Smarter Growth: How Franchise Brands are Streamlining Expansion with Leaner Teams and Stronger Partners

With talent stretched and portfolios in flux, franchise leaders are rethinking how they scale, and who they partner with. In today’s evolving franchise landscape, growth remains the goal, but the playbook has changed.

The New Franchise Growth Mindset

Brands are no longer chasing sheer unit volume. Instead, they’re focused on optimizing their portfolios, finding more strategic locations, and expanding at a pace that aligns with available capital and internal bandwidth. With leaner in-house real estate teams and growing pressure to perform, many are turning to strategic partners who can not only execute but also advise, adapt, and scale.

“Franchise brands don’t just need brokers, they need full-service partners who can act like an extension of their team,” says Todd Kohlbecker, Senior Vice President of Occupier Services at Intelica. “When growth plans are aggressive but internal capacity is limited, our job is to bring the horsepower and the flexibility to further ensure Franchisor and Franchisee success.”

Franchise growth strategies are shifting from rapid expansion to more intentional development. With pressure to meet development goals in today's unique economic climate, franchise leaders are increasingly turning to strategic outsourcing. Franchise leaders are increasingly outsourcing key real estate functions construction, lease administration, and facilities management to specialized partners, aiming to streamline expansion and manage costs effectively.

A Partner, Not a Vendor

As franchise growth strategies evolve, so do expectations for real estate partnerships. Today’s brands aren’t looking for just another vendor, they need a partner that’s agile, strategic, and capable of delivering across multiple service lines. The ideal partner is boutique in approach, able to move quickly and adapt to the nuances of each brand, while offering comprehensive services that increase the speed to market and reduce the need for multiple vendors.

Intelica fits squarely into this role. “Intelica was built for brands that want more than a transaction,” says Todd Kohlbecker, Senior Vice President of Occupier Services. “We operate like a true extension of your internal team, aligning with your systems, scaling with your goals, and taking work off your plate.” With national reach and a personalized, full-service platform, Intelica brings a powerful combination of licensed architectural services in all 50 states, a national construction team for streamlined execution, and deep expertise in site selection, lease negotiation, and portfolio strategy.

The Intelica Advantage

Intelica’s Occupier Services platform is purpose-built for growth-focused franchise brands, offering a comprehensive suite of solutions that go far beyond traditional brokerage. From strategic site selection powered by market data and custom modeling to lease negotiation, renewal tracking, and critical date management, Intelica helps brands stay ahead of every detail. Their services also include CAM reconciliation, expense analysis, and real-time portfolio reporting, ensuring transparency and control across the entire lifecycle. Through a nationwide general contracting and architecture team, Intelica seamlessly bridges real estate strategy with construction execution. “We don’t just manage real estate, we drive performance,” says Eryn Bassett, President of Intelica. “And because we’re boutique by design, we can build a program that’s truly unique to your brand.”

Let's Grow Smarter, Together

Franchise growth doesn’t have to be complex or overwhelming. With the right partner, expansion can be more strategic, efficient, and aligned with your brand’s long-term vision. Intelica’s Occupier Services team is built to simplify the process, offering the tools, expertise, and flexibility needed to scale with confidence. If you’re ready to rethink your approach to real estate, connect with the team at https://intelicacre.com or email Todd Kohlbecker directly at [email protected] to start the conversation.

Read the full Franchise Times article here.