fantastic Services
The home services brand was founded in 2009 after co-founder Rune Sovndahl needed a cleaner and Anton Skarlatov ran a cleaning business. The duo realized that they could deliver home services in a more efficient and effective manner.
As time went on, more brands were added. Gardening, removal, handyman and even pest control services were added to the Fantastic Services roster. More recently, the brand has focused on sustainability after it made a pledge to become carbon-neutral by the end of the decade.
Currently, the brand has 860 outlets in the U.K., Ireland, Hungary and Australia, but will soon launch in the lucrative U.S. market.
- Country of origin: U.K.
- International presence: U.K., Ireland, Hungary, Australia
- Year founded: 2009
F45 Training
The publicly traded, global gym brand, F45 Training, was founded in Australia in 2011, when founder Rob Deutsch opened the first gym in Paddington, Sydney. It wasn’t long until Deutsch tapped up Adam Gilchrist, a franchising expert.
Growth became exponential after that, with rapid U.S. and Indian expansion with the use of nationally recognized sports starts. They later took the brand to the U.K. and saw great success, selling 50 franchises, 35 of which were in London alone. F45 later took its offering to Europe where it opened in countries such as Finland, Switzerland and Germany.
With superstars like David Beckham joining the F45 system, it’s clear to see why the brand has successfully sold over 2,800 franchises in 63 countries.
- Country of origin: Australia
- International presence: 63 countries across every continent
- Year founded: 2011
Tim Hortons
Tim Horton’s is one of Canada’s most well-loved coffee and donut brands. It was founded in 1964 by former National Hockey League player, Tim Horton. He opened the first location in Hamilton, Ontario.
The brand is huge in Canada, and even overtook McDonald’s in 2005, and had already surpassed the fast-food brand’s system-wide sales in 2002. Alongside the strong periods of growth for Tim Hortons, it also saw itself merge with companies, split and merge once again. Currently, the brand is a part of the Restaurant Brands International family.
The brand has yet to stake its claim on European soil, and is currently expanding throughout Asia and the Middle East, where affluent populations are growing alongside their tastes.
- Country of origin: Canada
- International presence: North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East
- Year founded: 1964
Boost Juice
In 1999, Janine Allis was on a business trip to the U.S. All around her, she saw people enjoying fresh juices and healthy smoothies, and she decided to bring the craze to Australia. Allis opened the brand’s first store in Adelaide with her husband while she was on maternity leave.
The couple signed with Westfield Shopping Centres for 28 locations, all of which had to be built in 18 months. Allis even acquired Viva Juice three years later and rebranded it to Boost, demonstrating the confidence in the brand and concept.
Today, the brand has over 600 locations in countries around the world, and recently claimed the Best Food & Drink Brand, and the Global Franchise Champion award at the Global Franchise Awards 2022 in San Diego earlier in the year.
- Country of origin: Australia
- International presence: South America, Europe, Asia and Australasia
- Year founded: 2000
Gravity Active Entertainment
This exciting franchise brand was founded in 2014 by friends Simon Whicker, Harvey Jenkinson and Michael Harrison when they opened their first location in Yorkshire, U.K. While the brand started with trampoline parks, the offering has grown significantly.
Gravity Active Entertainment has 19 outlets to its name so far in 2022, and has global locations in Germany and Saudi Arabia. Situated mostly within large retail spaces and shopping centers, landlords are enthusiastic about bringing a Gravity location to their areas, as it increases footfall for all nearby businesses.
Led by experienced industry insiders and winning franchise formula, Gravity Active Entertainment is likely to become household name within the U.K. soon.
- Country of origin: U.K.
- International presence: U.K., Europe and the Middle East
- Year founded: 2014
Havaianas
It started as an accident in the 60’s: a batch of flip flops came out green instead of the traditional blue and white design. People loved it, and it grew from there. In 2000, Havaianas established itself as a global brand and achieved great success by offering products at different price points and constantly restyling and coloring.
Havaianas has expanded from footwear, and creates all kinds of colorful clothing and accessories. The brand maintains its position in the market by identifying itself as the original flip-flop brand, with one of its most popular slogans ‘The Legitimate Ones’ reflecting this.
The brand is strongly associated with the beach lifestyle, and has over 870 outlets across the world, many of which are freestanding Havaianas stores.
- Country of origin: Brazil
- International presence: South America, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia
- Year founded: 1962
TRIB3
TRIB3 was established in 2016 by current CEO, Kevin Yates. The brand is based on its workout system which employs treadmills, resistance and intensity, which the brand calls its ‘TRI Training System’.
The brand has takers all over the globe too, with successfully ran locations in the likes of Madrid, Helsinki, Guangzhou and many more. As the brand grows globally, it is also performing well in its domestic U.K. market, where it has seven locations.
With its recent entry into the metaverse, TRIB3 is a forward looking brand that is always looking to innovate and find new ways to create value for its members.
- Country of origin: U.K.
- International presence: U.K., Europe and Asia
- Year founded: 2016
InXpress
John Thompson founded InXpress in 1999 in his bedroom in Rochdale; however, the brand and its operations have transformed since. Since its foundation, the brand has grown to 446 franchised outlets, and shipped a parcel every four seconds during the pandemic-afflicted year of 2021.
