Franchises

The Business, Franchise and Investment Expo will be held in Vancouver from November 20 to 21 at the PNE Forum, confirms general manager Michael Hyman.

Reports that the Dinotown amusement park is headed for extinction are greatly exaggerated. Yes, owner Rob Ell sold the 18-acre cartoon dinosaur theme park east of Chilliwack, B.C.

Burger King has been sold to private equity firm 3G Capital in a deal valued at US$3.26 billion. The fast-food chain, with 12,100 outlets worldwide, had been the subject of takeover rumours for weeks.

Patricia Harrison, an associate at Franchiselink and director of Franchising for Women, a new Franchislink division that provides information and assistance to potential female franchisees, turns to history for inspiration.

It requires an estimated US$1 million to US$3 million investment to open a Buffalo Wild Wings franchise, including an initial franchise fee between US$32,000 and US$42,500.

The Canadian Franchise Association (CFA) will present the Vancouver Franchise Show on October 2-3, 2010, at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre.

The Franchise Times, Entrepreneur magazine, Franchise Business Review and the Canadian Franchise Association have all recognized Oxi-Fresh Carpet Cleaning as one of the fastest-growing franchises of this decade.

Nurse Next Door Voted one of Canada's best workplaces for 2010 by the Globe and Mail, Vancouver-based Nurse Next Door promises high levels of quality, a variety of supplementary services and proficient nurses, all designed to make living easier.

"We think Canada has many of the same attributes as the U.S.," chief executive Sally Smith said in an interview. "[Canadians] are great sports fans, they like chicken wings and they like beer.

Parent company Tim Hortons Inc. has announced it has filed documents that would shift its corporate ownership back north of the border. Its current Canadian headquarters is in Oakville, Ontario.