Entering the US Market from Europe The challenges and differences Before Entering do your homework ERA USA operations The ERA experience The Benefits of being in the US

The Challenges & Differences Strict regulatory framework in the US, a much litigious society = EXPENSIVE The home of franchising, a more sophisticated franchising environment Vast single market as big as all Europe so may need a different structure for the US Prepare to invest from day one in full support US will not accept poor service or non US standard formats Thousands other franchising opportunities so more competition for prospective franchisees which may dictate pricing

Before Entering Do your Homework Do your market research Take advice and appoint experienced franchising, legal, corporate, and tax advisors Decide your entry structure and route to market, e.g. master license, AD, company owned Develop your fee structure Do a detailed business plan developed on your proposed structure Make sure you have ample funding in place Decide where to be based for commercial, geographic, and tax reasons Hire experienced franchise executives and hire the best UFOC, get it right Pilot & test in one region and get it right

ERA USA Operations Started January 2003, now our largest operation Support Office in San Diego, 19 US Staff 24 Area Developers operational 143 Franchisees, now growing at 100 per year More than doubled royalties over last 12 months, 49% over budget

The ERA Experience Success for us = Strong local management & local adaptation Took longer than predicted Higher investment required than we budgeted Our service offering and results are identical to non US markets despite original concern and advice that our results would be inferior We have learnt a great deal from our US management team The economics make it the best place to centralise our global back office functions The opportunity to develop our business outside of the US is enhanced

The Benefits of being in the US Potentially high financial rewards in a vast market Allows you to create a truly global brand recognized everywhere Source of a massive pool of experienced and talented franchise professionals What you learn in the US will be invaluable elsewhere in your business