Cacau Show tops franchise ranking with 4,216 outlets

Cacau Show retained its position as the brand with the most outlets in Brazil’s franchise sector for the third consecutive year. According to the Brazilian Franchising Association’s (ABF) performance survey for 2024, the chain ended the year with 4,216 outlets, following growth of more than 10%. The ranking also saw Lubrax+ move into fifth place.

Cacau Show retains the lead by outlet count

The result puts Cacau Show ahead of O Boticário, which ranks second with 3,746 outlets. McDonald’s follows with 2,704, then Colchões Ortobom with 2,387. These figures reflect the brands’ presence at the end of 2024 and should not be read as current outlet counts.

The gap between the top two brands stood at 470 outlets. Holding the lead for three consecutive years while expanding by more than 10% in the final year covered by the survey shows that Cacau Show continued to grow despite already having the largest network in the ranking.

The measure used is the number of outlets. The ranking is therefore not a list of the brands with the highest revenue, greatest profits or best returns for franchisees. This distinction matters when assessing a network’s size: its position in the ranking should not be treated as an investment recommendation.

Lubrax+ rises to fifth place

The notable change among the leading brands was Lubrax+ moving from sixth to fifth place, with 1,685 outlets. Alongside Cacau Show, O Boticário, McDonald’s and Colchões Ortobom, it makes up the five largest brands by outlet count in the ABF ranking.

The move indicates a change in ranking, but does not, on its own, reveal how quickly Lubrax+ expanded. That would require a comparison of its outlet numbers across equivalent periods. Nor should a rise of one place be confused with a specific percentage growth rate.

For those following the franchise sector, these two developments are different in nature: Cacau Show combines continued leadership with reported network growth, while Lubrax+ has improved its ranking. Considering these developments separately helps avoid conclusions that the figures do not support.

Sector revenue grows by 13.5%

The ranking comes against a backdrop of revenue growth in Brazil’s franchise sector in 2024. According to the ABF survey, revenue reached R$273.08 billion (Brazilian reais), up 13.5% on the previous year.

The association linked this performance to recovering consumer spending, low unemployment, growth in total earnings and household purchasing power. ABF president Tom Moreira Leite said a stronger labour market and more money circulating in the economy helped deliver a result above initial expectations.

Entertainment and Leisure led revenue growth among the sectors, with an increase of 16.6%. Next came Health, Beauty and Wellbeing at 16.5%; Food Service at 16.1%; and Food Retail and Distribution at 14.7%.

These percentages describe the aggregate performance of each category. They do not necessarily reflect the performance of a particular brand or franchised outlet. Similarly, national revenue growth does not show how much each outlet sold or what margin it managed to maintain.

How to use the ranking when assessing a franchise

Taken together, the data provide two reference points: the scale of the largest networks by outlet count and the sector’s revenue performance in 2024. These are complementary pieces of information, but they answer different questions.

Network size allows comparisons of brands’ operational presence. Revenue trends, meanwhile, help explain the consumer spending environment during that period. Neither indicator alone demonstrates whether opening an outlet at a particular location would be viable or whether the investment could be recouped.

In practice: use the ranking as a starting point for researching brands. Before investing, weigh the network’s scale against the costs, contractual terms and projections for your proposed outlet, always keeping the data’s reference year in mind.