Buy a Franchise
SPONSORED
1851 Franchising Weekly Rewind
Check out the hottest franchising headlines from the past week.

Buy a Franchise
SPONSORED
Check out the hottest franchising headlines from the past week.

Landmark ‘Joint Employer’ Hearing Begins
Hearings began this week in the landmark case against McDonald’s USA LLC to determine if operators can be considered a “joint employer” and the company can be held liable for franchisees’ employment practices. The first one-day hearing was in New York, and there are several more planned over the following months to hear the accusations of wage violations and unfair working conditions. This legislation could potentially change the franchise industry.
(From CNBC)
Quiznos is Expanding into China
Quiznos has announced a 1,500-unit deal in China to open over the next 15 years. This could be the largest development deal in franchising history. The deal is with Parkson Retail Group of China, the retail arm of Malaysian-based The Lion Group. Quiznos is seen as a fit in the market with the country's acceptance of Western food. The Lion Group will open three units in Shanghai this year, then 100 units in 2016.
(From QSR Magazine)
McDonald’s Raises Wages for Workers
McDonald’s Corp. announced it plans to raise wages by more than 10 percent for employees at their roughly 1,500 corporate owned locations. Beginning July 1, McDonald’s will pay at least $1 an hour more than the local minimum wage. However, this wage increase does not include franchise locations.
(From The Wall Street Journal)
Jamba Juice to Refranchise 100 Units
Jamba Inc. has inked an agreement to sell 100 existing company-owned locations in California to an existing franchisee for $36 million. Vitaligent LLC, a St. Louis-based franchise group, will own 105 units after the deal in the San Francisco, San Diego and Sacramento markets.
(From Nation’s Restaurant News)
Potential Franchisees
May Be Missing Opportunities on Google
If your franchise website is not mobile-friendly, you could be losing out on more prospects with the new Google Algorithm update. Earlier this year, Google announced it would be expanding mobile-friendly factors as ranking signals in its mobile search algorithm. The 2015 Annual Franchise Development Report found the percentage of people who research franchise opportunities on their smartphones doubled to 42 percent in 2014.
(From Entrepreneur)
Sign up for the 1851 Franchise newsletter to get our biggest stories before everyone else
By signing up, you agree to our user agreement (including class action waiver and arbitration provisions), and acknowledge our privacy policy.

About the Author
Nick Powills, CFE, founded No Limit Agency in 2008 and serves as Chief Brand Strategist for the Chicago-based firm. No Limit is a full-service communications agency that establishes and elevates brands by bridging Public Relations, Social Media, Marketing, Advertising, Digital, and a lot of creativity, to best strategize well-rounded and successful campaigns for 50+ global franchise brands. By presenting visionary ideas and building real relationships, No Limit is able to create effective media branding strategies to help companies grow. Nick currently leads a staff of writers, media strategists, designers, social media experts and digital producers in an office think-tank where brands are humanized for strong, compelling media stories. Prior to starting No Limit at the age of 27, Nick spent four years working at a franchise PR agency where he mastered the art of building rapport with media outlets and creating newsworthy pitches for earned media placements. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism from Drake University in Iowa.