Exit Strategies

Over the past 25 years, franchising has continued to develop and become more sophisticated. The reins of the franchisor have passed from the pioneering founders to established management teams with significant industry experience. Today, many of these companies are publicly traded or majority-owned by institutional equity investors.

Franchisees, too, have grown in size and scope. Many now have a national or super-regional reach, having transitioned from small-scale, mom-and-pop operations to larger, professional, institutionalized operations. As the nature of today's larger franchise companies requires more complex capital structures, various forms of capital alternatives continue to evolve for franchised companies seeking to change ownership or fund growth initiatives...

As we work our way out of the current recession, we are already starting to see early signs of life in the merger and acquisition market.

2010 is evolving into the year of the transition buyers and sellers have been looking for. The significant unit contraction retail establishments have experienced in the current recession is causing companies to act more prudently when thinking about their growth strategies. Many brands have recognized the limitations of new-unit expansion and the inherent risks that accompany greenfield growth. Companies that have been on the sidelines with their growth plans are now starting to reemerge with a revised strategy for growth focused on acquisition and conversion, and enhanced availability to capital to fund growth...

Historically, franchising has accepted EBITDA as the benchmark for establishing valuation. However, as seen over the past several years, valuations can vary widely across franchisors, franchisees, and company-owned concepts.

Franchising has seen transaction multiples ranging from the low single digits up to lofty double digits. So what is the justification for this wide range in transaction multiples? What makes a buyer willing to pay 8x for one deal, but only 4x for another?

In franchising, EBITDA multiples vary for several key reasons. This article explores the effects of capital expenditures (CAPEX) on franchise company valuations, and how CAPEX factors into the ultimate value a franchise owner receives in a transaction...