FT Top 200

The good: The list is true to its word. It gives you the biggest 200 franchise systems by the collective sales of corporate and franchised store sales. Think biggest franchise networks like #1 ranked McDonald's. Established.

The bad: So what? Being a franchise unit in the biggest system by sales does not necessarily mean that its franchise owners have strong profits.

The bottom line: This is not a list of best performing franchise units to buy but rather a list of established franchisors. It is an honest list that delivers what it tells you it will deliver - the biggest franchisors by worldwide sales. We like that transparency.

This list is compiled by Frandata, a franchise research firm that provides its research findings to the IFA, the Wall Street Journal and Franchise Times.

These are top franchise networks ranked by worldwide system sales. When a franchise unit makes a sell, that goes into the collective figure of revenues for all units, corporate or franchised - worldwide system sales.

• Franchise Times' Top 200 Franchisors for 2008

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