HOMEWOOD, Ill. - The iFranchise Group, a franchise consulting firm based in the Chicago area, sees a number of current trends in franchising that they expect will endure, and has identified others as ones to watch as 2011 continues to unfold.

Top franchising trends fall into the following categories:

• Innovative and healthier foods
• "Green" products and services
• Health and wellness businesses
• Low cost and other market-appropriate concepts

Franchising has seen a recent influx of trendy foodservice concepts. Some of the most notable of those include gourmet hamburger restaurants, as well as the return of frozen yogurt shops ?" many offering a new self-service spin on a concept that was first made popular back in the 1980s.

According to Mark Siebert, CEO of iFranchise, "Upscale burgers and frozen yogurt have been going strong for a little while now, and probably have another three years of continued aggressive growth before we start seeing market saturation."

Healthier foodservice concepts are also making impressive headway in franchising, such as healthy pizza recipes featuring fresh and organic ingredients, as well as newer ethnic food franchise entries including Middle Eastern and Indian cuisine.

Of course, innovation and appeal isn't limited to restaurants and foodservice. An influx of environmentally aware franchisors and franchise buyers is carving out a new niche in franchising. iFranchise consultants and analysts believe some new leaders will soon start emerging, especially those that focus on solar technology and other energy savings-oriented businesses.

iFranchise President Dave Hood also sees a common thread among franchise concepts he works with. "Health and wellness businesses overall continue to focus on expansion through franchising...We're seeing more wellness concepts in general coming into the franchise market. And of course, as the population continues to age, with more Baby Boomers fast approaching retirement age, we feel that senior-oriented franchise programs still have a lot of room to grow."

Finally, according to iFranchise staff, the economic conditions that will remain will also create new opportunities in franchising.

Notes Siebert: "Any franchise systems that take advantage of the new market realities, whether they are services designed to assist with the lingering challenges in the housing market, or simply lower-cost or home-based franchises, will be well-positioned this year, and likely in years to come."