FRANdata IDENTIFIES 95 NEW FRANCHISING CONCEPTS IN THE 2ND QUARTER OF 2006

FRANdata, an Arlington, VA.-based Franchise information and research firm, identified 95 new Franchising concepts during the 2nd quarter of 2006. This brings the number of new franchise concepts to 144 so far this year.

The new brands in the 2nd quarter came from 24 different industries, with the most to be found in the real estate (brokers and related services), business consulting, and specialty/gourmet retail food sectors. Previous quarterly reporting had shown the majority of new Franchises in many of the service industries and fast food.

"New concepts can be either new companies using the franchise business model or existing franchise systems who create new brands and programs to appeal to more narrowly defined customer groups." said Darrell Johnson, President, FRANdata. "All this change creates a challenge for franchisors to keep track of their competition and suppliers to know their marketplace."

Of the 95 new franchising concepts identified, 91 represent entirely new companies, 4 were new brands offered by existing franchising companies. Altogether these 95 franchise systems will establish an estimated 5000 franchised units in 2006-2007.

"Franchising is increasingly becoming the growth model of choice for many sectors", said Mr. Johnson. "We expect to see many more new concepts in the quarters to come."

A fact sheet on this quarter's new concepts is available at: www.frandata.com/role/latest.asp

COMPANY BACKGROUND
Founded in 1989, FRANdata is the franchise industry's number one source for objective information and analysis. FRANdata receives no advertising or other fee arrangements that might influence its objectivity. With a library of more than 18,000 Uniform Franchise Offering Circulars (UFOCs), FRANdata supports the research and competitive intelligence functions of franchisors, helps franchisees evaluate different concepts, provides information and analysis for legal and financial organizations, and provides marketing access to franchisors and franchisees.