This year be proved to be fruitful for many industries with growth across the market. However, one industry that wasn't as successful was franchise businesses. Nick Powills, Editor in Chief of 1851franchise.com, joins Cheddar to break down 2017 and look ahead to see what is in store for franchises in 2018.
Powills explains that when the markets are doing well fewer people tend to get into franchises. This is because there is job and market stability and fewer individuals looking for alternative jobs and revenue.
For franchises, the health and wellness businesses did well this year as well as education. For next year, Powills expects the markets to continue to rise. This means franchisees need to focus on their core businesses and traffic. Powills does not anticipate a boom in individual branch growth.
Burger King is closing two dozens locations in the Detroit area and laying off 424 employees as it plans to permanently cease operations in Michigan. The Texas-based burger chain blamed "unforeseen business circumstances." The closures started on March 17 and are expected to be finished by April 15.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is slated to lead off opening statements expected for Tuesday in his state's lawsuit against Juul Labs – marking the first time any of the thousands of cases against the e-cigarette maker over its alleged marketing to young people is going to play out in a courtroom.
Neuralink, Elon Musk's brain implant venture, is reaching out to major U.S. neurosurgery centers to potentially begin testing its devices on humans, according to a Reuters report.
