A franchise is a way of structuring a business. Generally, it involves the owner of a business (known as the franchisor) licensing to a third party (known as the franchisee) the right to operate a business or distribute goods and/or services using the franchisor's business name and systems (which varies depending on the franchisor) for an agreed period of time, in return for a fee. 

The franchise fee may be an upfront payment by the franchisee to the franchisor, an ongoing fee (e.g. an agreed percentage of revenue or profit) or a combination of the two. Franchising is an alternative to the franchisor building a chain of stores.

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