Large franchise platforms, “umbrella” companies offering multiple brands in related industries, have become an inescapable force in franchising. That’s not likely to change any time soon.
Unleashed Brands, through our recent acquisitions, offers brand options that begin in childhood and continue through adulthood.
Offering choices from a group of related franchise brands allows franchise platforms to appeal to a wider audience—both consumers and prospective franchisees. “We like to use the game of monopoly as a metaphor,” says Michael Browning, founder and CEO of Unleashed Brands. “We can get them into the game with various game pieces. If they don’t have as much money to spend, we have brands that are lower in their entry cost and those that are higher, so they can get in depending on their budget.”
We are able to provide customers with a series of brands that can provide a long-lasting relationship. Kids who start out at a Little Gym can proceed through a series of brands all the way through to Class 101, a college planning brand. “When you share a similar customer you can serve that customer really well and bring that customer very synergistically aligned services. And when the customer wins, the business wins,” says Browning. Learn more about Brand Consolidation within franchising here.