The Business Franchise Contract as a Distribution Marketing System: Free Competition and Consumer's Protection

The franchise contract was first practiced in the USA at the end of the nineteenth century when the first network of franchising was organized by Singer, the sewing machines company, for the distribution of its products. Subsequently, franchising was spread to many other types of business: cars, hotels, gas stations, etc.In Europe, the rate of development of franchising was guarded at first; but since the Eighties the European enterprises began showing an increasing interest in the development of this type of contract.In Greece, franchising has been used for a number of years but it began developing rapidly only since 1993.