Why buy a franchise, when you can build a business on your own? Well, the US chamber of commerce confirms that the chances of a new business staying open after 1 year are 50% and 25%, after 5 years. However, the neutrality of the Swiss economic policies has made Switzerland a fertile environment for foreigners to leverage franchising, or start a small or medium-sized business.
What is Franchising?
Franchising is a business model that allows a person or group of persons (Franchisee), to operate a business or market the products or services of another brand or business (franchisor). A franchise is established through an agreement between the franchisor and the franchisee at an agreed fee.
For business owners, franchising is an open window to utilize other people’s money and resources to grow their businesses. It’s an efficient pattern that promotes business continuity and expansion. While to the investors, it can be an attractive way of setting up a company because they are dependent on an existing model.
Read on to learn more about Switzerland's franchises.
Top Switzerland Franchises
If you're looking to open a franchise business or invest in one, here are popular Switzerland franchises that may interest you.
Nestle
Nestle is the key player in the food and beverage industry, with a portfolio of more than 2,000 global and local brands.
Nestle’s products are baby foods, chocolate products, bottled water, instant coffee and teas, and so on. Nestle is headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, and has operational factories in more than 80 countries.
Glencore PLC
With its headquarters in the city of Barr, in Switzerland, Glencore is the leading company in the metals and mining industry, with metals and minerals, energy products, and agricultural products as the major products.
Glencore, before the merger with Xstrata in 2013 was Switzerland’s and the World’s top producers and marketers of metals, minerals, crude oil, oil products, coal, natural gas, and so on to consumers in the international market.
Novartis
Ranked 218 under Fortune Global 500 companies, Novartis came to life when Ceiba-Geigy merged with Sandoz in 1996. Novartis is a leading medicine company that leverages science and digital technologies to provide solutions to the evolving needs of patients. The Swiss pharmaceutical giant has products and offices in 90 countries of the World, and its headquarters is in Basel, Switzerland.
Novartis business operations consist of products for pharmaceuticals, generics, OTC, and animal health.
Zurich Insurance Group
Zurich Insurance Group is a multi-line insurance company headquartered in Zürich that provides general and life insurance to individuals and businesses in the local and global market.
Zurich Insurance Group divides its business operations into 3 core segments;
- General insurance: insures cars, homes, and commercial products and services of individuals, small, mid-sized, large businesses, and multinational corporations.
- Global life: offers life insurance, savings, investment, and employee benefits.
- Farmers: This segment covers Farmers Management Services
Credit Suisse
Founded in 1856 to fund the building of Switzerland's rail system, Credit Suisse is one of the leading banks in Switzerland. The group provides private banking, investment banking, asset management, and shared services to clients Worldwide.
Holcim Group
Holcim Limited is a Swiss-based company that has been delivering sustainable building materials since 1912. Brands in the building sector such as ACC, Ambuja Cement, Firestone Building Products, Aggregate, etc. are subsidiaries of the Holcim Group.
In 2015, Holcim fused with Lafarge, but even before the merger, Holcim operated in more than 70 countries globally and up to date is still the leading producer of cement in India, Slovakia, Switzerland, Australia, and Latin America
While the number of franchising opportunities is not limited to the mentioned list. If you wish to open or manage a company in the franchising sector in Switzerland, you can consult our service, and we'll be glad to lead you through.
However, it’s worthy to note that factors that drive the success of a business vary in environments. Because the Swiss market is different in culture, law, and economic policies, your strategy must fit and be relevant to the local lifestyle to be sure of success.
Franchise Agreement Duration in Switzerland
A franchise agreement is a legal contract where the franchisor grants the franchisee the license and right to operate a business, use techniques, sell products or services with the franchisor’s trademark or trade name.
Although the local Swiss legislation does not impose a term on foreigners that want to start a business in Switzerland in the franchising sector, on a general rule, a franchise agreement can last for 5 to 10 years and can be renewed upon expiration.
Conclusion
Regardless, starting a franchise business in Switzerland may require deep research on the opportunities available in the sector of interest; to assess the prospective market for the risks and opportunities involved.
Moreso, if you need more information or assistance relating to Switzerland franchises, our team of expert consultants will be glad to satisfy your needs.