FASA launches 2026 survey of South Africa’s franchise community

The Franchise Association of South Africa (FASA) has launched its 2026 survey, asking franchisors how they are translating business plans into action under economic pressure. Open from 9 to 25 November 2026, the survey will examine growth priorities, operational barriers and whether support for franchise owners is keeping pace with network needs.

A new benchmark after three years

Announced in Johannesburg on 9 November, the survey is supported by principal sponsor Grow Franchising and is being conducted by research agency Smoke Customer Intelligence. FASA describes it as the first comprehensive assessment of South Africa’s franchise community since 2023.

That earlier assessment provides the backdrop: South African franchise businesses generated an estimated R999 billion in turnover in 2023, contributing approximately 15% to the country’s GDP. FASA also cites an estimated 500,000 jobs supported by franchising, based on the 2023 survey results.

Those figures are historical benchmarks, not new measurements of the community’s size in 2026. The latest exercise is intended to establish how franchise networks are responding to economic pressures and where their commercial priorities now lie.

FASA chief executive Freddy Makgato says the survey will provide a valuable benchmark. “The survey will help us identify which strategies are delivering results, what is holding businesses back and where additional support is needed.”

From business plans to practical execution

The survey’s theme is “Implementation of the Franchising System in this Economy”. Its focus is on what franchisors have actually put into practice, rather than growth ambitions alone.

Taking approximately six to eight minutes to complete, it asks franchisors about five areas:

• Strategy implementation: which business plans and growth initiatives have been put into practice.
• Operational priorities: which projects are attracting the greatest attention and investment.
• Barriers to growth: which economic, operational or structural challenges are preventing progress.
• Franchisee support: whether head office resources and support structures are keeping pace with network needs.
• Lessons learnt: what franchisors would do differently if they were establishing their systems today.

Together, these questions place the relationship between expansion and operational capacity at the centre of the exercise. A plan to grow a network is one part of the picture; the survey also asks about the resources, priorities and obstacles that determine whether that plan can be carried out.

The retrospective question adds another dimension. By asking what franchisors would change when starting again, FASA is seeking lessons from the practical experience of building and operating franchise systems.

New formats and underserved markets

Alongside the five core areas, the survey will explore progress on new business formats, digital integration and expansion into township and rural markets.

These are areas for investigation, rather than announced findings. The launch does not establish how widely new formats have been adopted, how far digital integration has progressed or how much expansion has taken place in those markets. Those distinctions matter when using the eventual findings to assess opportunities.

Grow Franchising’s sponsorship supports the collection of data intended to help franchisors make informed decisions. The company works with franchise businesses on leadership capabilities, operational structures and systems for sustainable growth.

The survey’s attention to head office support is particularly relevant to that purpose. It explicitly asks whether the resources behind a franchise network are keeping pace with the needs of the independent business owners operating within it.

Findings will inform the 2027 conference

FASA says the findings will help inform discussions and priorities at its Annual Conference, scheduled for 24 and 25 February 2027 at Emperors Palace in Kempton Park.

The association is encouraging franchisors across South Africa to participate so that the exercise can build a representative picture of the franchise community. The immediate milestone is the survey’s closing date of 25 November 2026; the conference provides a subsequent setting for discussing what the responses reveal.

Practical takeaway: Franchisors wishing to contribute should complete the survey before the deadline, with a clear view of implemented plans, current investment priorities and the support their franchisees need.