The American Association of Franchisees and Dealers (AAFD) is pleased to announce that the AAFD F

Dec. 9, 2012 - PRLog -- This important work, developed over the past 15 years by
a broad committee of leaders within the franchise community, offers a
blueprint to fair and balanced franchise agreements and relationships.

The standards provide franchise owners and prospective franchise buyers with
objective criteria by which to judge a franchise opportunity. Consistent
with the AAFD's marketplace solutions to the problems facing the franchising
community, the AAFD Fair Franchising Standards provide well-defined criteria
to identify and validate forward thinking franchisors who respect the
legitimate rights and needs of their franchisees.

The AAFD Fair Franchising Standards Committee commenced its work in 1994 to
develop the standards. Over the past 15 years the committee has consisted of
more than 70 franchise leaders, including both franchisor and franchisee
business executives, attorneys and franchise business consultants. The
committee participated in debates and negotiations in order to draft and
adopt 138 individual standards (and counting) that make up the
<http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-
keywords=Fair+Franchising+Standards (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3...)> AAFD Fair Franchising Standards
publication. The standards represent consensus with respect to virtually
every aspect of the franchise relationship.

The AAFD Standards Committee adopted the following mission statement:

The mission of the AAFD Fair Franchising Standards Committee of the American
Association of Franchisees and Dealers is to develop standards relating to
various business and legal aspects of the franchise relationship so that a
more equitable franchise agreement becomes the standard for the franchise
community which reflects and balances the legitimate business interests of
the franchisor and the legitimate business interests of its franchisees.

"Promoting the AAFD Fair Franchising Standards is the heart of the AAFD's
mission," said Robert L. Purvin Jr., Chairman and CEO of the AAFD. "We
believe franchise systems that embrace the AAFD standards will dramatically
drive the success of their brands and result in a fairer and more balanced
relationship between franchisor and franchisee. That's why we're excited
that the standards are now more available than ever. Purchasing the
standards may be the best investment a franchisee, franchise buyer, or
franchise executive will ever make."

The AAFD utilizes The Fair Franchising Standards to evaluate and accredit
franchising companies that meet the objectives of the standards. The AAFD
has established its prestigious AAFD Fair Franchising Seal for franchise
companies whose franchise agreements and cultures substantially conform to
the AAFD Standards. Eighteen brands have earned the AAFD Seal over the last
10 years.

The

new print edition of the AAFD Fair Franchising Standards is available on
Amazon.com for $4.99 and the Kindle
edition retails for $2.99. Amazon Prime members are able to obtain the
Kindle edition for FREE.  The AAFD Standards can also be viewed on the AAFD
website at aafd.org.

About the AAFD

May 1, 2012 marks the 20th Anniversary of the AAFD, a national non-profit
trade association representing the rights and interests of franchisees and
independent dealers throughout the United States. The AAFD is focused on
market driven reform to achieve its mission to define and promote
collaborative franchise cultures that the AAFD describes as Total Quality
Franchising. Since its formation, the AAFD has grown to represent more than
50,000 franchised locations throughout the United States. The AAFD has
members in all 50 states and represents more than 100 different franchise
systems.

The AAFD's Fair Franchising Standards, Fair Franchising Seal, Trademark
Chapters, and emphasis on Marketplace Solutions led to the Association's
recognition as a growing force in franchising. The AAFD's Branded Partner
programs add a new dimension to the value of AAFD membership. The AAFD
provides a broad range of member services designed to help franchisees build
market power, create legislative support of interest to franchisees, provide
legal and financial support, and provide a wide range of general member
benefits.

For more information about the AAFD, please call toll free - 800-733-9858 or
visit www.AAFD.org.

For media information:

Joel Ellazar

joel@aafd.org

Robert Purvin

rpurvin@aafd.org