The Franchise Business Index rose for the fifth straight month in April, driven by improvements in employment and sales in franchise-intensive industries, the International Franchise Association announced.
The IFA maintains the index as a measure of the economic health of the franchising industry. It increased by 0.2 percent in April, to 109.6, up 1.7 percent compared with April 2012. The index is tied to a score of 100 in Jan 2000.
“Franchise business continue to create jobs and demonstrate that the franchise business model remains the best and most proven vehicle to quickly grow and scale a small business,” said IFA President & CEO Steve Caldeira.
“While we are pleased the index grew for the fifth consecutive month, we remain concerned about the overall rate of growth in both new business formation and job creation. We believe comprehensive tax reform that eases the burden on small business owners by lowering the effective tax rate is essential to strong job and wage growth for all Americans.”
Designed to provide timelier tracking of the growing role of franchise businesses in the U.S. economy, the Franchise Business Index was developed by IHS Global Insight on behalf of the IFA Educational Foundation. The FBI combines indicators of growth in the industries where franchising is most prevalent and measures of the general economic environment for franchising.
“Consumer spending has been stronger than expected given the tax increases that were implemented at the beginning of the year,” said IHS Global Insight Senior Economist James Gillula, “but it will be difficult to maintain the recent pace, since households have managed to increase their spending only by sharply reducing the saving rate.”