Berlitz USA Franchise
Berlitz is widely acclaimed as one of the global leaders in language education services and has for over 135 years offered these services through a variety of business channels. The Berlitz education method was developed by Maximilian Berlitz who was a German immigrant to the United States in 1870.
His method of grammar translation was quickly recognized as an efficient and effective way to teach language as his first jobs in the U.S. were tutors and small teaching positions. Eventually, he took over as Dean for Warner Polytechnic and was forced to develop the Berlitz Method which used an interactive process of discovery to educate students in the language.
The company was founded in 1878 and has since set the standard for language education, and by 1900 the Berlitz education franchise had 8 schools across the United States.
As the 1900s began, the organization expanded quickly through franchising and sold the education franchise to new investors across the United States. By 1914, there were over 200 tutoring franchises in place and the brand was quickly gaining global appeal. New education franchises were opened in Latin and South America and Mexico through master franchise expansion.
By 1966, the schooling franchise had reached Asia and Japan with new franchises opening in key markets around the region. In 1988, the Berlitz franchise was acquired and taken public, and continued to develop new technologies, processes, and schools to deliver innovative language tutoring processes to more children and families.
In 2014, Berlitz hired FMS to develop the franchise model and support the growth of the education franchise further both in the United States and abroad. The new franchise model would incorporate modern design, new technology, and a completely renovated look to appeal to the modern franchise investor.
FMS’ team of franchise consultants worked with Berlitz’s management to go through prototype design, build franchise business plans and conduct market research to understand how best to approach the education franchise market. Although Berlitz is a well-known brand, the franchise market was generally unaware of the industry giant.
Through solid planning and messaging, the brand could be leveraged, and brilliant company history could be leveraged to gain traction for the education franchise quickly.
FMS worked with Berlitz’s franchise attorney to develop the FDD and a franchise state registration process that would follow the marketing and sales plan for new franchise growth. Franchise marketing materials and collateral were developed then to appropriate market and sell the tutoring franchise to qualified investors. Multi-unit, Individual owner operator, and master franchisees were all targets of the franchise development model.
Today, the Berlitz franchise boasts over 570 locations worldwide and is absolutely the global leader in language learning. The franchise model again proved to be widely successful for the Berlitz brand and supported the growth and development of new markets through independent franchise ownership.
The Berlitz franchise structure is a perfect example of how franchising can combine the power of leveraged systems and branding with entrepreneurial energy and passion for the business.
For more information on how to franchise an education services business, Contact Us.
- How does the Stark Law work in Franchise Business Models: Legal Considerations and Compliance - January 25, 2024
- Jollibee Franchise: A Flavorful Journey Through History - January 25, 2024
- How Franchisors Tackle Daily Challenges in Business Management - January 23, 2024