Run every outlet to one standard, with sales, stock and royalties reported to head office.

A multi-location business sells the same offer from many doors. A restaurant brand repeats a menu, a recipe card, a supplier list and a set of opening and closing routines that every kitchen is expected to follow. A gym chain repeats a membership plan and a class timetable. A salon group repeats a service list and a price list. Bakeries repeat a counter range. The shop floor differs. The structure underneath is the same, because a head office sets the format and every outlet then runs it day after day.

Each outlet keeps its own day book. It records sales, stock received, staff on shift, members or customers served and cash banked. Head office needs those same figures side by side. Head office also needs the agreement that governs each site. Terms can differ from one owner to the next. It may be a royalty on sales, a flat fee, a transfer price on goods or a revenue share with a landlord.

Owners and brands do not always see the same data. That is by design. A franchisee should see its own customers and takings, and nothing belonging to a neighbour in the same network. The franchisor should see sales, audit scores and fees across the network. A car service centre in one town and a coaching centre in another face this split in much the same way, and each needs its own rules.