Spanish Franchise Association Rebrands To Give Franchisees a Greater Voice

The Spanish Franchise Association (Asociación Española de Franquiciadores, or AEF) has changed its name from the Spanish Association of Franchisors (Asociación Española de la Franquicia). It also has modified its statutes, with a clear objective: to accommodate the other fundamental part of franchising—franchisees—whose voice, along with that of franchisors, can already be heard at the AEF.

Article 18 of the AEF statutes, the requirements for the entry of franchisees now reads: “To be a franchisee member of the Association, the candidate must be a franchisee of a franchisor that, in turn, is a member of the Association.” In addition, “The franchisee member must at all times be aware of their obligations with respect to the franchisor and comply with the guiding principles of the Association.”

The statutes include the rights and duties of the associates, who, in the case of franchisees, “will have the right to attend the General Assembly, with a voice but no vote, as well as to elect their representatives in the Steering Committee of the Association.”

In the words of Luisa Masuet, President of the AEF: “It was necessary to integrate the voice of the franchisees since they are an essential part of this trading system. Without them, the existence of this business formula would not be possible. Without a doubt, their points of view and their experiences will be heard and taken into account in the Association.”

Eduardo Abadía, Executive Director of the AEF, said: “We have taken a very important step for the franchise system in general by integrating franchisees into the Association in order to be able to hear their voice. This has forced us to change our name and our statutes, but now we can say that we represent the entire Spanish franchise.”

In 2022, the AEF celebrated the XXXth Annual General Assembly of the AEF, which took place in a hybrid face-to-face and virtual format. The election of Luisa Masuet as the new president was approved by a majority. The new Board of Directors and the brands and organization they represent are:

McDonald’s — Luisa Masuet, President

DIA — Manoli Peña, Vice President

MBE Mail Boxes Etc. — Gorka Uranga, Secretary

Asociación Catalana De Franquiciadores (ACF) — Xavier Vallhonrat, Member

Carlin — Lydia Estremera, Member

Century 21 — Ricardo Sousa, Member

Grupo Alsea — Iván Martin, Member

Midas — Vicente Pascual, member

Elefante Azul — Marcos Moure, Member

d-uñas — Mery Oaknin, Member

Alain Afflelou — Eva Ivars, Member

Fieldfisher — Jordi Ruiz de Villa, Lawyer

The AEF staff now consists of:

Eduardo Abadía, Executive Director

Eva López, Assistant and Administration

Juan Carlos Martín, Press