Young people choose franchising
Press release - December 2023
According to the latest annual survey on franchising by BPCE x FFF, one third of French people are interested in launching their own business (up by six points on the previous year).
This enthusiasm is particularly noticeable among young people, with 35 being the average age at which people open their first point of sale. Franchising is seen as the ideal solution for 44% of budding entrepreneurs, who see this model as an opportunity to develop their activity while benefiting from individual support.
We shine a light on three young entrepreneurs who have taken the plunge in the world of franchising.
A couple making a career switch at the age of 23 - Pizza Cosy franchisees
Having graduated from business school with a specialist master’s degree in banking, Elise and Théo, both 23, decided to take up the challenge of launching their own business for one essential reason: to become their own boss.
Despite an educational background in the banking sector, hospitality was their sector of choice. Attracted by the selection of high-quality products and the focus on taste, the young couple were immediately won over by the mindset of the franchisor Pizza Cosy. And so it was that in June 2021, Elise and Théo opened their first pizzeria in Strasbourg.
“We started looking into founding our own business while we were on our master’s degree course. Our desire to become entrepreneurs was born out of a shared observation: we didn’t identify with the values and managerial or hierarchical organisation of the companies where we did our work-study internships. We decided to become our own bosses, and franchising gives you the chance to own a business even in sectors with which you aren’t familiar at the outset. The main difficulty we had was to persuade people that we were capable of managing and running a business despite being so young and having little experience, and particularly to win over lenders, who are the most risk averse. But since we are young, we have unbridled energy and a plenty of time to give over.”
Théo et Elise, Pizza Cosy franchisees in Strasbourg
Kitchen designing passed down through the generations, at 25 years of age - SoCoo’c franchisee
When he decided what to study after high school, Félix first chose the automotive sector. But at the age of 20, his interests turned to home fittings, and more specifically kitchen design. It was a sector with which he was already familiar, since the Riffards already had a history in kitchens. In 2018, his father was working for another brand in the Fournier Group. Félix went to join him, and gradually took over the reins of the shop alongside his father, becoming director.
But with his entrepreneurial spirit hard to suppress, he decided to strike out along in early 2021 at the tender age of 22, with he SoCoo’c brand.
“My love for this profession came over time, through my encounters with employees and customers. Discovering it alongside my father whose career I have always admired was a particularly enlightening experience. He was the person who gave me the desire to run my own business, and I am very proud of taking up the gauntlet. It’s a big personal challenge but also a success story about transmission that I am sharing with him.”
Félix Riffard, SoCoo’c franchisee in Aubenas.
Inventing and launching a booming franchising concept at the age of 26 - Crêpe Touch franchisor
Since the age of 16, and in parallel with his business school studies, Mickaël worked in the food service sector, both in fast food chains and in traditional restaurants. In 2017, at the age of only 26, he launched the Crêpe Touch concept. According to Mickaël, his concept stands apart from the rest through the personalisation aspect: concocting, creating and even reinventing your dish depending on your mood of the day. He began with one restaurant, then four more. In 2021 he pivoted his model to turn it into a franchise.
“Entrepreneurship is in my blood. I created the Crêpe Touch pilot unit in 2017, followed by four more, wholly owned. The franchising adventure began in 2021 with my associate Grégory Clément. Two years later, we were voted Révélation de la Franchise by the French Franchising Federation. To date, we have nine outlets open and we have already planned for 11 additional units in 2024. Today, at the age of 33, I am already well on the way to achieving our target of 50 restaurants by 2027, in particular thanks to multiple franchising. For us, franchising is a big growth catalyst that makes it possible to deploy four or five times faster than if we managed everything ourselves.”
Mickaël Lipari, Crêpe Touch franchisor
About the French Franchising Federation
A major player in the dynamism of the French economy, the French Franchising Federation is the professional federation of franchisors and their franchisees since 1971. It represents the franchising model, a model of entrepreneurship based on the transfer of know-how and the sharing of value. Its role is to promote, defend and perpetuate the franchise model, but also to federate its ecosystem and create the tools and the environment for the development and performance of franchise networks. In 1981, the French Franchise Federation created the Franchise Expo Paris exhibition, which has since become a major annual international franchising event.
In France, franchising accounts for 1,972 networks, 84,497 franchised outlets, for a turnover of more than 76.6 billion euros. The activity generates 828,178 jobs (direct and indirect). In 2009, the FFF created the Acadélmie de la Franchise, the first training organisation for franchising professions, whose services are aimed at future franchisees, but also to future and current franchisors.
Find out more at: www.franchise-fff.com
About Infopro Digital
Infopro Digital is a B2B group specializing in information and technology. Ranked as the 8th largest technology group in France, the group is present in 18 countries and employs nearly 4,000 people. Its innovative solutions are aimed at professional communities in five key economic sectors: Construction & Public Sector, Automotive, Risk & Insurance, Industry, and Retail. Thanks to the group’s sector-specific expertise, Infopro Digital covers all the needs of professionals. Its solutions enable decision-makers to make informed decisions and companies to sustainably develop their business and performance.
Find out more at: www.infopro-digital.com
About Tous entrepreneurs
This media dedicated to entrepreneurship and franchising has been designed to allow entrepreneurs and aspiring business owners to find all the information they need to build and develop their project all year round. They can find testimonials, practical advice, expert opinions and all useful information on business creation.
This media platform, which is affiliated to the Franchise Expo Paris exhibition, also focuses on franchising and its advantages.
Find out more at: www.tousentrepreneurs.com
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