Size and presence
121 of the 503 measured networks are in 20 or more states, and the typical network has 61 establishments
Measured networks with an active establishment in 20 or more states, among the 503 with at least 30 establishments in the registry
See the full table (9 rows)
| Segment | Measured networks | Median establishments | Median states | In 20 or more states | In a single state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Education | 31 | 73 | 18 | 9 | 0 |
| Fashion and accessories | 83 | 68 | 17 | 31 | 0 |
| Health, beauty and wellness | 86 | 69 | 15 | 24 | 0 |
| Services and other businesses | 126 | 58 | 15 | 33 | 0 |
| Tourism and hospitality | 7 | 45 | 14 | fewer than 5 | 0 |
| Gyms and sports | 21 | 66 | 13 | fewer than 5 | fewer than 5 |
| Food, retail and distribution | 25 | 67 | 13 | 6 | 0 |
| Food | 124 | 54 | 11 | 12 | 5 |
| All measured networks | 503 | 61 | 14 | 121 | 6 |
The CNPJ (Brazilian company registry) makes it possible to describe the observed size of each franchise network by the number of active establishments with the brand in the trade name, and its territorial reach by the number of states where those establishments are located. The indicator applies both measures to the 503 networks that have the Receita Federal (the federal tax authority) section in the observatory's network profile, that is, those with at least 30 identified establishments.
The typical network has 61 active establishments in 14 states. Most of the set falls in the range of 30 to 99 establishments, with 367 networks, and only 4 exceed a thousand. Reach is broad even among the smaller networks, since 252 are in 10 to 19 states and 121 in 20 or more, while 68 concentrate 70% or more of their establishments in a single state.
Among the segments, education has the highest median number of states, 18, and food the lowest, 11.
How we calculate
For each network in the observatory's universe, the census of the open CNPJ data of Receita Federal, reference month October 2026, counts the active establishments whose trade name matches the brand expression, in the expected CNAE (national classification of economic activities) subclasses, and records the state of each one. The 503 networks with at least 30 establishments in this subset are included. Size is the number of active establishments, and reach is the number of states with at least one establishment.
What this figure does not show
- An establishment with a CNPJ is not an operating unit, and units registered only under the franchisee's legal name are left out. Size is a floor.
- The set excludes networks with fewer than 30 identified establishments, which are the majority of the universe and tend to be regional. The distribution describes the measured networks, not all networks in the country.
- A single establishment is enough to count a state, including when it is the headquarters of a regional operation.
Frequently asked questions
How many units does a typical franchise network have?
Among the 503 networks with at least 30 establishments identified in the CNPJ (Brazilian company registry), the median is 61 active establishments.
How many franchise networks are present throughout Brazil?
121 of the 503 measured franchise networks have an active establishment in 20 or more states.
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Size and presenceOther 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.