Oct 8, 2026
BuyBrand 2026 Showcases the Most Promising Franchises
Over three days, the show brought together 4,570 entrepreneurs and over 100 exhibiting companies across the HoReCa, services, retail, manufacturing and B2B sectors.
The BuyBrand 2026 international franchise exhibition has successfully concluded, cementing its status as the key event in the franchising industry. Over three days, the show brought together 4,570 current and aspiring entrepreneurs, investors and senior executives, more than 90 speakers as part of the business programme, and over 100 exhibiting companies across the HoReCa, services, retail, manufacturing and B2B sectors.
A landmark moment of the exhibition was the unveiling of the new annual BuyBrand franchise ranking and the award ceremony for its winners. The ranking has traditionally served as a benchmark for entrepreneurs choosing where to invest, and it sets the standard of quality for the market.
The expo covered the full spectrum of investment opportunities: franchise prices on display ranged from 0.6 million to over 300 million rubles. To help visitors navigate the floor, exhibitor stands were labelled by the investment required to launch a business.
The food service segment featured franchises from MYBOX, KOALA, Danjiro — a newcomer to the market, Mama Roma, the Pizza Heart chain, which replaced Pizza Hut in Russia, Secret Kitchen, Belarusian chain Varochnaya, ZOTMAN PIZZA, the SUBJOY brand, which took over Subway's market position, Rybnaya Manufaktura, the Zdraste coffeehouse chain, and more.
The services segment was equally well represented: car service networks Fit Service, Akvarel, Avtopilot and 150bar; rental services Bibibike and Krugomebel; educational projects Bambika-Club, Robbo, Altairika and IThub; entertainment networks COLIZEUM and PlushPals; and Chio Chio barbershops.
Franchises in the retail segment were presented by modi, Aikraft, Pyaterochka, One Price, Vokrug Slukha and other well-known brands.
Particular attention was drawn to the international section, which featured four franchises from Saudi Arabia: Berovan, Burgerizzr, Hashi Basha and Namq, all in the food service segment. Saudi Arabia took part in the exhibition for the second time — but with such a delegation for the very first time. The participation was organised by the Saudi National Franchise Committee and Safa International, the first Saudi consulting company that, with the support of the National Franchise Committee, helps Saudi brands expand their networks worldwide through franchising.
The forum BuyBrand 2026 was the key content-driven highlight of the event, bringing together more than 110 speakers across three themed halls. In the Business Hall, discussions focused on tax risks of franchising and the commercial concession agreement, criteria and approaches to choosing a franchise, differences between growth strategies for chains with and without corporate outlets, network management trends and other topics. In the By Its Own Rules Hall, founders of franchise companies shared first-hand experience of building a business and their tools for operating in times of uncertainty. The forum programme also featured the two-day intensive School of Franchisors, designed for companies planning to launch or strengthen a franchise.
"In economically challenging times, people prefer to take fewer risks. Franchising is precisely the model that involves less risk for an entrepreneur, because you are getting a proven model. The key thing here is to make the right choice," said Ekaterina Soyak, founder of the BuyBrand and VerSous exhibitions and CEO of EMTG.
According to her estimates, around 3,500 companies in the market today identify themselves as franchisors, yet only some 300–400 are actually operating franchise businesses. Over the past year, about 20% of market players have left for various reasons — figures that clearly demonstrate how critical a resilient business model is in the current environment.
"BuyBrand opens new horizons for scaling a business. It sets the trends in franchise development across retail, services and food service, and gives a powerful boost to entrepreneurial initiative," Ekaterina Soyak emphasised.
Next exhibition will take place in the midst of September 2027. See you!
A landmark moment of the exhibition was the unveiling of the new annual BuyBrand franchise ranking and the award ceremony for its winners. The ranking has traditionally served as a benchmark for entrepreneurs choosing where to invest, and it sets the standard of quality for the market.
The expo covered the full spectrum of investment opportunities: franchise prices on display ranged from 0.6 million to over 300 million rubles. To help visitors navigate the floor, exhibitor stands were labelled by the investment required to launch a business.
The food service segment featured franchises from MYBOX, KOALA, Danjiro — a newcomer to the market, Mama Roma, the Pizza Heart chain, which replaced Pizza Hut in Russia, Secret Kitchen, Belarusian chain Varochnaya, ZOTMAN PIZZA, the SUBJOY brand, which took over Subway's market position, Rybnaya Manufaktura, the Zdraste coffeehouse chain, and more.
The services segment was equally well represented: car service networks Fit Service, Akvarel, Avtopilot and 150bar; rental services Bibibike and Krugomebel; educational projects Bambika-Club, Robbo, Altairika and IThub; entertainment networks COLIZEUM and PlushPals; and Chio Chio barbershops.
Franchises in the retail segment were presented by modi, Aikraft, Pyaterochka, One Price, Vokrug Slukha and other well-known brands.
Particular attention was drawn to the international section, which featured four franchises from Saudi Arabia: Berovan, Burgerizzr, Hashi Basha and Namq, all in the food service segment. Saudi Arabia took part in the exhibition for the second time — but with such a delegation for the very first time. The participation was organised by the Saudi National Franchise Committee and Safa International, the first Saudi consulting company that, with the support of the National Franchise Committee, helps Saudi brands expand their networks worldwide through franchising.
The forum BuyBrand 2026 was the key content-driven highlight of the event, bringing together more than 110 speakers across three themed halls. In the Business Hall, discussions focused on tax risks of franchising and the commercial concession agreement, criteria and approaches to choosing a franchise, differences between growth strategies for chains with and without corporate outlets, network management trends and other topics. In the By Its Own Rules Hall, founders of franchise companies shared first-hand experience of building a business and their tools for operating in times of uncertainty. The forum programme also featured the two-day intensive School of Franchisors, designed for companies planning to launch or strengthen a franchise.
"In economically challenging times, people prefer to take fewer risks. Franchising is precisely the model that involves less risk for an entrepreneur, because you are getting a proven model. The key thing here is to make the right choice," said Ekaterina Soyak, founder of the BuyBrand and VerSous exhibitions and CEO of EMTG.
According to her estimates, around 3,500 companies in the market today identify themselves as franchisors, yet only some 300–400 are actually operating franchise businesses. Over the past year, about 20% of market players have left for various reasons — figures that clearly demonstrate how critical a resilient business model is in the current environment.
"BuyBrand opens new horizons for scaling a business. It sets the trends in franchise development across retail, services and food service, and gives a powerful boost to entrepreneurial initiative," Ekaterina Soyak emphasised.
Next exhibition will take place in the midst of September 2027. See you!
