Buying a Franchise in Belarus: How to Check Post-Opening Support

A promise to provide “support at every stage” tells you nothing about who will help if the ordering system stops working or quality complaints arise after opening. When buying a franchise in Belarus, check not only the start-up package but also the day-to-day assistance available to existing franchisees. Mutual support matters within a franchise network, but to protect your investment, it needs to become a set of specific contractual obligations.

1. Separate legal requirements from the seller’s promises

Belarus has no standalone franchising law, but it does have specific rules: Chapter 53¹ of the Civil Code, “Comprehensive Business Licence (Franchising)”. It would therefore be wrong to assume that the relationship between the parties is entirely free of franchise-specific regulation.

Article 910³ of the Civil Code distinguishes between the rights holder’s obligations. Providing the necessary technical and commercial documentation, and instructing the franchisee and its employees, are mandatory requirements. Ongoing technical and advisory assistance, including help with staff training and further skills development, is required by law unless the contract provides otherwise. This qualification is particularly important for prospective franchisees to check.

If the sales presentation promises ongoing assistance but the contract excludes it or limits it to initial instruction, do not rely on the marketing wording. Ask a lawyer to compare the contract, its schedules and the seller’s proposals. Also check whether all subsequent assistance is classed as a separate, chargeable service.

A franchise agreement must be in writing and registered with the National Centre of Intellectual Property. Registration itself, however, does not confirm that the support team is adequately staffed or capable of meeting your needs. That requires a separate assessment before you buy.

2. Assess the team using actual support requests

Ask to meet not only the franchise sales manager but also the people who support outlets already in operation. Find out who handles operations, software, marketing and quality. If one specialist covers several roles, ask who stands in for them during holidays or sickness.

Suggest working through a hypothetical situation: an outlet cannot take orders on a Saturday evening. Who receives the support request? Who identifies the cause? Who contacts the software supplier? What should the franchisee do until service is restored? This discussion is more useful than simply asking, “Is your support any good?”

Request anonymised examples of resolved support requests showing the problem, the time taken to give an initial response, the team’s actions and the outcome. The franchisor is entitled to protect franchisees’ confidential information, so do not demand complete copies of someone else’s correspondence. An agreed demonstration of the process, without personal data or trade secrets, is sufficient.

Speak to several existing franchisees, preferably in Belarus and operating similar types of outlet. Ask each of them the same questions:

• What was the last problem you resolved with the management team?
• How long did you wait for a substantive response?
• What did the team do itself, and what were you left to handle?
• Which requests incurred an additional charge?
• Does post-opening support differ from what was promised when you bought the franchise?

Do not judge the system on one glowing review or a single dispute. Look for recurring patterns: lost requests, no clear person responsible, useful advice or consistent delivery on commitments.

3. Turn support into a measurable contract schedule

Propose including a support schedule in the agreement. Its purpose is to describe specific working procedures, rather than a vague commitment to looking after franchisees. For each category of request, specify the scope of the service, the communication channel, support hours, response time and the person or team responsible.

Distinguish between an initial response and resolving the problem. An automated acknowledgement does not mean that a specialist has started work. Equally, it is unrealistic to guarantee that every fault will be fixed within the same timeframe. For complex cases, specify a diagnostic timeframe, a temporary workaround and how often progress updates will be provided.

It is particularly useful to agree on:

• request priorities: sales halted, quality issues or routine advice;
• availability of support in the evenings, at weekends and on public holidays;
• escalation to a manager if first-line support cannot resolve the issue;
• conditions for remote access and on-site visits;
• the scope of assistance when the franchisee replaces staff;
• which services are included and when additional charges apply.

Clarify the boundaries of responsibility. If a third-party supplier maintains the point-of-sale software, the contract should explain who enters into an agreement with that supplier and who coordinates fault resolution. Otherwise, the franchisor and supplier may simply refer you back to each other.

Separately, agree on the consequences of repeated failures: a formal written complaint, a deadline for remedying the breach, a contractual penalty or another proportionate mechanism. These are matters for negotiation, not an automatic legal entitlement to a discount. Do not include a right to withhold payments unilaterally without having that provision checked by a lawyer.

4. Establish how support will be documented

Before signing, find out how requests and outcomes are recorded. Ideally, use a channel that preserves the date, the details of the request, attachments and the response. Even if urgent issues are discussed by telephone, agree to confirm decisions in writing.

Pay attention to service acceptance certificates. If support is documented through separate certificates, check the deadline for raising objections and the consequences of remaining silent. Do not sign a document confirming that support has been provided in full while significant requests remain unresolved. Specific objections with dates are more useful than a general statement that “support is not working”.

Finally, define your own obligations: what information you must supply, who provides access to equipment and what actions local staff must take. Without this, it is difficult to establish the cause of a delay or assess the team’s performance fairly.

Practical takeaway: before buying, obtain three things — a clear picture of the support team, verifiable examples of its work and a contractual support schedule. If support exists only in the sales presentation, treat it as an unverified part of the offer.