Baywa franchising in Italy

Baywa AG of Munich has founded a cooperative partnership, IFS (Italian Franchise Systems) GmbH based in Bozen, with L.H.G., the central agricultural cooperative in South Tyrol. IFS is to function as the head office of the franchise business in the DIY and garden sector for the northern and central Italian market. The Baywa Group has operated as a franchisor in Germany and Austria for more than 15 years through two companies, BHSS and ASF. Baywa has a 51 per cent stake in the new company, and L.H.G. has 49 per cent. L.H.G. has 25 units in South Tyrol under the Italian name ‘Consorzio Agrario’, making it the area’s market leader in the agricultural products trade.