AllBusiness.com Announces Second Annual AllStar Franchise Rankings

AllBusiness.com, Inc. (www.allbusiness.com), a leading online resource for businesses, today revealed the second annual “AllBusiness AllStar Franchise List” (www.allbusiness.com/allstar-franchises) that ranks the top 300 franchises for 2010.

Past recessions often caused a boom in franchising, as the unemployed tapped into their entrepreneurial spirit and started new businesses. This recession, however, marked by drastic reductions in credit and capital, is completely reshaping the franchise industry. The total number of franchises for 2009 is expected to decline by 10,000, or 1.2 percent, and more than 60 franchises dropped off the AllStar list.

Those franchises ranking high on the 2010 AllBusiness AllStars list have responded to the credit crunch by finding new sources of capital and have spurred growth by expanding overseas. Winners include: Subway ® (#1), McDonald’s ® (#11) and Pizza Hut ® (#24).

As a result of decreased consumer spending, franchises offering needed products and services at significantly lower costs heavily populated the top 100. Businesses such as Liberty Tax Service ® (#2), Jazzercise ® (#3), Great Clips ® (#20), and Home Helpers ® (#32), have seen an upswing in business due to the increased need for low-cost options for non-discretionary products and services.

Similar to last year, food services, particularly sandwich shops, fared well as consumers continue to search for low-cost, healthy options:

• Subway ® (#1)
• Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwich Shops ® (#4)
• Jersey Mike’s Subs ® (#31)
• Firehouse Subs (#39)

“The recession has forced the franchising industry into a modern day ‘natural selection’ where the weakest appear to be weeding themselves out,” said Rieva Lesonsky, Editor-at-Large and Franchise Adviser for AllBusiness.com. “By streamlining operations and offering the right products at the right time, businesses like Subway and Buffalo Wild Wings Grill and Bar are thriving despite the economic crunch and will emerge even stronger in 2010.”

A deeper look into the list reveals another significant trend; women-run franchises are heavily represented in the top 25 spots, including:

• Jazzercize ® (#3)
• Jack in the Box ® (#5)
• Servpro ® (#9)
• Buffalo Wild Wings ® (#15)
• Bonus Building Care ® (#25)

The list also reflects the increasing need for senior care franchises as the boomer population ages. The category continues to place prominently in the top 100:

• Home Helpers ® (#32)
• Home Instead Senior Care ® (#48)
• Comfort Keepers ® (#61)
• Senior Helpers ® (#63)

About The AllBusiness AllStar Franchise List

The AllBusiness AllStar Franchise List remains the only interactive franchise ranking that allows visitors to sort companies by the features that matter most to them, thereby creating their own personal ranking. It is also the only one of its kind to incorporate financial strength criteria using credit and financial stress information from parent company Dun & Bradstreet, the world’s leading source of commercial information and insight on businesses.

The AllBusiness editors took into account a number of other key business indicators when compiling the ranking, including:

• Web Visibility (a quantitative measure of brand awareness on the Web utilizing Google and Alexa ranking data)
• Growth Trajectory (how fast new franchises are being added)
• Business Longevity (how long each company has been in business and franchising)
• System Size (total number of franchises and company-owned units)

Other categories featured prominently in the AllStar list include fastest-growing, children-related, home-based and veteran-friendly businesses. The complete AllBusiness Franchise Center, which includes the full Franchise Directory, the new AllStar rankings, and thousands of valuable how-to articles, can be found at www.allbusiness.com/franchises.

About AllBusiness.com, Inc.

AllBusiness.com, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dun & Bradstreet, Inc., is a leading online resource for businesses. The company operates one of the Web's premier business sites, providing practical information and services for business professionals and growing businesses. The site includes how-to articles and videos, business forms, contracts and agreements, expert advice, blogs, business news, directory listings, business guides and more. In addition to its flagship Web site, the company's content can be accessed by its content syndication program, RSS feeds and e-mail newsletters. (www.allbusiness.com)