IFPG Buys Franchise Business Review to Build Data-Driven Growth Platform

The International Franchise Professionals Group has acquired Franchise Business Review, the independent market research firm that has surveyed tens of thousands of franchise owners since 2005 and ranked brands across a broad range of industries on franchisee satisfaction and performance.

The deal, announced just ahead of the International Franchise Association's annual convention, plugs two decades of proprietary satisfaction data into IFPG's franchise growth platform, which includes a consultant organization with more than 1,500 members nationwide.

"The acquisition advances IFPG's long-term platform strategy by strengthening the analytical infrastructure behind franchise development in an increasingly data-driven and AI-enabled marketplace," the companies said in a joint news release.

FBR will keep operating as a standalone research entity and will maintain its independence, the release said. Within the IFPG family of companies, FBR "enhances IFPG's strategy of building an integrated franchise growth platform uniting development expertise, performance intelligence and industry engagement to support sustainable brand expansion."

The timing reflects how franchising itself is expanding. U.S. franchise growth hit 2.2% in 2024, beating expectations, according to the International Franchise Association. The IFA's 2025 Economic Outlook projected the number of franchise businesses will grow by more than 20,000 units, or 2.5%, to 851,000 total units.

That growth fuels demand for data among franchise consultants — the matchmakers between brands and entrepreneurs — and, increasingly, among boards of directors and capital partners who now use benchmarking to evaluate a franchise system's health, scalability and long-term value creation, the companies noted.

What IFPG gets

"Modern franchise growth is increasingly shaped by structured data and AI-informed decision making," said Matt Otskey, chief operating officer of IFPG. "Benchmarking has become foundational to disciplined development and long-term scalability. By bringing Franchise Business Review into our platform, we are strengthening the foundation of growth for franchisors across the country."

IFPG President Red Boswell framed the deal as a competitive tool. "As franchisors compete for high-quality franchisees, validation and measurable data are becoming essential components of development strategy," he said. "This strategic acquisition enhances the value IFPG delivers to both consultants and franchisors while strengthening the data-driven foundation of the franchise discovery process."

IFPG franchisor members get an immediate benefit: they may opt into an FBR survey product that measures new franchisee satisfaction with a brand's sales, training, onboarding and unit launch processes. Participating franchisors will receive performance comparisons against industry standards, letting their teams pinpoint weaknesses and improve the franchisee experience in real time.

The longer-term plan is more ambitious. IFPG intends to evolve FBR's benchmarking framework into an AI-enhanced performance intelligence layer designed to flag early indicators of onboarding friction, franchisee engagement risk and system-level performance variance before they show up in traditional lagging metrics.

IFPG CEO and founder Don Daszkowski put it bluntly: "The possibilities are truly exciting. We can move from reporting what happened to predicting what's next."

What FBR gets

Eric Stites, CEO of Franchise Business Review, said the acquisition positions his firm to widen its footprint. "Over the past 20 years, our mission has been to elevate transparency and accountability within franchising through independent, data-driven research," Stites said. "Partnering with IFPG positions Franchise Business Review to expand our impact across the industry. Their commitment to professional standards and responsible growth aligns closely with our values, and I am confident this partnership will propel FBR forward as a continued leader in franchise performance benchmarking while contributing to the broader growth platform IFPG is building."

Michelle Rowan will stay on as FBR president, working with Otskey and other IFPG leaders to expand the firm's reach while preserving its research independence and integrity. "FBR's survey methodology and objectivity remain unchanged," she said. "This partnership enhances our ability to deliver meaningful insights to franchisors and prospective franchisees while preserving the trust our clients and franchisees place in our research."

FBR, known for its proprietary survey tools and comparative industry analytics, serves franchise development teams, executives and HR departments with objective performance data. It also hosts the annual FBR Summit, an executive-level event focused on culture, talent strategy and operational excellence.

IFPG, founded in 2012 as a membership-based franchise broker organization, runs the Certified Franchise Consultant training program and has ranked No. 1 in Entrepreneur magazine's Franchise Supplier category for seven consecutive years.

IFPG and FBR leaders will meet with franchisors, executives and investors at the IFA Annual Convention, held Feb. 23-25 in Las Vegas, where they plan to discuss the growing role of performance data in franchise development — the first public test of whether the combined platform can convert two decades of satisfaction surveys into predictive intelligence.