In franchising this week: IKEA lands in New Zealand, Chemist Warehouse heads to the bargaining table, Hardee's sues a 77-unit operator.
Saturday 3 October 2026 · Global franchise news
Franchise Brief
Operators, partners and personalities shaping franchise growth.
Food & Beverage
Kyuramen has combined Kyuramen Express, Bao Dumpling and Aoko Matcha in a Financial District location as it experiments with a faster multi-brand format.
Franchise Market News·3 Oct 2026· 3 min
Founder Stories
Clementine's Ice Cream is moving from founder-led regional growth into franchising as two Kansas City-area parlors approach opening.
Franchise Market News·3 Oct 2026· 3 min
Founder Stories
Michael Zhu and Joseph Back have expanded their Re-Bath franchise investment across Indiana and Kentucky, acquiring the Louisville territory and purchasing a new Evansville agreement that will return the bathroom remodeling brand to a tri-state market.
Franchise Market News·5 Aug 2026· 6 min
Founder Stories
The Flying Biscuit Cafe has signed a lease for its first St. Louis-area restaurant, with franchise partners Latrell Hayes, Kennon "Kip" Barber and Randy Barnes preparing to bring the Atlanta-born breakfast and brunch brand to St. Charles, Missouri.
Franchise Market News·5 Aug 2026· 5 min
Founder Stories
Chop Stop's reset is a founder-style franchise story: whether a salad brand built on small local operators can rebuild its franchise case after COVID.
Franchise Market News·3 Aug 2026· 5 min
Founder Stories
Kinderdance International has welcomed Amalia Barreiro as a new franchisee connected with Kinderdance Torino, giving the children's movement brand a local-owner story in northern Italy.
Franchise Market News·3 Aug 2026· 6 min
International Franchising
STRONG Pilates has signed a master franchise partnership with Xtreme Brands to enter Poland and the Czech Republic, expanding the Australian-born fitness concept into 16 countries.
Franchise Market News·3 Aug 2026· 6 min
Founder Stories
Closets by Design has signed a new Knoxville, Tennessee territory with husband-and-wife operators Wes and Christy Hancock.
Franchise Market News·2 Aug 2026· 6 min
Founder Stories
House of Colour USA is entering a new phase of franchise expansion after strengthening the support model behind its stylist-owner network.
Franchise Market News·2 Aug 2026· 6 min
Service Franchising
Storage Authority Carolina Road has opened in Suffolk, Virginia, giving the self-storage franchise system a family-owned local operator story.
Franchise Market News·1 Aug 2026· 6 min
Founder Stories
Jeff's Bagel Run has signed a three-store franchise agreement for Myrtle Beach, giving the founder-led bagel brand a new South Carolina growth market.
Franchise Market News·1 Aug 2026· 6 min
Food & Beverage
A husband-and-wife team has opened a Mountain Mike's Pizza in Wenatchee, Washington, backed by family involvement and a community-focused local operating plan.
Franchise Market News·29 July 2026· 6 min
Service Franchising
Will Cazalet has opened a Seniors Helping Seniors in-home care franchise serving Oakland, Alameda, Piedmont and Montclair, bringing a community-focused owner into senior care.
Franchise Market News·29 July 2026· 6 min
Founder Stories
Unleashed Brands says it signed 73 franchise agreements, 58 leases and opened 34 locations in the first half of 2026 across its seven youth enrichment brands.
Franchise Market News·29 July 2026· 6 min
Franchise Expansion
Shipley Donuts is entering Raleigh, North Carolina through a two-unit franchise agreement with Plexus Raleigh LLC, led by Hillsborough entrepreneur Dana Norman.
Franchise Market News·29 July 2026· 5 min
Founder Stories
IMAGE Studios founder Jason Olsen has launched Gorgeous Collective, a multi-brand platform built to acquire and support beauty, skincare and wellness franchise concepts.
Franchise Market News·29 July 2026· 6 min
Founder Stories
KidStrong says it has opened 21 locations this year and sold more than 80 new licenses, with existing multi-unit franchise owners driving much of its 2026 development pipeline.
