Franchising can be a great way to get into business, but if you join a bad franchise, it can be a nightmare. The good news is that it is frequently possible to gain control, receive compensation and leave without a huge legal bill. Almost every situation is...

The most common source of misrepresentation claims by franchisees are the financial statements, or projections, showing how much money the franchisor is claiming can be made. These forecasts usually cover the first three years. From these, a prospective franchisee...

Specialist solicitors play a vital role in the franchise industry. They are essential when a company decides to franchise their business model and when a prospective franchisee decides to join a franchise. They are usually the first choice to resolve a dispute,...

Planning and strategy are vital. Prior to formalising the disagreement with your franchisor, you need to decide if you want to remain as a franchisee or leave. This is a key question because the answer will determine the best strategy to adopt. If your decision is...

History tells us that when there is a change of ownership in a franchised business it is often bad for the franchisees. Very few businesses remain in the same ownership for more than one generation. Most founders eventually sell out and businesses that are already...

The old ‘5-P’ adage ‘proper planning prevents poor performance’ was never more appropriate than when resolving a franchise dispute. This is equally applicable whether you are a franchisee or a franchisor. For the aggrieved party, regardless of which side of the...

As there are a much larger number of franchisees than franchisors in the UK, it is not surprising that over half of our clients are franchisees. This has given us the opportunity to detect similarities in the problems that franchisees face when things go wrong....

The recent judgement in the litigation between a number of sub-postmasters and the Post Office could have an impact on the franchising industry. A question raised during the hearing was:“Was the contractual relationship between the Post Office and sub-postmasters a...

The relationship between a franchisee and a franchisor is inherently unstable because although the franchisor isn’t the boss and the franchisee isn’t the employee, it can sometimes feel that way. The perception is that the franchisor calls the shots and the...

To the uninitiated, franchise agreements may appear to be heavily weighted in favour of the franchisor. They contain a large number of clearly defined actions that the franchisee must carry out while running the business. There are restrictions on exactly where...