Ireland - FranchisingIreland - Franchising
Opportunities exist for U.S. companies to establish franchise systems in Ireland across niche sectors. U.S. franchises compete for market share by country of origin primarily with Ireland and the U.K.
U.S. businesses looking to franchise within the European Union will likely find that the market is quite robust and friendly to franchise systems in general. There are a number of laws that govern the operation of franchises within the EU, but these laws are fairly broad and generally don’t constrain the competitive position of U.S. businesses. The EU Regulation 4087/88 EEC regarding franchising provides a unified code for all the member states. Its primary focus concerns price fixing, transfer pricing, non-competition clauses, and exclusive dealing. It also exempts certain franchise agreements from the EU anti-trust regulations.
The franchisors should take care to look not only at EU regulations, but also at the local laws concerning franchising. More information on specific legislation can be found on the website of the European Franchise Federation.