Entrepreneur Magazine recently released its list of the top 500 franchise companies in the United States. Coined by the magazine as the “Franchise 500,” only franchises that submit full Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDDs) and whose information is verified by Entrepreneur can be listed.
All companies are judged by the same criteria, regardless of size. Entrepreneur said with more than 1,000 companies applying, the 39th annual Franchise 500 ranking was one of the most competitive ever. Several auto service franchise programs made a strong showing, with 10 making the list. When outside analysts and investment firms take notice of our industry, it means we keep doing something right!
The highest ranking auto service franchise was Valvoline Instant Oil Change, ranked No. 34. Entrepreneur reported VIOC to have 384 company owned facilities and 734 U.S. franchises at the time of the Franchise 500 rankings. VIOC followed Hilton Hotels and Resorts and topped Smoothie King in rank.
Express Oil Change & Tire Engineers made the next appearance on the list, at No. 120, reporting 114 U.S. franchises and 116 company-owned stores.
Jiffy Lube ranked just a little further down the list at No. 181. Entrepreneur reported Jiffy Lube had 1,918 U.S. franchises and 171 foreign franchises when the data for the rankings was collected.
Coming in halfway through the Franchise 500, at No. 250, is Big O Tires LLC. Entrepreneur reported Big O has 395 U.S. franchises and two company-owned stores.
Tuffy Associates Corp., another oil change-plus chain, ranked at No. 257 on the 2018 Franchise 500 list, with 161 U.S. franchises and 17 company-owned stores.
Grease Monkey Franchising LLC ranked a few spots down the list at No. 278. Entrepreneur reported Grease Monkey has 166 U.S. franchises, 64 foreign franchises and 90 company-owned stores.
Ranking at No. 292 this year is Precision Tune Auto Care. Entrepreneur reported 200 U.S. franchises, 66 foreign franchises and 53 company-owned stores.
Just 25 spots down the list is AAMCO Transmissions and Total Car Care. Ranked at No. 315 this year, Entrepreneur reported AAMCO operates 621 U.S. franchises and nine foreign franchises.
At No. 319 is Honest-1 Auto Care, operating 64 U.S. franchises.
Christian Brothers Automotive makes its appearance at No. 357 on the Franchise 500. Entrepreneur reported Christian Brothers operates 163 U.S. franchises and one company-owned store.
To narrow the list down to 500 companies, Entrepreneur considers factors such as the company’s financial strength, stability, growth rate, system size, etc., to create its rankings. Other factors considered are number of years in business, length of time franchising, start-up costs, litigation history and the availability of company-supplied financing. Subjective elements such as franchise satisfaction or management style are not measured.
The top 10 franchises as recognized on the 2018 Franchise 500 were McDonalds, 7-Eleven Inc., Dunkin’ Donuts, The UPS Store, RE/MAX LLC, Sonic Drive-In Restaurants, Great Clips, Taco Bell, Hardee’s and Sport Clips.
The franchise coming in at No. 500? Aire Serv LLC — a home and commercial HVAC installation, maintenance and repair franchise.