Franchise Market News·28 July 2026· 6 min
Founder Stories
Gong cha has signed a 50-unit exclusive area development agreement covering Austin, Houston, San Antonio and Dallas with Houston-based Bakers Acres & Cattle Company, the brand's largest direct franchising deal.
Franchise Market News·27 July 2026· 6 min
Founder Stories
Chicken Salad Chick multi-unit owners Mike Saccone and John Schuster will open their third Research Triangle restaurant in Durham on August 4, after earlier launches in Cary and Raleigh.
Franchise Market News·26 July 2026· 6 min
Founder Stories
Kiddie Academy of Downingtown gives today's pack its founder story, with former tennis coach Arvind Aravindhan opening a 10,000-square-foot academy licensed for 180 children in Chester County, Pennsylvania.
Franchise Market News·24 July 2026· 6 min
Franchise Brands
Ivybrook Academy's annual conference put leadership, relationships and school operations at the centre of the preschool franchise's 20th-anniversary run-up, with 70 locations open or in development.
Franchise Market News·23 July 2026· 7 min
Founder Stories
AtWork multi-unit franchisee Greg Hassler says a national franchise brand helped his California staffing business chase larger clients, as AtWork reports 6.8% sales growth and launches a new professional-services division.
Franchise Market News·23 July 2026· 6 min
Founder Stories
Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Franklin County is marking 25 years in business and 20 years under the Mr. Rooter franchise system, with owner Brad Pierce pointing to team, reviews and local reputation as the base for the next phase.
Franchise Brief Newsroom·22 July 2026· 6 min
Service Franchising
Caring Senior Service has opened a Houston West office in Spring Valley Village, with local owners Caleb Drew and Thazin Min Htet extending the non-medical home care franchise deeper into Texas.
Franchise Brief Newsroom·21 July 2026· 6 min
Founder Stories
Tierra Encantada has entered Ohio with a Powell centre already open and a Columbus centre due later this summer, giving founder Kristen Denzer a new state-level proof point for the Spanish-immersion childcare franchise.
Franchise Brief Newsroom·21 July 2026· 6 min
Funding & Acquisitions
Stephen Siegel's Amazing Brands has acquired Hot Dog on a Stick through a bankruptcy court-approved transaction and plans to rebuild the 80-year-old chain through new formats and franchising.
Franchise Brief Newsroom·14 July 2026· 6 min
Founder Stories
VIO Med Spa is expanding across Metro Atlanta through a new franchise agreement led by veteran entrepreneur Aine Burns, with the first location expected to open in 2027.
Franchise Brief Newsroom·14 July 2026· 6 min
Founder Stories
Go Mini's largest multi-unit franchisee Mark Nyman has added Charlotte to a portable storage portfolio that already spans North Carolina, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Texas.
Franchise Brief Newsroom·13 July 2026· 6 min
Food & Beverage
Teriyaki Madness is opening its first Corpus Christi shop on July 10 with first-time franchise group TMAD397 leading the market entry, a useful test of how new operators pick a brand when entering food service.
Franchise Brief Newsroom·4 July 2026· 5 min
International Franchising
Jim's Group has published a new franchisee interview with Emily, a Jim's Dog Wash operator preparing to work in Baldivis in southern Perth, capturing the classic buy-or-build decision service-franchise candidates face.
Franchise Brief Newsroom·4 July 2026· 5 min
Industry
Dream Vacations has opened its 15th annual Operation Vetrepreneur contest, offering three U.S. military veterans a free home-based travel agency franchise between July 4 and August 31.
Franchise Brief Newsroom·4 July 2026· 6 min
Founder Stories
Smoothie King franchisee Lorraine Pater has built an 11-store Gulf Coast portfolio and holds rights to a 12th location, offering a grounded look at how mature multi-unit operators think about growth as build costs rise.
