Buying a franchise in Belgium: research the brand’s reputation

A recognisable shopfront can attract customers, but brand awareness does not tell you everything about trust. Before buying a franchise in Belgium, investigate what customers value about the brand — and why they might avoid it. Within a franchise network, experiences at one outlet can affect other franchisees. Targeted reputation research will help you establish whether the brand name will support your future business or leave you with trust to rebuild.

1. Distinguish between brand awareness and trust

Start not by asking how many people know the brand, but why they choose it. A franchise concept may attract considerable attention through advertising while customers remain doubtful about its quality, service or complaints handling. Conversely, a lesser-known brand may have a loyal local customer base.

Assess three levels:

• The brand: what expectations do its name, advertising and public communications create?
• The Belgian network: do Belgian outlets meet those expectations?
• Your future location: does the brand’s reputation fit the customers you want to reach there?

This distinction matters for franchise concepts from abroad. A strong name in the home market does not prove that Belgian customers know the concept or expect the same service. Also check whether communications, customer service and complaints handling cater for the language spoken in your catchment area.

Next, write down the brand’s main promise in one sentence. For example: reliable repairs at a clearly agreed price. Your research should primarily test whether customers recognise that specific promise in their experience. An attractive interior does not compensate for recurring complaints about unclear invoices when transparency is central to the offer.

2. Look for patterns behind reviews and complaints

Read public reviews of different outlets across several locations and time periods. Do not limit yourself to the highest-rated locations featured in the franchisor’s presentation. Compare long-established and newly opened businesses too, where that information is available.

An average rating is only a starting point. For each recurring theme, note what customers describe: product quality, waiting times, ease of contact, returns or problem resolution. Then look at how the business responds. Does it address the substance of a complaint, or does every customer receive the same generic reply?

Use a simple research checklist:

• What specific complaint or praise keeps recurring?
• Does it concern one outlet or several locations?
• Is the problem recent, historical or demonstrably resolved?
• Does the cause appear to be local or linked to the franchise system?
• What explanation and supporting evidence does the franchisor provide?

Treat online reviews as indicators, not proven facts. A sudden stream of extremely positive or negative posts warrants closer investigation. Check important claims against other publicly available information and ask for a response before drawing conclusions.

When taking over an existing business, there is another question: do customers trust the brand, or mainly the departing owner? Personal recommendations for that owner may indicate goodwill that will not necessarily transfer with the franchise.

3. Ask how the network tackles reputational problems

Put your specific findings to the franchisor. Do not simply ask whether there are complaints; ask how recurring problems are identified and resolved. A credible answer will describe a process, identify who is responsible and demonstrate improvements.

For example, ask for anonymised summaries of complaint themes, any available customer satisfaction surveys and examples of corrective action. Where figures are provided, ask which outlets are included, what period they cover and how responses are collected. A selection of satisfied customers does not provide a representative picture of the whole network.

Belgium has no comprehensive standalone franchise law, but it does have specific pre-contractual rules for commercial cooperation agreements. Title 2 of Book X of the Belgian Code of Economic Law, Articles X.26 to X.33, is relevant here. Under Article X.27, a prospective franchisee must, as a general rule, receive the draft agreement and the pre-contractual information document at least one month before the agreement is concluded.

That statutory information is a starting point, not a seal of approval for the brand’s reputation. Equally, do not assume that every internal complaints report must be disclosed. Request relevant additional information and obtain written confirmation of material statements, such as claims that a quality issue has been resolved. General contract law and the applicable rules on unfair terms between businesses also remain relevant.

4. Turn your findings into a purchase decision

A complaint need not be a reason to walk away. What matters is its seriousness, whether it recurs and the willingness to resolve problems. An isolated local incident calls for a different assessment from the same unresolved complaint appearing across several outlets.

For each significant risk, establish whether you can influence it yourself. You can arrange friendlier service; you cannot independently fix a consistently defective centrally supplied product or a central customer service team that is difficult to reach. Where you depend on the wider network, ask what improvements have been made and how the results are monitored.

Factor any costs of rebuilding trust into your assessment of the purchase. An existing outlet with a damaged reputation may need additional local communications, staff training or measures to put poor service right. Do not simply pay a premium for a supposedly strong brand name if your research does not support that valuation.

Practical conclusion: do not buy brand awareness alone. Before making your decision, document the brand’s local reputation, the problems that remain unresolved and who can actually resolve them.