Entrepreneur Franchise 500 is an annual ranking of the best small business franchise opportunities for individual entrepreneurs and potential investors.
Here are the top 10:
Subway
McDonald's
Liberty Tax Service
Sonic Drive-In Restaurants
InterContinental Hotels Group
Ace Hardware Corp.
Pizza Hut
UPS Store, The/Mail Boxes Etc.
Circle K
Papa John's Int'l. Inc
Ace Hardware climbs to the sixth slot on the list.
Ace is the only home improvement retailer in the top 50 on the 2009 list, published online and in the January 2009 issue of the magazine. The company moved from 18th in 2007 to 12th in 2008 and is now nearing the top five.
According to the magazine, all companies are judged on quantifiable measures of its franchise operations. Researchers consider, among other criteria, the financial strength and stability of companies, along with their growth rate, years in business, start-up costs and opportunity for company-backed financing.
With 4,600 hardware, home center and building materials stores that generate annual retail sales of more than $12 billion, Ace is the largest retailer-owned hardware cooperative in the industry. Headquartered in Oak Brook, Ill., Ace currently operates 14 distribution centers in the U.S. and one in Shanghai, China, and its retailers' stores are located in all 50 states and 60 countries.
