The word ‘franchise’ comes from an ancient French term ‘francis’ meaning privilege or freedom and can be traced back to the 13th century. Back then, a franchise was a right granted by the sovereign lord, which allowed a person to conduct a range of commercial activities, from running a market to building a road.

The first franchise in Australia, under the 'royal privilege' system, is believed to have been granted by Governor Macquarie in 1809. It was issued to import 45,000 gallons of rum over 3 years in return for building the Sydney Hospital (still referred to as the 'rum hospital'). Today, the government still collects fees levied by the state government for the right to sell alcohol, tobacco and petroleum.

Franchising Today

Modern franchising originated in the USA in the 1950's with the emergence of fast food chains like McDonald's, Pizza Hut and Kentucky Fried Chicken.

A variety of economic, demographic and social factors influenced the growth of both the service sector and franchising between 1976 and 1986.

• The ageing of the baby boom generation.
• The surge of women entering the workforce.
• The growing number of active retirees.
• The emergence of two-income families.

All of these helped create huge demand for services ranging from day care and house cleaning to fast food and drive-through auto maintenance. Businesses also created new demand for services, seeking to cut operating costs by contracting for everything from janitorial services to personnel and accounting services.

Changing attitudes regarding convenience and product quality, emerging technologies, mass advertising and other factors further encouraged development of a wide variety of service-orientated business opportunities.

Prompted by these influences, the pace of franchising activities has accelerated since the mid 1980's to where the franchise industry is considered one of the secure powerhouses of the Australian economy.

What does it take?

What does it mean to become a Blue Wheelers Franchisee? It means you are an extremely passionate, totally-devoted, dog lover who wants to work for themselves and run a successful business.

Being a Blue Wheelers franchisee is all about joining an established and renowned brand; dedicating your time to loving dogs, building a relationship with your regular customers and following the four principles of our highly successful brand.