An Emerging Player from Europe

By: Hungarian Franchise Association | 0 Shares 96 Reads

Compared with France's 2000 or Poland's 1300 brands, Hungary seems to lag behind with only 300 concepts. Despite the difference in numbers, Hungary is one of the leading players in the ratio of brands to population, while it might not compare in absolute numbers, the country introduced noteworthy names to the global market.

The education sector is frequently in focus, particularly as state-funded schools struggle to provide the necessary skills for the younger generation. For what they might lack in the classroom, parents often make up for by signing up their kids for afternoon classes. A similar need for extracurricular activities is present in the US too, but in Hungary, it fueled the growth of the franchise sector by introducing noteworthy brands. The basic supplements are present here: math, developmental classes, and English. But the country's biggest success is tied to Logiscool, a coding school for kids. The brand founded in 2014 enjoyed an explosive growth since over 170 schools opened in 35 countries across the globe. For this the franchise was also granted the 2022 gold award for International Brand by the European Franchise Federation.

The curriculum is built around gamified classes, building real games and apps. For the young, this is done through the use of interactive blocks, like puzzle pieces. For teenagers, it means the practical application of real-life programming languages. The goal is not to make programmers out of the kids but to enable them to think logically and prepare them for the future. Since its foundation, Logiscool created its own proprietary education platform and expanded into other courses (eg. video editing). Most recently the Hungarian brand also introduced AI courses based on the same language used by the leading tech companies.

Hungary's appetite for education franchises is also reflected in the international concepts that entered the market. Besides a number of other brands, Edukido a Polish concept based on classes with LEGO also held a presentation in the country this April. While international brands continue to expand in Hungary the local sector doesn't stop producing homegrown concepts either. These franchises like Logiscool in the education category and others from different sectors aim for global growth.

This is not without challenges, Logiscool has to adapt its rigorous curriculum to the local requirements in each country which speaks to their success of having opened in 35 different markets. Other Hungarian concepts have their own unique circumstances, for Cafe Frei (65 locations in 8 countries) it might be whether to introduce baklava as they open a new cafe in Turkey, for Fornetti (6464 locations in 17 countries) it might be the figuring out how to recreate local baked delicacies in a frozen form. Hungary has succeeded in producing well-known brands in a wide range of sectors that managed to penetrate the global playfield, like DIEGO - a center for curtains, wallpapers, floors, and rugs - with 160 locations in 3 countries.

###