Franchise Brief Newsroom·4 July 2026· 6 min
Founder Stories
Dave's Hot Chicken is using a Marvel Animation X-Men 97 tie-in to turn a July menu offer into a broader founder-led franchise brand story.
Franchise Brief Newsroom·30 June 2026· 6 min
Service Franchising
The Glass Guru has opened a new East Charlotte location under local owner James Vandenbulcke, adding a service-franchise story with a clear operator-category fit.
Franchise Brief Newsroom·30 June 2026· 5 min
Founder Stories
Amber and Bryan Ward's Kwench Juice Cafe in Ocala, Florida is giving the franchise market a useful founder-and-franchisee story built on first-time ownership, a gut renovation and realistic founder guidance.
Franchise Brief Newsroom·30 June 2026· 6 min
Service Franchising
Grasons has opened a Georgetown, Texas location serving North Austin, Sun City and Williamson County, adding estate sale, downsizing and liquidation services to a region with steady demand.
Franchise Brief Newsroom·29 June 2026· 5 min
Founder Stories
Slutty Vegan is moving into Detroit through a new franchise agreement, marking the plant-based burger brand's first Midwest market and another test of Pinky Cole Hayes's founder-led model.
Franchise Brief Newsroom·29 June 2026· 5 min
Founder Stories
HTeaO has opened another Midland tea bar on Garden City Highway, returning the fast-growing iced tea franchise to the West Texas city where it began in 2009.
Franchise Brief Newsroom·29 June 2026· 5 min
Service Franchising
PuroClean's Annual International Convention spotlighted two very different growth stories: a rural Alabama operator scaling past $5 million and a first-year Des Moines team clearing $775,000.
Franchise Brief Newsroom·27 June 2026· 5 min
Founder Stories
After four decades running their Northeast Minneapolis Minuteman Press, Dave and Sandy Forster have sold the business to long-time employee Samuel Sandon in a clean internal succession.
Franchise Brief Newsroom·27 June 2026· 5 min
International Franchising
Playa Bowls has opened its first international shop at The Well in downtown Toronto under a master franchise agreement with Eat Up Canada targeting more than 160 locations.
Franchise Brief Newsroom·25 June 2026· 5 min
Founder Stories
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory is celebrating its first coast-to-coast grand opening weekend, with existing operators launching new shops in New Jersey and California on consecutive days.
Franchise Brief Newsroom·25 June 2026· 5 min
Service Franchising
Granite Garage Floors has awarded three Salt Lake City franchise territories to Greg and Angie Layton, bringing construction and franchise experience to the brand's Utah entry.
Franchise Brief Newsroom·24 June 2026· 5 min
Founder Stories
Burn Boot Camp has named global artist Marshmello as an equity partner, franchise partner and executive partner for creative and music, with a planned location of his own.
Franchise Brief Newsroom·23 June 2026· 5 min
Founder Stories
Hammer & Nails is leaning on its operator-side franchise experience to attract multi-unit buyers as the men's grooming brand passes 150 shops open or in development.
Franchise Brief Newsroom·23 June 2026· 5 min
Founder Stories
Jeremiah's Italian Ice has opened a Buford, Georgia shop owned by first-time franchisees Kristina McCarthney and Laura Wenzel, bringing the brand to 178 locations nationwide.
Franchise Brief Newsroom·22 June 2026· 5 min
Founder Stories
The Dog Stop is deepening its Dallas growth plan with two new franchise agreements, adding Central Dallas and North Dallas locations through local operators Mike Asquini and Michael Troutt.
Franchise Brief Newsroom·22 June 2026· 5 min
Founder Stories
Krystal's first Northeast restaurant opens in Union, New Jersey, with former NY Giants star Victor Cruz developing up to five regional locations.
Franchise Brief Newsroom·5 June 2026· 5 min
Founder Stories
Angry Chickz is opening Santa Clarita on June 16 and Riverside on June 26, taking the founder-led hot chicken concept to 36 California restaurants and 41 systemwide.
Franchise Brief Newsroom·4 June 2026· 5 min