Size and presence
Networks take a median of 7 years between founding and the start of franchising, in the 87 with both dates declared by the networks
Median between founding and the start of franchising, in 87 networks that declare both dates, as read on November 8, 2026
See the full table (4 rows)
| Founding period | Networks | Median (years) | 95% interval | First quartile | Third quartile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 1989 | 10 | 25 | 12 to 38 | 13.8 | 36.8 |
| 1990 to 1999 | 11 | 14 | 9 to 22 | 9.5 | 19.5 |
| 2000 to 2009 | 20 | 13.5 | 10 to 15 | 9.8 | 15.8 |
| 2010 to 2019 | 42 | 4.5 | 3 to 7 | 2 | 7 |
Comparison between periods in a common windowOnly networks that began franchising within the window, to reduce the truncation of recent cohorts. The p value comes from a permutation test of the difference between medians.
| Window | Networks founded before 2010 | Median (years) | Networks founded later, up to the cutoff | Median (years) | Cutoff year | p |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 6 years | 7 | 5 | 27 | 3 | 2020 | 0.109 |
| Up to 10 years | 13 | 6 | 31 | 4 | 2016 | 0.424 |
| Up to 15 years | 25 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 2011 | 0.150 |
Validation against the public registryDifference in years between the CNPJ date and the declared date. A negative value indicates a CNPJ earlier than the declaration. The indicator's sample consists of the networks in the interval with five or more attributed CNPJs.
| Comparison | Networks | Median difference (years) | Within 2 years | Rank correlation | 95% interval |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Declared founding and the network's oldest CNPJ | 420 | 0 | 37.9% | 0.57 | 0.50 to 0.64 |
| The same, in the indicator's sample | 71 | 0 | 43.7% | ||
| Declared start of franchising and the franchisor's CNPJ | 32 | 0 | 50.0% | 0.77 | 0.55 to 0.89 |
The founding date and the start of franchising are not recorded as such in any public registry, and the open source is the network's own statement. As read on November 8, 2026, 87 networks state both dates on the page read, and the interval between them has a median of 7 years (95% interval from 6 to 9), with half between 3 and 14 years. Of the total, 20.7% began franchising within 2 years, 36.8% within 5 years and 35.6% after more than 10 years.
By founding period, the median is 25 years for networks founded up to 1989, 14 years for those founded from 1990 to 1999, 13.5 years for those founded from 2000 to 2009, and 4.5 years for those founded from 2010 to 2019. Part of the decline in the recent cohorts results from how the sample is constructed, because a network founded in 2015 only enters the count if it began franchising within 11 years, and the same does not apply to older networks. In the common window of up to 10 years, the median is 6 years for networks founded before 2010 and 4 years for those founded from 2010 to 2016, a difference that is not supported by the available sample (p = 0.424), so the apparent decline in the series does not allow the conclusion that networks have begun franchising earlier. Networks founded from 2020 onward do not form a publishable cell.
The public registry allows the declared date to be verified only in part. In 420 networks with a declared founding date and five or more attributed CNPJs (Brazilian company registry), the rank correlation with the oldest CNPJ is 0.57 (interval from 0.50 to 0.64), and the oldest CNPJ falls within 2 years of the declared date in 37.9% of the cases and within 5 years in 54.5%. Among the 71 networks in the interval sample with enough CNPJs, the median absolute distance is 4 years, and in 26.8% of them the oldest CNPJ is more than 2 years later than the declared founding, which limits the use of the registry to date the founding of older networks. The indicator on the birth of networks uses another rule, the first unit followed by at least two other CNPJs within five years, which discards an isolated old CNPJ and therefore arrives at shares different from those of this comparison. In 32 networks with a declared start of franchising and an identified franchisor CNPJ, the opening of that CNPJ falls within 2 years of the declared start in 50.0% of the cases, is more than 2 years earlier in 21.9% and more than 2 years later in 28.1%, with a rank correlation of 0.77 (interval from 0.55 to 0.89). The franchisor company is not always created together with the franchise, and the match is only partial.
How we calculate
We use the founding date and the start of franchising from a verbatim excerpt of the network's page, without filling gaps. Of the 118 networks with a start of franchising read, 9 are excluded because the excerpt does not mention franchising and may describe the opening of the business or a generic expansion, and 1 because the start precedes the founding. Of the remaining 109, the 87 with a declared founding date enter the interval.
The series groups networks by founding period, with 5 or more per cell and a 95% interval for the median by resampling. To compare periods without truncation, the common window considers only networks that began franchising within 10 years, founded up to 2016, and the test is a permutation test of the difference between medians, repeated in the windows of 6 and 15 years. We treat the difference as supported only with significance in all three windows and 15 or more networks in each group.
The validation compares the declared founding date with the earliest start of activity among the establishments attributed to the network, in any registration status, in reference month October 2026. The declared start of franchising is compared with the opening of the CNPJ that the network presents as its franchisor.
What this figure does not show
- The 87 networks are 4.5% of the networks with a page read and include those that tell their own history, so the sample does not represent the sector.
- Every network in the count has already franchised. Networks that never franchised, or that have yet to franchise, do not appear, and for this reason the recent cohorts have shorter intervals by construction.
- The date is the network's statement, and the founding may refer to the first store, the company or the group, while the start of franchising may be the project, the structuring of the franchise model or the first unit opened.
- The oldest CNPJ may belong to a namesake or be later than the founding when the company changed its legal name, trade name or CNAE (national classification of economic activities). In 35.5% of the cases the CNPJ is more than 2 years earlier than the declared founding, which points to a namesake or a previous business, and with the 5th percentile of the dates, which reduces the effect of namesakes, the share is 14.3%. The validation indicates consistency for the set as a whole and does not confirm the date of any network.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take for a business to become a franchise?
In the 87 franchise networks that declare both dates, the median between founding and the start of franchising is 7 years, with half between 3 and 14 years, as read on November 8, 2026. The sample includes only networks that have already franchised and that tell their own history.
Are businesses becoming franchises earlier?
In a common window of up to 10 years, the median time between founding and the start of franchising is 6 years for franchise networks founded before 2010 and 4 years for those founded from 2010 to 2016. The difference is not statistically supported, and the decline seen in the raw series results largely from the recent cohorts having had less time.
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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.