If you’re hunting for a growth-spurring business model, you might do well to consider working under a franchise. It’s an arrangement between a brand owner and an entrepreneur, in which the brand owner lets the entrepreneur operate using their name, trademarks, recipes, and processes, in exchange for some fee.
The great thing about franchising is that it’s a potential win-win for both parties involved. The businessperson who uses an already existing brand name doesn’t have to go through the difficult process of building a brand from scratch; they’ll get the customers coming in much quicker by leveraging their adopted brand name’s popularity. On the other hand, the parent company or brand expands its presence faster and covers more regions than it would have managed if it did so on its own.
In Nigeria, we’re witnessing a renewed interest in the franchise model, precisely because of the benefits just pointed out. Entrepreneurs seeking to bypass the hurdle of building a name from zero are forging alliances with existing brands that let them operate as their extensions. And they can do this because there are a good number of well-known companies open to striking franchise agreements with them.
While there’s a good number of international franchises operating in Nigeria, this article will be spotlighting Nigerian brands currently running a franchise model. Here they are:
-
Chicken Republic
The fast-food sector probably offers the greatest opportunities for anyone wanting to do business under a franchise in Nigeria. That’s because there’s a lot of popular franchises brands operating in that space.
Chicken Republic is one of the more recognizable names in this respect. It’s a fast food restaurant chain which started in 2004 and has since established its presence across Nigeria and Ghana. Known for its spiced chicken recipes and snacks, this modern-styled store offers franchising opportunities to individuals or groups that are capable of keeping with its financial, environmental and food production standards.
-
Tantalizers
From its beginnings as a single hamburger shop in Festac Town, Lagos, Tantalizers has morphed into one of Nigeria’s biggest fast-food restaurant chains.
You’ll find their restaurants in the country’s major cities, serving up some of the best chicken, meat pies, scotch eggs, cakes and fried rice you’re likely to find anywhere. Many of these branches are actually run by independent businesspeople who have acquired the rights to use the Tantalizers brand name and recipes.
-
Mr. Bigg’s
For many Nigerians, Mr. Biggs is synonymous with fast food restaurant. It was an offshoot of the coffee shops in the old Kingsway Stores. It’s safe to say that franchising in Nigeria owes something to the success of Mr. Bigg’s, which expanded quite quickly following its adoption of the model.
Mr. Bigg’s has numerous franchisees. But because it’s been such a big hit with customers over the decades, the potential for good returns on franchisee’s investments remains attractive.
-
Crunchies Fried Chicken
In just over fifteen years, this restaurant brand has spread out over the South East and South South. Helped on by its reliance on the franchise model, it has grown its eat-in, ‘takeaway’ and food delivery services, and now occupies a prominent place in the fast food space east of the Niger.
-
ABC Transport
This transport franchise lets individuals acquire and brand buses with its name and trademark, and charges them accordingly. This approach to expanding its fleet has been key to its growth over the past two decades. As a result, it is able to ply interstate routes, maintain offices in locations across the country, and ultimately hold a spot at the very top of the long-distance human and cargo transportation in Nigeria.
Several other transport companies, including a number of state-owned ventures, also operate as franchises.
-
SLOT
SLOT is Nigeria’s largest mobile phones, computer, and digital device accessories retailer. It has built itself a reputation as a reliable product retailer for some of the world’s best-known tech brands.
SLOT operates on two fronts. There’s an online store, through which customers can place orders for electronic devices of their choice. It also has a large number of offline stores in major cities. Many of these brick and mortar sales points are run as part of the SLOT franchise.
-
CourierPlus
CourierPlus is one of Nigeria’s leading logistics companies. It serves businesses in some of the country’s major industries and relies on a workforce of several hundred people to get its deliveries posted to locations within and beyond Nigeria, as specified by its clients.
In fact, this army of skilled personnel is bolstered by people permitted by CourierPlus to use its brand. In effect, CourierPlus runs a franchise model, which helps it with the feet on the ground in the regions their customers want items to be shipped to.