Franchise marketing for non-food retail needs to bring a customer who is researching online to the shop in their neighbourhood. We make every shop in your franchise brand findable for products, brands and services, and link online search behaviour to shop visits. According to the NFV, non-food retail has 180 franchise brands with 7,713 locations.
Bron: NFV 2025
How big is franchising in non-food retail?
According to the NFV franchise statistics (reference year 2025), non-food retail has 180 franchise brands with a combined 7,713 locations. That is 22.1% of all franchise locations in the Netherlands, with an average of around 43 locations per franchise brand. Think of bicycle shops, opticians, home furnishings, clothing, electronics and DIY stores. Every location is its own local marketing channel: a profile, reviews, a page and local customers.
| Characteristic | Non-food retail | Entire franchise sector |
|---|---|---|
| Franchise brands | 180 | 936 |
| Locations | 7,713 | 34,937 |
| People employed | 77,000 | 438,800 |
| Turnover (excl. VAT) | €13.5bn | €50.5bn |
| Average number of locations per franchise brand | 43 | 37 |
How does a non-food retail customer search for a location?
In non-food, customers research for longer. They compare online, read reviews and then often want to see the product, try it on or have it explained. The search shifts from general ("buy e-bike") to local ("e-bike test ride Amersfoort", "optician eye test Saturday"). At that local moment your shop needs to be there, with stock information, services and an easy way to book an appointment.
In non-food, services are often the reason to visit the shop: repairs, fitting, advice, eye tests. Those services need to be stated literally in the profile and on the location page, otherwise Google or an AI assistant cannot connect your shop to them.
What marketing challenges do non-food retail brands face?
These are the bottlenecks we come across most often at franchise brands in this sector. They can be fixed, but they take time and specialist knowledge that a head office marketing team rarely has.
| Challenge | Consequence if you do nothing |
|---|---|
| Competition from online shops | The customer buys online if the shop is not visible |
| Services not listed | The shop does not appear for 'repair' or 'advice' |
| Brands and product range differ per shop | Wrong expectations and poor reviews |
| Seasonal peaks | Visible too late with seasonal promotions |
Which channels work best for non-food retail franchise brands?
The order below is our starting point for this sector. In the scan, we test it against the figures for your locations.
| Channel | Priority | Use per location |
|---|---|---|
| Google Business Profile with products and services | Very high | Services, products, appointments |
| Location pages | High | Product range, brands and services per shop |
| Local Google Ads | High | Season, test rides, promotional days |
| Social media | Medium | New collection, demos, events |
| Medium | Maintenance reminders and customer days |
No time or expertise in-house? Leave your franchise marketing to us.
How do we approach local visibility in non-food retail?
We set up every profile with the services of that shop and its main product groups. The location page lists the product range, brands and services that are genuinely available in that shop. That way you avoid disappointed customers and make the shop findable for specific searches.
For seasonal peaks such as the cycling season, the summer sales or the holidays, we prepare local campaigns and posts a few weeks ahead, so every shop is visible in time.
Which figures do we measure for a non-food retail franchise brand?
In addition to the standard KPIs from the monthly report, in this sector we also look at the following figures, per location and for the franchise brand.
| KPI | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Clicks for directions and appointments per shop | Online searches that lead to visits |
| Visibility for service search terms | Repair, advice, fitting |
| Cost per shop visit from Ads | Return on local campaigns |
| Review rating per shop | Trust when comparing |
| Benefit | Explanation |
|---|---|
| All locations equally in order | One standard for profiles, pages and reviews |
| Time back for your team | Local delivery is in our hands |
| Comparable figures | Strong and weak locations become visible |
Which non-food retail sectors do we have an approach for?
Within non-food retail we work out the approach per sector, with its own search behaviour, bottlenecks, rules and KPIs. Choose your sector:
- marketing for garage brands
- franchise marketing for print and copy shops
- franchise marketing for kitchen showrooms
- marketing for tyre service chains
- franchise marketing for car body repair
- franchise marketing for car hire
- marketing for bicycle shop chains
- franchise marketing for clothing shops
- franchise marketing for jewellers
- marketing for telecom shop chains
- franchise marketing for furniture and home stores
- franchise marketing for flooring shops
- marketing for garden centre chains
- franchise marketing for bathroom showrooms
- franchise marketing for sun protection
- marketing for shoe shop chains
- franchise marketing for chemists
- franchise marketing for perfumeries
- marketing for electronics chains
- franchise marketing for bookshops
- franchise marketing for DIY stores
- marketing for pet shop chains
- franchise marketing for toy shops
- franchise marketing for sports shops
- marketing for wholesale chains
What does franchise marketing deliver per location in non-food retail?
The NFV figures allow for a simple worked example. On average, a non-food retail location turns over around €1.75 million per year. The Growth package costs €3,000 per location per year. The break-even point therefore lies at turnover growth of a fraction of a percent. Whether that is achievable is shown by the scan of three locations.
Our permanent team does the work: Gijs Bodenstaff as your point of contact, Angela for analysis and content, Elisabeth for local Google Ads, Peter for local authority and ten trained freelancers for profiles and reviews per location. You can read more on who is behind this agency.
More about franchise marketing for non-food retail
The foundation for every non-food retail franchise brand is location visibility in Maps, supplemented by review management for chains. After that come paid search campaigns per location or social advertising for chains, depending on your customer journey. Also compare the approach in other sectors: franchise marketing for food retail and franchise marketing for service businesses. You will find all sectors listed in the sector overview, and the prices per location at prices per location per month.
Frequently asked questions about marketing in non-food retail
How does a shop compete with online stores?
Can you show stock per shop?
How do you handle seasonal promotions for all shops?
Does Google Ads work for small shops in villages?
From how many locations do you help a non-food retail franchise brand?
Why should services such as repairs or eye tests appear in a shop's profile?
How big is franchising in non-food retail in the Netherlands?
Which marketing channels work best for a non-food retail franchise?
Which KPIs do you measure for a non-food retail chain?
How do you prevent bad reviews when the range differs per non-food shop?
Sources
Gijs Bodenstaff
Franchise marketer, local SEO and GEO specialist, author
Curious how your non-food retail locations are doing? Request the free scan of three locations.