Francorp Clients - Children's Orchard Franchises

Francorp developed the original franchise program for Children's Orchard franchising systems. The Franchise company is the industry leader in children's resale clothing. They currently have almost 100 locations and continue to define their industry. Here are the details on the company and background on the company.
Children's Orchard
900 Victor's Way, # 200
Ann Arbor, MI 48108 800 #:(800) 999-5437Tel:(734) 994-9199 + 222Fax:(734) 994-9323E-Mail:campaign364@mail.emaximation.comWebsite:www.childorch.comContact: Ms. Lisa Morgan, Franchise Development DirectorBusiness Description:
Upscale children's retail/resale stores, featuring clothing, toys, furniture, equipment, books and parenting products. We buy top-brand items from area families by appointment, and re-sell in boutique-style stores, along with top-quality new children's items from nearly 200 suppliers. These are large volume stores selling thousands of items per week.

Franchisor Background
Year Established: 1980
Franchising Since: 1985Operating Units:Franchised Units:84 98.8%Company-Owned Units:1 1.2% Total Operating Units:85 100.0% Geographic Distribution:U.S.: 85 100% North America:States/Provinces with the largest number of operating units:Density
Units1. Michigan 62. Massachusetts 143. California 18

Registered in Following Registration States: California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, District Of Columbia, Alberta Financial Requirements Investment:Minimum Net Worth:$200KCash Investment:$30-50KTotal Investment:$72.5-158KAverage Total Investment:$150K Fees:Initial Franchise Fee:$22.5KAverage Franchise Fee:$22KOn-Going Royalty:5%Average Royalty:5%Advertising Fee:1.0%
Average Number of Employees: 1 Full-time, 3 Part-time

Space Needs (in square footage): 1,200-2,000

Preferred Sites: Storefront, Strip CenterOther Sites: Encourage Conversions? YesEarnings Claims Provided?: NoFranchisee Qualifications Ranked from 1 (unimportant) to 5 (important):
Financial Net Worth:5General Business Experience:3Specific Industry Experience:2Formal Education:4Psychological Profile:2Personal Interview(s):5 Terms of Contract Term of Initial Contract:10 Year(s) Term of Renewal Period:Year(s)Passive Ownership:Allowed, But DiscouragedArea Development Agreements?Yes, for 1 Year(s)Sub-Franchising Contracts?NoFranchisees Allowed to Expand Within Territory?No Support and Training International Franchise Association:YesCanadian Franchise Association:NoFranchisee Association/Member:Yes, MemberSize of Corporate Staff: 15Site Selection Assistance?YesLease Negotiation Assistance?YesFinancial Assistance?Yes, Direct Projected New Units Over Next 12 months: 15U.S.: Yes, All US Except HI, AKCanada:NoOverseas:No

Francorp Presents on How To Franchise at Coffee Fest Chicago 2009

Today I presented at Coffee Fest in Chicago to a large group of business owners that own a small coffee business. The interesting thing is that contrary to what is happening with Starbuck's, these companies are actually growing and looking to expand. I talked with these companies about many expansion alternatives including how to franchise. I know that they were able to receive a lot of useful information to help them in deciding how they would like to expand and if franchising is the right option for them. If you would like more information on how to franchise go to www.francorp.com/howto.