Franchisees benefit hugely from the brand’s online platform, webship+. The platform allows franchisees to track packages, create business reports, keep tabs on messages and search for bespoke solutions to unique parcels.
Years of successful operations combined with intelligent business platforms makes InXpress a strong choice for investment, especially with the rise in ecommerce.
- Country of origin: U.K.
- International presence: North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australasia
- Year founded: 1999
Kumon
In 1954, father Toru Kumon saw that his son, Takeshi, was not performing strongly in math. To combat this, he created math worksheets for his son to complete independently, which greatly increased his proficiency.
Kumon first made its way over to the U.S. via New York in 1974. Since then, the brand went from strength to strength in terms of growth and achievement. In 1977, the brand produced the first pre-school-aged child who could solve a linear equation, proving the quality of the concept.
The giant educational brand has over 25,000 centers in more than 50 countries. Kumon is a brand that will continue to grow due to the proven quality of its service, and brand heritage.
- Country of origin: Japan
- International presence: North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australasia
- Year founded: 1958
Bonchon
Fried chicken in South Korea started with a returning student from the U.S. in the 70’s, grew further due to the Asian financial crisis and truly exploded in popularity when KFC entered the country. One brand that has become synonymous with Korean fried chicken, is Bonchon.
Jinduk Seo founded the brand in 2006 and launched in Busan, South Korea, but very quickly opened its first international location in Fort Lee, New Jersey. It spread around the U.S. and the rest of Asia very quickly, and the brand now has over 370 locations around the world.
Bonchon is gaining in popularity around the world and especially in the U.S. and will likely soon become KFC’s major competitor in markets which they are both present.
- Country of origin: South Korea
- International presence: U.S., Bahrain, Kuwait, the Philippines, Singapore, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar and Thailand
- Year founded: 2006
Stagecoach Performing Arts
Stagecoach Performing Arts was founded in 1988 by Stephanie Manuel and David Sprigg. Manuel, an actor, writer and drama teacher spotted a gap in the market for dance, singing and drama lessons for children aged between four and 18.
The brand has grown exponentially since, with over 300 locations in more than eight countries, from the U.K. to Australia. Moreso than the dancing, singing and drama, the brand emphasizes the soft skills, confidence and overall development children improve in with Stagecoach.
The brand’s proven heritage and track record, alongside its extensive franchisee support makes it a great brand for any investor, and doesn’t require its franchisees to be singers, dancers or actors.
- Country of origin: U.K.
- International presence: U.K., Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Spain and Malta and Gibraltar
- Year founded: 1988
Potato Corner
It was 1992 in the Philippines, and Jose Magsaysay Jr. saw the success of flavored popcorn and thought he could do the same with French fries, and launched Potato Corner.
Magsaysay Jr. took the brand all over Asia, and Southeast Asia in particular where the unique flavoring translated well into a market with some similar tastes. The brand started out with carts in 1992 and began franchising a year later. As well as expanding into Australia, the brand made the jump over to American shores in 2010, opening its first location in Southern California.
The growing brand has over 1,100 stores in the Philippines, and 200 located around the world. This is a brand that is yet to enter into the mainstream in many parts of the world, but is sure to become a family favorite.
- Country of origin: the Philippines
- International presence: North America, Asia and Australasia
- Year founded: 1992
Ice Cream Lab
Ice Cream Lab was founded in 2013 by Rashid Harab, the current CEO of the brand. Instead of producing refrigerating large batches, cups of ice cream can be made-to-order by instantly freezing ingredient with liquid nitrogen.
Alongside the reduced sugar usage, this is an ice cream product that is much more environmentally friendly than most brands, and healthier. In the short time since launching in 2014, the brand began franchising and already has 25 global outlets, and another 10 in India. The reduction in sugar and elimination of additives and preservatives will appeal to health-conscious consumers.
Ice cream brands haven’t seen much disruption over the years, but Ice Cream Lab could be the brand to make major waves in the industry.
- Country of origin: United Arab Emirates
- International presence: Europe, Africa, Asia and Australasia
- Year founded: 2013
Just Cuts
Denis McFadden launched his ‘no appointment, $6 style cut’ in 1982 at his Sydney salon, and he’s never looked back since.
Just Cuts was officially founded in 1990 and the first location was opened in Engadine, which is still being operated by the same franchisee. Just Cuts was able to achieve strong brand recognition and expanded into New Zealand and throughout Australia. In 2020, the brand opened its first U.K. location and only a year later, opened a unit in Taiwan.
Just Cuts provides an essential service and is considered reliable and cheap. The winning formula comes from the quality of its service and its dependably low price that appeals to all kinds of people.
- Country of origin: Australia
- International presence: Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Taiwan
- Year founded: 1992
Get a Drip
Richard Chamber suffers from type 1 diabetes, and suffered some health complications as a result of it in 2010. He tried IV drips and found that it provided him with a sense of rejuvenation, and mitigated some of the negative effects he was feeling.
Chambers wanted others to receive the benefits of the treatment, and a few years later, launched Get a Drip in 2017. Since opening, Get a Drip has administered over 30,000 vitamin drips and booster shots in clinics across London, Ireland and the Netherlands. The brand currently operates five locations.
The brand has more growth on the horizon too, with Chambers outlining his plan to open a further 12 international locations with franchisees.
- Country of origin: U.K.
- International presence: U.K., Ireland and the Netherlands
- Year founded: 2017
