Luxembourg Franchise Night Highlights Growing Interest in Local Franchising

On Monday 18 May 2026, Luxembourg Franchise Night took place at the Cercle Cité in Luxembourg-Ville, bringing together around 50 participants.

The event programme included institutional speeches, testimonies from franchise professionals and a networking reception organised in partnership with Delhaize and the City of Luxembourg (VdL).

Speaking to Chronicle.lu, Malika Lamamra, President and Founder of Luxembourg’s Franchise Association (LuxFA), expressed hope that future editions of the event would attract a larger and more international audience, particularly from the Greater Region. “We always speak about Luxembourg, but Luxembourg is also the Greater Region, which is eleven million people, not only 680,000 citizens,” she said. “I would like to go bigger and to attract more people internationally, not only locally.”

Malika Lamamra also highlighted the importance of promoting franchising among younger entrepreneurs in Luxembourg. She noted growing interest in entrepreneurship among students and young professionals and said the association aims to centralise information and support related to franchising in Luxembourg, rather than requiring entrepreneurs to seek guidance abroad.

Following the welcoming speeches, Pascal Thomas, Director Sales and Operations at Delhaize Luxembourg within Ahold Delhaize, together with Delhaize Luxembourg’s HR & Administration Senior Manager, presented the retailer’s approach to franchising and local entrepreneurship in Luxembourg.

The speakers noted that Delhaize has operated in Luxembourg for more than 100 years and currently combines company-operated stores with entrepreneur-managed franchise formats across the country. They highlighted the role of local entrepreneurs in adapting stores and product selections to the needs of specific communities, while benefiting from the logistics, marketing and purchasing power of the wider Ahold Delhaize group.

The presentation also focused on the company’s interest in attracting new franchise candidates in Luxembourg, particularly people interested in entrepreneurship, food retail and customer relations. The speakers noted that Delhaize Luxembourg receives more than 40,000 CVs annually, with around 40% submitted by Luxembourg residents.

During the event, Cédric Devillé, master franchisee of L’Agence Automobile, shared his entrepreneurial journey, explaining how he left a position at Luxembourg’s Ministry of Justice to move into the franchise sector after discovering what he described as the “potential” of the business model.

Speaking about the development of his company, he highlighted the creation of driving simulator centres and the expansion of a franchise network for motorsport training concepts. “We created a first centre with three simulators and realised there was demand and a real business opportunity,” he said, adding that the company later expanded with larger centres and new projects developed together with partners sharing the same values.

Another speaker, franchise investor Andrien Burg, shared his transition from working at PwC Luxembourg towards entrepreneurship through franchising. He explained that, although launching a business independently initially seemed difficult, the franchise model provided “the framework, the context and the support” he needed to take the step into entrepreneurship.

According to Andrien Burg, one of the main advantages of franchising is the strength of the network surrounding franchisees, particularly during the early stages of developing a business.

The event concluded with remarks from Alexandre Terlinden, CEO of Delitraiteur SA, who also took part in the discussions on franchising and entrepreneurship during Luxembourg Franchise Night.

“A lot of young people would like to be franchised. That is very important for the moment,” Daniel Adam, Treasurer and Administrative Manager of LuxFA, told Chronicle.lu, speaking about the growing interest in franchising in Luxembourg. He noted that Luxembourg still has fewer franchise initiatives compared to neighbouring countries such as Belgium, France and Germany, but described the country’s multicultural and international environment as offering “a new opportunity” for the sector.

The evening concluded with a networking session among participants and guests.

(Caption: (L-R) Daniel Adam, Treasurer and Administrative Manager of LuxFA; Malika Lamamra, President and Founder of LuxFA; Credit: Ievgenii Karanov)