Raising franchise standards in France

France’s franchise story has roots in early twentieth-century retail partnerships, including the Pingouin wool brand. The model gathered momentum in the 1960s alongside hypermarkets and shopping centres, before expanding strongly during the 1970s. The Fédération Française de la Franchise (FFF), the national franchise association, helped shape its development through a code of ethics in 1972. Another important milestone followed with the adoption of the Loi Doubin in 1989, introducing pre-contractual disclosure obligations relevant to franchising.

Today, France has a mature franchise community spanning food retail, restaurants, personal services, household goods and more. International names such as McDonald’s, Domino’s Pizza and Century 21 operate alongside other networks. In 2025, the FFF recorded 2,035 networks and 93,395 franchised outlets, generating €93.71 billion in turnover. Although network numbers fell slightly, outlet numbers and turnover rose, while direct and indirect employment passed one million: a significant milestone in franchising’s economic contribution.