2010 Franchise Business Outlook Is Fairly Upbeat; The Franchise Industry Needs Loans!

The International Franchise Association just released (with the help of PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP) their study of the economic outlook for our industry in 2010.

Bottom Line;

A few $Billion in small business loans will help!

Now, what follows is a projection. No one has a crystal ball.

From franchise.org

The U.S. economy is expected to experience
slow growth in 2010 as the nation begins to recover from the recession.
The Franchise Business Economic Outlook for 2010’s macro view of the
economy anticipates nominal gross domestic product (GDP) to grow 3.8
percent, while economy wide employment is projected to increase 0.4
percent in 2010,” said Drew Lyon, principal in PwC's National Economics
& Statistics practice….

“Our forecast is for output of all franchise business sectors to expand modestly in 2010 as the recovery takes hold.”

Here are some other highlights;

• The lending analysis report prepared for the
  IFA Educational Foundation by FRANdata and released Dec. 2 estimates
  that banks are expected to lend $6.7 billion to franchises in 2010
  versus the $10.1 billion that would meet 100 percent of demand. The
  shortfall can be attributed to banks’ conservative approach to a weak
  economic outlook and uncertainty in the commercial real estate market.
  At 100 percent lending, franchise business could create or maintain
  305,000 jobs and $32 billion of annual economic output in 2010.

• Employment is forecast to decline in Lodging
  (-2.4 percent) and Commercial and Residential Services( -0.9 percent)
  and increase in the other eight sectors, with the largest percentage
  increases expected in Real Estate (1.3 percent), Quick Service
  Restaurants (0.8 percent), Retail Food (0.7 percent) and Personal
  Services (0.7 percent).

You are more than welcome to read the entire report. Here

Do you think it will be a better year for franchising?