IFA Launches Quarterly Franchise Profitability Benchmarks

The International Franchise Association launched its Franchise Research and Insights Center on October 6, a members-only hub for performance data and benchmarking. The launch comes with a quarterly profitability report from ProfitKeeper, a CoAd affiliate that aggregates financial data from more than 150 franchise brands.

What the first report shows

ProfitKeeper's Q2 2026 data shows system-wide franchise profit rose 6.6%. Operators with 6 to 15 units posted the strongest margin at 11.9% of sales, and the West North Central region led all regions at 13.1%. The report breaks out labor, cost of goods, and operating expenses by sector.

Why the mid-size number matters

The 6 to 15 unit result suggests a sweet spot: enough scale to spread management and purchasing costs, but not yet the overhead of a regional organization. Multi-unit operators planning their next acquisitions can use that band to test whether growth will add margin or dilute it.

A data gap the industry has avoided

Franchisors see top-line sales through POS systems, yet few can see franchisee profit. Partners FranConnect, FRANdata, and Franchise Business Review will add their own reports in the coming months, all searchable in one place. That shared baseline could shift validation calls and FDD Item 19 debates toward profit, not just revenue.

The catch

Access is limited to IFA franchisor and franchisee members, and the data reflects brands already using ProfitKeeper. Operators should treat the benchmarks as directional and compare them against their own P&Ls before drawing conclusions. Franchisors that do not yet collect franchisee financials now have a clear reason to start.