Franchise Update Reveals New Annual Franchise Development Report

Franchise Update Media recently released its 2025 Annual Franchise Development Report. The AFDR report is a valuable resource that can provide crucial insights on franchise development, lead generation, and recruitment best practices. It’s the kind of information that can help brands assess what they are doing right, and what needs improvement.

The project seeks to identify what’s new and innovative in franchise lead generation, recognize the methods and approaches yielding the best results, and gain insights into franchisors’ perspectives on current and future business performance. Survey participants were franchisors who completed an in-depth questionnaire online. Responses were aggregated and analyzed to produce a detailed view into the recruitment and development practices, budgets, spending allocations, and strategies of a wide cross-section of franchisors.

The data along with accompanying commentary and analysis provided the basis for the 2025 AFDR. The in-depth report features results from more than 110 organizations actively expanding their franchise systems. The thoroughly researched report spotlights the latest trends and reveals various franchise lead-generation and sales trends.

The AFDR represents companies totaling more than 50,000 franchise units and 42 industry categories. Franchise Update Media creates this report annually and shares its findings with franchise development teams to give them an edge in their lead generation and recruitment efforts. Franchise Update EVP & Chief Content Officer Diane Phibbs and Wild Birds Unlimited Chief Development Officer Paul Picket discussed some of the top line items in the latest AFDR at the Franchise Leadership & Development Conference (FLDC) in October.