PERU Trends and Developments Contributed by: Walter Aguirre, Aguirre Abogados & Asesores
Introduction Franchising was introduced in Peru over 40 years ago with the arrival of US chains such as KFC and Pizza Hut, which marked the beginning of the popularisation of this model for business development, management and expansion. Although the Peruvian franchise sector has experi - enced steady growth since its initial entry into the market, its development was severely impacted in March 2020 when the Peruvian government declared a National State of Emergency and imposed mandato - ry lockdowns, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which persisted for several months. In fact, the franchise sector was one of the hardest hit nationwide, primar - ily because most franchise systems were related to the retail and gastronomy sectors, and their commer - cial premises were largely located in shopping malls, which remained closed for more than six months. Nevertheless, starting in early 2023, the franchise sec - tor began a recovery process, particularly in the areas of gastronomy, education, technology and healthcare. It is worth noting that there has been a significant increase in the number of franchises requiring lower investment to operate in the market. At the beginning of 2026, the Peruvian Chamber of Franchises ( Cámara Peruana de Franquicias – CPF) reported that there were over 500 franchise systems operating in Peru, approximately 50% of which were foreign franchises; the remaining 50% were domestic. Among foreign franchises, those originating from the United States are the most prevalent in the Peruvian market, representing nearly 40% of the total, fol - lowed by franchises from Argentina, Spain, Brazil and Colombia. As for domestic franchises, over 60% are in the gastronomy industry, while the remaining 40% operate in other commercial sectors, including apparel and accessories, beauty and health, educa - tion, handicrafts and jewellery, among others. The internationalisation of Peruvian franchises continues to benefit from the global popularity of Peruvian cui - sine, with more than 30 domestic restaurant brands having established a presence abroad in countries such as Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Spain,
the United States, Mexico, Paraguay, Portugal and others. In Peru, the pioneer in adopting the franchise busi - ness model was the DELOSI Group, which currently operates brands such as KFC, Pizza Hut, Burger King, Chili’s and Starbucks, among others. Another key franchise operator is NG Restaurants, part of the INTERCORP Group, which operates brands such as Papa Johns, Popeyes, Dunkin Donuts, Bembos, Chi - nawok and Don Belisario. Other operators include the David Group, which man - ages brands like Bath & Body Works, American Eagle Outfitters and Victoria’s Secret. In the hospitality sec - tor, the Breca Group manages brands such as Westin, JW Marriott and AC Hotels by Marriott. The Yes Group operates several well-known apparel brands, includ - ing Armani, Armani Exchange and Hugo Boss. Lead - ing Spanish brands from the INDITEX Group, such as Zara, Zara Home, Stradivarius, Massimo Dutti and Oysho, also operate in Peru under franchise agree - ments. Given the strong influence of retail on the growth of the franchise sector, it is worth highlighting that, according to the Peruvian Association of Shopping and Entertainment Centres ( Asociación de Centros Comerciales y de Entretenimiento del Perú – ACCEP), there are currently more than 90 shopping centres in the country that are open to the public and operating at full capacity. A significant number of domestic and international franchise systems operate within these venues. More - over, there are numerous ongoing development pro - jects involving new shopping centres and expansions of existing ones. These developments are expected to further promote and consolidate the franchise sector in Peru over the medium and long term. Regulations Applicable to Franchises in Peru There is no specific legal provision regulating fran - chises in Peru. Nonetheless, under well-established legal doctrine, a franchise is understood as a business model whereby the franchisor grants the franchisee the right to replicate, within a specific territory and with the franchisor’s technical assistance, an already
70 FRANCHISING 2026
C HAMBERS.COM
Powered by FlippingBook