This time of the year is always an exciting one here at Global Franchise. It’s when we announce the exceptional winners of the Global Franchise Awards, which was easily the most hotly-contested edition yet.
We received more entries from all over the world than any of our previous years, and by the time you’re reading this, we would have hosted a much-anticipated ceremony in sunny San Diego as part of the IFA’s Annual Convention. I want to take this opportunity to thank everybody who joined us for this celebration, and would also like to congratulate all of our first-class winners.
It was a real joy to facilitate the judging process this time round, and our shortlisting panel spoke about how challenging it was to narrow down the entrants to just a few finalists.
This time of the year is also exciting due to it being when many franchisors begin actioning their plans for the months ahead. Whether that’s undertaking sizable M&A deals (more on that on page 40), or looking for new markets like Southeast Asia to penetrate for the first time (page 80), the future can be a place where anything is possible for the right kind of forward-thinking brand.
For certain industries, this remains a time of uncertainty and evolution. Fitness franchises, for example, have weathered a seemingly unending storm of disruption and challenge, but a new equilibrium could finally be on the horizon – one that seeks to blend the worlds of brick-and-mortar fitness with at home workouts. To learn more about that and a whole lot more, make sure to check out our fitness overview from page 51.
And as always, this issue of Global Franchise is just brimming with insight and expertise from the international franchising community. Whether you’re looking for updates on M&A or financial tips for international growth, we’ve got you covered.
