Where the units are and who operates them
Two thirds of franchise units belong to companies in Simples Nacional
Share of active establishments of the 503 measured networks that belong to companies under Simples Nacional
See the full table (9 rows)
| Segment | Active establishments | Simples Nacional | Microenterprise | Small enterprise | Other sizes | In a company with 2 or more units of the network |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gyms and sports | 2,457 | 61.0% | 53.2% | 19.0% | 27.8% | 18.6% |
| Food | 12,670 | 61.3% | 54.2% | 25.0% | 20.8% | 24.6% |
| Food, retail and distribution | 6,001 | 83.2% | 68.8% | 28.6% | 2.7% | 16.2% |
| Education | 3,297 | 72.3% | 73.2% | 19.1% | 7.7% | 11.7% |
| Fashion and accessories | 9,657 | 73.9% | 52.3% | 35.5% | 12.2% | 22.5% |
| Health, beauty and wellness | 12,364 | 52.9% | 52.4% | 23.4% | 24.2% | 27.4% |
| Services and other businesses | 11,023 | 80.5% | 73.4% | 19.3% | 7.3% | 12.7% |
| Tourism and hospitality | 472 | 62.1% | 60.6% | 13.1% | 26.3% | 27.5% |
| All measured networks | 57,941 | 68.1% | 59.8% | 25.0% | 15.3% | 20.7% |
The CNPJ (Brazilian company registry) reports, for each company, its declared size and whether it has opted for Simples Nacional (simplified tax regime for small companies), a regime available to companies with revenue of up to R$ 4.8 million per year. The indicator cross-references this information with the active establishments of the 503 networks that have a profile in the observatory with the Receita Federal (the federal tax authority) section and describes the company that operates each unit, whether franchised or owned by the network itself.
Two thirds of establishments, 68.1%, belong to companies under Simples Nacional. By declared size, 59.8% belong to microenterprises, 25.0% to small enterprises and 15.3% to larger companies. The individual microentrepreneur cannot be measured by this count, because networks are identified by trade name, a field that businesses under MEI (individual microentrepreneur regime) almost never fill in in the open CNPJ data. The sole proprietor (legal nature 2135), a broader category that includes MEI but is not equivalent to it, accounts for 4.8% of establishments.
The share of Simples ranges from 52.9% in health, beauty and wellness to 83.2% in food, retail and distribution. The registry also shows that 20.7% of establishments belong to companies with two or more units of the same network under the same CNPJ root, a share that reaches 27.5% in tourism and hospitality and 27.4% in health, beauty and wellness. The share includes the units of the franchisor itself and company-owned units, and without them it is 14.7%, in the 471 networks of the indicator on unit operators.
How we calculate
For the active establishments that the observatory's census attributes to each network in the open CNPJ data of Receita Federal, reference month October 2026, we read the declared size in the company registry and, in the Simples Nacional file of the same reference month, the current option for Simples and for the individual microentrepreneur regime. A company with two or more units of the network is a CNPJ root with two or more active establishments of the same brand in the subset. The 503 networks with at least 30 active establishments are included, and the size shares use as their base the establishments whose company appears in the company registry of the reference month. The sole proprietor is read in legal nature 2135, from the same registry. In one of the ten establishment files of the database, 23 of the 345,013 active MEI establishments have a trade name, compared with 53.2% of the others, so the fewer than five MEI establishments found in the networks reflect how the field is filled in.
The first edition of the indicator, dated October 12, 2026, measured 442 networks. The edition dated October 18, 2026, with the networks added to the universe on that date, measured 497 networks, the one dated October 30, 2026, already in reference month October 2026, measured 509 networks, and the one dated November 8, 2026, with the expansion of the universe in this edition, measures 503 networks in reference month October 2026. The files of previous editions remain available in the Open data section.
What this figure does not show
- The registry does not distinguish company-owned units from franchised units, and the profile describes the company that operates each establishment, whatever its relationship with the network.
- Size is as declared by the company to Receita Federal and may be out of date relative to actual revenue.
- The option for Simples Nacional indicates revenue within the regime's limit, but not the revenue of the unit, because the same company may operate other businesses.
- A franchisee with several units under CNPJs with different roots does not appear as multi-unit, which makes that share a floor.
- The count depends on the establishment using the brand in its trade name, and units registered only under the legal name are left out.
- The count does not reach individual microentrepreneurs, and the absence of MEI in the result does not allow the conclusion that franchise units are not operated under that regime.
Frequently asked questions
How many franchises are registered as MEI?
The open registry does not allow this to be answered. Networks are identified by trade name, and businesses under MEI (individual microentrepreneur regime) almost never fill in that field, present in 23 of 345,013 active MEI establishments in one of the ten CNPJ (Brazilian company registry) files, compared with 53.2% of the others. The fewer than five MEI establishments found in the 503 measured networks reflect how that field is filled in. The sole proprietor (legal nature 2135), which is not equivalent to MEI, accounts for 4.8% of establishments.
What size are the companies that operate franchises?
In the measured franchise networks, 59.8% of establishments belong to microenterprises, 25.0% to small enterprises and 15.3% to larger companies, according to the size declared in the CNPJ (Brazilian company registry) records.
How many franchisees have more than one unit?
Excluding the units of the franchisor and company-owned units, 14.7% of the units of the 471 networks in the indicator on unit operators are in companies with two or more units of the same network under the same CNPJ (Brazilian company registry) root. Including them, the share is 20.7% of active establishments. The number is a floor, because a franchisee may open a separate CNPJ for each unit.
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Where the units are and who operates themOther indicators in the same group
Maintained by Marktech, which serves franchise networks and franchises. The brands cited belong to their owners and are mentioned here only to identify the network the data refers to.