Discusses opportunities for U.S. franchisers and legal requirements in the market.
Last Published: 5/29/2019

The Finnish franchising market is estimated to be worth over $6 billion, with 250 to 300 franchising systems operating close to 7,000 units around the country. The franchise sector employs between 40,000 to 60,000 people. As of 2018, 75 percent of franchises in Finland were domestic and 25 percent were foreign. Franchising opportunities exist in all market sectors (retail, restaurant, and services), and, of new chains in 2018, 55 percent were in services, 22 percent in retail and 23 percent in restaurants. In 2018 the annual growth rate in terms of revenue was 6.4 percent and in 2019 is expected to be 7.4 percent, with the biggest growth in the B2B (15.3 percent) and restaurant (9.3 percent) sectors. U.S. franchise companies in Finland are mostly fast food restaurants and automotive service businesses. U.S. franchises tend to have high brand recognition among consumers.

There is no special legislation covering franchising. The most important of the statutory regulations are the Contracts Act, the Unfair Business Practices Act, the Trademarks Act, and the Competition Restrictions Act. The Finnish Franchising Association’s Code of Ethics (updated as of January 1, 2017) also sets a good framework for franchise agreements.

Event: Franchise News Day, Helsinki, 24 September 2019.

Prepared by our U.S. Embassies abroad. With its network of 108 offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. Locate the U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist in the U.S. nearest you by visiting http://export.gov/usoffices.


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Finland Franchising Business Management