A franchisee is the person or small company that buys the right to run a shop or service under a big brand’s name. The big company owns the brand, the rules, and often the look of the shop; the franchisee puts in the money and does the day-to-day work, then pays fees. You meet the word in business talk about chains: a convenience store, a fast-food shop, a cram school that uses a famous name. It is a legal and business word, a little formal, but newspapers use it freely. One brand can have hundreds of franchisees; each one is a separate owner, not a hired manager, though from the street the shop may look the same.