Country master franchisee
A local operator who has acquired development rights for a franchise concept across an entire country. They are responsible for local adaptation of the concept, recruiting domestic franchisees, training them, and managing the network within their territory.
In practice
Selecting a country master franchisee is the single most consequential decision in international expansion: a poor choice can compromise a decade of brand equity in that country. Key criteria are financial capacity — the master invests their own funds for the first pilot units — market and regulatory knowledge, and management experience to grow a network. Contracts typically specify minimum deployment obligations and termination-for-failure provisions.