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Stretch Zone Ranks No. 317 on the 2024 Franchise Times Top 400

Stretch Zone Ranks No. 317 on the 2024 Franchise Times Top 400 

Franchise Times Top 400 ranks the country’s biggest brands  

 

Top 400 sales grew 3.7 percent in 2023, to $740 billion, as franchise brands pushed sales in a year marked by inflation concerns and shifting consumer spending. Sales at the 10 largest franchises increased 7.2 percent, as those brands collectively gained more than $25 billion over the prior year. The Top 400 online database launches today at franchisetimes.com, listing the largest franchise brands by worldwide sales.   

  

MINNEAPOLIS, September 27, 2024—Combined annual sales at the largest U.S.-based franchisors increased by $26.5 billion or 3.7 percent last year, to $740 billion, according to the newly released Franchise Times Top 400, an exclusive ranking of the largest franchises.   

  

The 10 largest franchised brands gained $27.3 billion in sales in 2023, a 7.2 percent increase over the prior year. The top 10 now account for more than $400 billion in annual sales. No. 1 McDonald’s remains by far the largest franchise on the list, growing systemwide sales to $129.5 billion.  

  

The Franchise Times Top 400 is an exclusive annual ranking of the largest U.S.-based franchise systems by global systemwide sales. The project is the result of a five-month research and reporting effort that leads to the most credible and objective franchise ranking available, said Franchise Times Editor in Chief Laura Michaels.  

  

The collection of systemwide sales data also provides useful insight into the franchise industry’s performance as the economic and consumer demand shakeout continues. Out of the 10 major franchise categories analyzed, just two—Business Services and Real Estate—saw an overall decline in sales. Notably, within the Restaurant category, total sales for chicken-focused concepts grew 12 percent, to $76 billion, as the segment remained hot.   

  

“Major restaurant brands including McDonald’s, Chick-fil-A and Taco Bell all experienced sizable sales gains in 2023 as Domino’s and Pizza Hut, dominate players in the value pizza space, reversed their systemwide sales declines from 2022,” said Michaels. “Restaurants collectively grew sales 8.3 percent last year, with challenger QSR concepts such as Culver’s and Freddy’s emerging as the sales growth leaders in the burger segment.”      

  

The personal services, health & medical, automotive and cleaning franchise industries all saw percentage sales growth in the double digits last year. Retailers as a category posted a 3.9 percent sales gain overall.   

  

Among the four exclusive interviews included in this year’s ranking, Crunch Fitness President Chequan Lewis shares how the gym brand is attracting a growing share of members in the high value, low-price fitness segment and driving new unit growth to the tune of 16.8 percent in 2023.  Executives from Potbelly, Ford’s Garage and HTeaO also detail their impressive growth stories and the underlying economic and consumer trends contributing to that performance.    

  

Franchise Times Fastest-Growing Industry Sectors 

Cleaning Services +15.8% 

Personal Services +11.9% 

Health & Medical +11% 

Automotive +10.2% 

Restaurants +8.3% 

 

Franchise Times Top 10 Franchises by Worldwide Sales  

McDonald’s; $129.5 billion sales, +9.6% from prior year; 41,822 units, +3.8%  

7-Eleven; $97.8 billion sales, +4.7% from prior year; 82,755 units, -1.6%  

KFC; $33.8 billion sales, +8.8% from prior year; 29,900 units, +7.7%  

Burger King; $27 billion sales, +6% from prior year; 19,384 units, -2%  

Ace Hardware; $23.3 billion sales, +0.6% from prior year; 5,870 units, +2.2%   

Chick-fil-A; $22.3 billion* sales, +15.1% from prior year; 2,981 units, +5.9%  

Subway; $20.5 billion* sales, +7.3% from prior year; 37,133 units, +1.5%  

Domino’s; $18.3 billion sales, +4.2% from prior year; 20,591 units, +3.6%  

Circle K; $17.7 billion sales, +5.2% from prior year; 13,734 units, +12.8%  

Taco Bell; $15.9 billion sales, +8.6% from prior year; 8,564 units, +4.2%  

  *Franchise Times estimate  

 

Franchise Times Top 10 Fastest Growers by Sales Percentage   

Vital Care Infusion: 64.2 increase from prior year  

PuroClean: 44.4%  

Scooter’s Coffee: 41.4%  

Dave’s Hot Chicken: 40.1%  

Club Pilates: 40%*  

Wingstop: 27.1%  

TEGG Service: 26.4% 

Rainbow International: 26.2%  

Keystone Insurers: 25.9%  

ServPro: 24.9  

*Franchise Times estimate  

    

Franchise Times Top 10 Fastest Growers by Unit Percentage   

Dave’s Hot Chicken: 76.5% increase from prior year  

Wireless Zone: 61.1%  

Crumbl: 41.9%  

Scooter’s Coffee: 35.1%  

Slim Chickens: 33.1%  

American Family Care: 24.1%  

Charley’s Philly Steaks: 21.6%  

Club Pilates: 20.6%  

Gong Cha: 20.1% 

Senior Helpers: 19.9%  

 

Utilizing our patented and proprietary equipment, Stretch Zone practitioners follow specific
protocols to properly position, stabilize, and manipulate muscles using powerful principles of
neuromuscular behavior. One of the leading & most innovative businesses in the industry,
Stretch Zone has continued to grow substantially, opening new studios nationwide on a weekly
basis. 

 

ABOUT THE FRANCHISE TIMES TOP 400  

The Franchise Times Top 400 is the only ranking by systemwide sales and units of the largest 500 U.S.-based franchise brands. Published in the October issue and available in a searchable database online, the Franchise Times Top 400 also analyzes industry sectors based on percentage change in sales growth, reports the 10 fastest-growing franchises by four different measures, and includes exclusive news stories about the biggest names in franchising. The rankings and full report, and the searchable online database, are available at www.franchisetimes.com/top-400-2024.  

 

CONTACT: Laura Michaels, editor in chief, Franchise Times; [email protected]  

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