Franchising in Lombardy: €12.6 billion in turnover and 128,683 jobs

Lombardy accounts for almost a third of turnover in Italy’s franchise sector and around four in ten jobs. Figures released ahead of Salone Franchising Milano 2026 show €12.6 billion in turnover and 128,683 people employed in 2025. This makes the region an important vantage point for assessing franchise network growth and the challenges posed by demand.

Lombardy’s share of the national figures

According to figures reported by Affaritaliani on 30 September at the event’s launch presentation, Lombardy accounts for 32.3% of national franchise turnover. Its regional turnover of €12.6 billion forms part of an Italian total of €39 billion, equivalent to 1.7% of national GDP.

Employment is even more concentrated: Lombardy’s 128,683 franchise workers represent around 40% of the Italian total. The region’s share of employment is therefore higher than its share of turnover. This helps describe the sector’s geographical distribution, but is not enough on its own to draw conclusions about the productivity or profitability of individual networks.

These figures show the scale franchising has reached in the region. They do not, however, indicate how much Lombardy has grown compared with the previous year: the available research does not provide a regional growth rate. The distinction matters, particularly for anyone using aggregate figures as an initial guide to a business venture.

Employment is growing, but the figure is national

Italy’s franchise sector comprised 62,449 outlets and 327,200 employees in 2025, with employment up 12% on the previous year, according to figures published by Affaritaliani. ANSA also reports growth of 12%, giving a rounded total of 327,000 employees and attributing the figures presented ahead of the event to Assofranchising.

The main signal is therefore an expansion in employment across the franchise sector. However, the national figure should not automatically be applied to Lombardy or interpreted as a measure of recruitment by each brand: it describes the overall trend, not the performance of individual businesses.

Another indicator comes from Federfranchising, which puts growth in outlet numbers over the past year at 8%. This is a separate measure from employment growth and comes from a different association. The two figures capture different aspects of network development and should be kept separate, rather than used to infer a direct relationship between new openings and job creation.

For prospective franchisees, the useful approach is therefore twofold: recognise the sector’s scale, then examine how each franchise opportunity translates that scale into organisational support, staffing and day-to-day management.

Weak demand calls for a cautious interpretation

Alongside this growth, trading conditions are less favourable. The Confimprese-Jakala Retailer Barometer, cited by both ANSA and Affaritaliani, reports a 0.6% fall in demand in the first eight months of 2026. Franchise networks remain exposed to this weakness too.

ANSA describes franchising as slightly more resilient than the retail sector overall. This is an assessment of relative resilience, not an indication that every brand or shop is growing. Network expansion and sales performance are different measures and need to be assessed separately.

There is also a difference in timing to bear in mind: the detailed turnover and employment figures relate to 2025, while the demand figure covers the first eight months of 2026. Reading them together helps explain the context, but does not allow conclusions to be drawn about the full-year outcome for 2026.

In Milan, the discussion moves from figures to people

These themes will feature at the 39th edition of Salone Franchising Milano, organised by Fiera Milano from 1 to 3 October 2026 at Allianz MiCo. The event expects 121 exhibiting brands, including 15 overseas brands from 11 countries, providing an opportunity for Italy’s franchise community and international businesses to meet and exchange views.

The programme includes more than 70 training sessions and conferences, with over 100 speakers across the Main Stage and Franchising Talks. The Main Stage alone will host 20 sessions over the three days, featuring 60 speakers. Training will therefore sit alongside meetings between brands, prospective franchisees, investors and professional advisers.

Practical takeaway: anyone considering a franchise in Lombardy can use these figures as context, not as a guarantee of success. The next step is to ask the network for specific information about the local market, staffing requirements and the performance of comparable outlets, always distinguishing national growth from the prospects of an individual venture.