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MapMyFranchise Guides

United States · India · United Arab Emirates · Europe

What opening a franchise actually involves.

Understand the documents, costs and commitments behind opening a franchise. Choose your region for practical questions on disclosure, leases, licences and unit economics, with sources you can follow.

United States

6 guides
on the US decision.

An illustrated view of Manhattan, its park, bridges and waterfront.
New York · editorial illustration

Practical reading for each stage of the decision. Published figures carry sources; these guides are general orientation, not legal advice or a promise of market coverage.

All United States guides

United States · Regulation · 5 min read

US franchise disclosure: the FTC Rule and FDD

Every franchise sold in the United States arrives with a Franchise Disclosure Document and a federal waiting period, and thirteen states add a regulator …

Inside this guide
  • The FTC Franchise Rule and its 14-day window
  • Registration, filing and business-opportunity states
  • Relationship laws, and California's new broker rules
Read the guide

United States · Due diligence · 4 min read

How to read an FDD: Items 7, 19, 20 and 21

A Franchise Disclosure Document can run past three hundred pages, and much of it is boilerplate. A handful of items carry what a lender, …

Inside this guide
  • Item 7: the investment, and the line that runs out first
  • Item 19: what the sample behind an earnings claim hides
  • Items 20, 21 and 3: turnover, cash flow and litigation
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4 more United States guides

India

3 guides
on the Indian decision.

An illustration of Pune's river, heritage buildings, metro and shopping streets.
Pune · editorial illustration

Practical reading for each stage of the decision. Published figures carry sources; these guides are general orientation, not legal advice or a promise of market coverage.

All India guides

India · Orientation · 4 min read

Franchising in India: the law that isn't there

Most large franchise markets have a disclosure law. India does not, and nothing obliges a franchisor here to hand you an audited track record …

Inside this guide
  • Why there is no Indian equivalent of an FDD
  • The five statutes that actually govern a franchise here
  • What to ask for, since nobody is obliged to volunteer it
Read the guide

India · Property · 4 min read

Commercial property in India: the 11-month trap

The document most Indian retail occupiers sign is not a lease. It is a licence, written to run eleven months for a reason, and …

Inside this guide
  • Why leave-and-licence beat the lease, and what you give up
  • The deposit, the escalation and the GST on top
  • Mall terms: CAM, revenue share and the minimum guarantee
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1 more India guide

United Arab Emirates

3 guides
on the UAE decision.

An illustrated view of Dubai's coastline, marina and business districts.
Dubai · editorial illustration

Practical reading for each stage of the decision. Published figures carry sources; these guides are general orientation, not legal advice or a promise of market coverage.

All United Arab Emirates guides

United Arab Emirates · Regulation · 4 min read

Franchising in the UAE: agency law first

The UAE has no franchise statute either, but it has something with sharper teeth: a commercial agencies law that, where it applies, can leave …

Inside this guide
  • What a registered commercial agency does to a brand owner
  • What Federal Decree-Law 3 of 2022 changed
  • Mainland, free zone, and which one a store can trade from
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United Arab Emirates · Property · 4 min read

UAE retail leases: Ejari, cheques and VAT

UAE occupancy runs on conventions a European or Indian operator will not expect: annual rent settled in a handful of post-dated cheques, a tenancy …

Inside this guide
  • Why rent is quoted per year and paid in cheques
  • Ejari registration, and what it protects
  • The RERA index, and what a landlord may raise rent to
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1 more United Arab Emirates guide

Europe

5 guides
on the European decision.

An illustrated view of London, the Thames, bridges and neighbourhood streets.
London · editorial illustration

Practical reading for each stage of the decision. Published figures carry sources; these guides are general orientation, not legal advice or a promise of market coverage.

All Europe guides

Europe · Orientation · 4 min read

Franchising in Europe: the numbers

European franchising is large, regulated and unusually well documented. That documentation is worth reading closely, because it shows exactly which risks a franchise agreement …

Inside this guide
  • The size of the market, by country and by outlet
  • Why franchised units fail far less often than independents
  • The one variable the franchisor does not underwrite
Read the guide

Europe · Property · 5 min read

Commercial leases in Europe

European commercial tenancy is not American commercial tenancy. Tenure is protected, renewal is often a statutory right, and in prime French retail you pay …

Inside this guide
  • The four lease regimes a European franchisee meets
  • Pas-de-porte, droit au bail, and what they buy
  • Catchment and change-of-use, before the lawyers
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3 more Europe guides

Be clear about this

A guide about a country
is not coverage of it.

Guides help you prepare. A decision pack can be bought for any city in the world and is delivered within 2 days of payment.

Check current availability before choosing a plan.

What is open, and what is not
  • Open for purchase now: any city in the world, delivered within 2 days of payment. Featured cities: Mumbai, New York City, Pune, Dubai, Nagpur, Gurugram, Rajkot, Copenhagen. Availability checked against the current purchase options.
  • Open in United States: every town and city — featured cities include New York City.
  • Open in India: every town and city — featured cities include Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Gurugram, Rajkot.
  • Open in United Arab Emirates: every town and city — featured cities include Dubai.
  • Open in Europe: every town and city — featured cities include Copenhagen.
  • Available anywhere: BrandReach. A listing carries no city, so a brand from any country can be represented accurately today.
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