By Pip Wilkins, Chief Executive, British Franchise Association

As spring arrives in the UK, the association can confidently say that franchising is in a good place, indeed Rachel Brooks, managing director of Swimtime, described it as being ‘in a bubble’, as it currently appears to be outperforming non-franchised businesses in every way.

What is happening on the outside
According to the Confederation of British Industry’s (CBI) latest Economic Forecast issued on 12th December 2025: Businesses are swimming against the powerful tides of weak demand, elevated labour and energy costs and ongoing domestic and global uncertainty.

In spite of these challenges the CBI have upgraded their growth domestic product projection from 1.0% to 1.3%, driven by the temporary boost to government expenditure following the Autumn Budget.

But Louise Hellem, chief economist at the CBI, tempered potentially premature excitement by saying: “While it’s welcome to see our growth forecast upgraded for next year, the mood music reads more ‘cautious optimism’ rather than ‘cause for celebration’.”

Positive messages
Whilst we all know that franchising businesses are subject to the same economic pressures, the stories we are hearing are markedly different.

• To read the full article, view Franchise World Spring 2026 issue, page 19.

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