The 4 Most Profitable Franchises UK

The franchise industry in the UK has grown immensely in recent years, where it now contributes over £17 billion to the UK economy every year.

With so many franchise industries to choose from, it can seem an impossible task to know what business to settle into. In this guide, we'll look at the most profitable businesses and weigh up their pros and cons.Franchise direct

Each year, Franchise Direct identify the top 100 franchises and their industry, which has helped us narrow down the overall best franchise industries you can invest in.

Factors that are taken into consideration with the ranking are:

• System size
• Revenue
• Stability/growth
• Market expansion

Let's have a closer look at our top choices to help you find the best franchise opportunities.

Fast food franchises

Although it's not always the healthiest, no one can deny that there is a huge demand for fast food. As one of the most widespread industries across the entire world, it's a hugely successful industry.

The UK fast food industry is expected to grow to £22.04 billion in 2023 and so is incredible stable and is growing at an impressive rate.

Pros of fast-food franchises

As fast food is so quick, efficient, and affordable, it brings in an enormous amount of traffic. A study from 2017 showed that Brits eat 100 million fast food and takeaways every week. Regardless of whether you're positioned in a city, or the countryside, there's so many opportunities to be found in this industry. However, this comes with it’s fall backs.

Cons of fast-food franchises

As big as the fast-food industry is, its huge size brings a great deal of competition with it. Consumers have so many choices on where they want to eat that as a fast-food business is not necessarily guaranteed to do well and requires a lot of time, money, and effort to stand out in the market.

Automotive & car franchises

The automotive industry in the UK generates many jobs and business opportunities for people. As new cars are consistently manufactured and sold, there's so much room for franchises that offer car products, repairs and rentals.

Nowadays, people tend to keep their cars for longer, especially with the increasing cost of living. As a result, there is more demand for repairs and other services, allowing businesses to generate a steadier stream of revenue.

Pros of automotive & car franchises

Unlike fast food, automotive and car services are essential. No matter how reliable a car is, it is going to need to have routine maintenance, general services and MOTs or adhoc repairs over the years.  This industry turns over £67 million every year, which is triple the size of the fast-food industry.

Pursuing a franchise in this industry where you can provide repair services, as well as potentially the opportunity to run a car dealership and generate huge revenue from selling new and used cars if very successful.

Cons of automotive & car franchises

The biggest drawback to this franchise is the high start-up costs, where these costs can sometimes be higher than if you were to start the business yourself.

Beyond just the initial expense, you will need to buy your inventory. Cars can be incredibly expensive, and due to these high costs, it can be easy to experience financial issues if you do not manage your expenses appropriately. As a result of these costs, it can take longer to get going when compared to other franchises.

Pet franchises

The amount of people with pets has grown a lot, particularly as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. It is estimated that in 2022, 17.4 million households have pets. Buying pet food and taking them to the vets can be very costly and owners can spend thousands of pounds over the course of their pet's lifetime on these.

The pet franchise is diverse, where you can specialise in either pet food or pet care and still generate a lot of money.

Pros of pet franchises

You are almost guaranteed to succeed in an industry that's so essential for every animal. Like us, pets need to be fed and have both routine and emergency medical care when necessary. This along with some potentially high expenses means that not only are you going to generate revenue regularly, but you can be making a lot of money.

Cons of pet franchises

Similarly to other franchises, one of the biggest drawbacks is the high start-up costs which can be avoided if you were to run the business yourself.

Let’s say you invest in pet care, you will need to source all the right medicines and equipment, as well as having a suitable veterinary practice which doesn’t come cheap. This doesn’t even take into account the additional cost of being a franchisee and paying for the company branding.

You will also have to agree to operate within specific limits. The contract between you and a franchisor will regulate what you can and can't do. If you were to break these rules, you can end up losing your franchise business.

Cleaning franchises

No matter the industry or business, whether it’s residential or commercial - cleaning is always needed.

Pros of cleaning franchises

The industry is hugely diverse, and you can specialise in so many different aspects of cleaning which can really help to expand and broaden the services you offer when starting a cleaning franchise. Cleaning specialisations include:

• Car washing
• Pressure washing
• Commercial cleaning
• Residential cleaning
• Dry cleaning

As a result of all these options, there's a pathway for everyone in the cleaning industry.

The cleaning industry is hugely reliable, and can guarantee work wherever you are across the nation. Just In 2018 alone, over £55.5 billion came from the cleaning industry. While every business needs cleaners, many commercial sectors don't have the time, resource, equipment or expertise to regularly clean, so therefore hire cleaners to take care of the job, which is where owning a cleaning franchise can come into play.

As a cleaning franchise they’ll also be a much lower start-up cost as cleaning equipment and chemicals don't cost nearly as much as cars and components for example.

Cons of cleaning franchises

There really aren’t many cons to owning a cleaning franchise. While to some cleaning might not be the most exciting industry to invest in, its sheer reliability in addition to the huge demand means your profitability is likely to be very high, making it worth it!

What to consider when finding the right franchise

When finding the right franchise for you. You should consider aspects such as the franchise fee and the company business model. You should ensure you ask all the necessary questions before you enter any form of agreement.

You can inquire about how the franchise business works, as well as set out a roadmap with goals and important dates to get started. This will help offer you peace of mind that the company you're dealing with has your best interests at heart and is ready to support you.

Become one of our next successful franchises in the cleaning industry

If you're interested in franchises in the UK and enjoy cleaning, why not pursue a commercial cleaning franchise with Jani-King? We offer some of the best UK franchise opportunities to those with keen entrepreneurial spirits and a desire to succeed.

We offer business coaching and advice, support whenever you need it, help with hiring and finding jobs and more! Having your own business has never been easier.

Contact us to get started today!