B2B and Consumer Services

share franchise news, to prosper and amuse

Home | MyMauMau: Log In / Register | Ask Franny | Newsletter
Log In / Register | Feb 8, 2012

Investigative News

Mind the Really Big Gap at Victoria Station

Reporter | BMM | Jan 31 | buy, service
Prokill paints a gap in the floor with rats coming out
Victoria Station, London underground complex. Photo/Prokill

LONDON — A small British pest control franchisor has been startling London commuters this week with a painting of human-sized rodents climbing out of a gaping hole from hell.

Add Comment | Read More

Taxi Franchise Rolls onto Streets of L.A.

Reporter | BMM | Dec 6 | buy, service
1-800 TAXICAB
photo/1-800-TAXICAB

WEST COVINA, Calif. — Franchising loves 1-800 names. After all, it's listed in the phone book first and the contact information is built into the name.

Add Comment (15 Comments) | Read More

Planet Beach Lawsuit against Attorneys Dismissed, Again

Reporter | Janet Sparks | Dec 2 | legal, service
From the Planet Beach website
photo/myplanetbeachfranchise.com

NEW ORLEANS – Last week a district judge dismissed, for a second time, a lawsuit brought by Planet Beach against its former attorneys, Lane Fisher and Jeffrey Zucker of Fisher & Zucker.

Add Comment (3 Comments) | Read More

Franchisor Hit Hard for Pretending Employees Are Franchisees

Reporter | Janet Sparks | Aug 31 | legal, service
Pius Awuah, an employee of Coverall who was told that if he paid a franchise fee he was a franchisee
Coverall told Pius Awuah he was a franchisee but courts ruled he was an employee.

BOSTON – Today the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court smacked Coverall janitorial franchise system with a huge bill for labeling its employees as franchisees.

Add Comment (117 Comments) | Read More

Dwyer Wants to Buy a Franchisor

Reporter | BMM | Mar 9 | franchising, service

WACO, Texas — Yesterday the Dwyer Group announced that it is seeking home service or repair franchisors for acquisition.

Add Comment | Read More

Franchisees File Latest Appeal in UPS Mail Boxes Etc

Reporter | Janet Sparks | Feb 11 | legal, service

SAN DIEGO– Franchise owners of UPS Store and Mail Boxes Etc. now have two appeals in process in the California Court of Appeals.

Add Comment (11 Comments) | Read More

Dwyer Group Sold to Private Equity Firm

Reporter | BMM | Dec 12 | service
Dwyer680
Dina Dwyer-Owens and TZP's Sam Katz and officers, photo/dwyer

WACO, Texas. – Home services franchisor The Dwyer Group, Inc. is being bought out by New York-based private equity firm TZP Group LLC.

Add Comment (19 Comments) | Read More

Fitness Franchisees Donate to Battle Diabetes

Reporter | BMM | Nov 18 | service
Fitness Together
Franchisee Steve Lichtman gives a check to ADA. photo/Fitness Together

BOSTON –- A Massachusetts association of Fitness Together franchisees announced Wednesday that it has raised $50,000 for the American Diabetes Association of Eastern New England.

Add Comment (2 Comments) | Read More

Liberty Tax CEO Talks Mergers and Associations

Reporter | BMM | Oct 27 | service

VIRGINIA BEACH — In this second and final part of an interview with Liberty Tax Service's CEO John Hewitt, he discusses the importance of franchisee associations when it comes to franchisor buyouts.

Add Comment (16 Comments) | Read More

Liberty CEO Talks Lawsuits & Franchising

Reporter | BMM | Oct 26 | service

VIRGINIA BEACH — CEO John T. Hewitt weighs in on how his franchising firm, Liberty Tax Service, is coping with the challenges of a lack of business loans for franchise owner-operators, the state of California suing the tax preparer and the federal government clamping down on tax refund loans.

Add Comment (2 Comments) | Read More
Syndicate content
more

Headlines from the 'Net

Franchise Growth Stymied by Tightening of SBA Loans

Reporter | Janet Sparks | Nov 6 | service

Heidi Ganahl, founder of Boulder-based Camp Bow Wow, says although her dog care service franchise is adding locations across the country growth has been stunted by tight financing.

Add Comment (3 Comments) | Read More

Doggie Doo DNA Fecal Franchise Founded

Member | Lionel Hutz PA | Jul 7 | service

Another crappy franchise, and proud of it. A Knoxville, TN laboratory specializing in analyzing dog doo DNA has announced it plans to have

Add Comment (2 Comments) | Read More

Spring-Green Tends to Business

Reporter | BMM | May 29 | service

For more than 30 years franchisor Spring Green Lawn Care Corporation and its franchises have cut and pruned yards.

Add Comment | Read More

CEO Bernstein of Mars Venus Coaching Faces Felony Charges

Reporter | Don Sniegowski | Mar 26 | buy, franchising, service
Richard Bernstein, CEO of Mars Venus Coaching
Richard Bernstein, CEO, Mars Venus Coaching

Richard Bernstein, CEO of Mars Venus Coaching franchise company, faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a fine of $500,000 on charges of theft and securities fraud.

Add Comment (23 Comments) | Read More

Blockbuster to be Auctioned Off

Member | Juan F | Mar 10 | service

Creditors of Blockbuster agreed late Thursday to buy the company and avoid Chapter 7 liquidation.

Add Comment | Read More

$22.5 Million Lending to UPS Store Owners

Member | Craig Hsueh | Feb 15 | service

The franchisees of 4,700 UPS Store and Mail Boxes Etc. locations now have access to funding.

Add Comment (11 Comments) | Read More

Tougher IRS Oversight of Tax Preparers

Member | Lionel Hutz PA | Nov 17 | service

The Internal Revenue Service is stepping up criminal investigations of tax preparers who file fraudulent returns.

Add Comment | Read More

Big Oil Turns to Natural Gas

Member | Craig Hsueh | Nov 10 | service


photo / Steve Snodgrass

New energy development projects not in oil but in natural gas. Exxon Mobile, Shell, now Chevron buys gas fields. Will natural gas impact transportation and gas stations?

Add Comment (1 Comments) | Read More

Watchers Not Swallowing Biotech Cure

Member | Juan F | Sep 20 | service

Weight Watcher's CEO speaks with The Street about new weight loss medicines like Arena, Orexigen and Vivus that are about to hit the market. These pills don't worry the leader of Weight Watchers.

Add Comment | Read More

Church Franchising

Reporter | Don Sniegowski | Sep 20 | service

Two churches say that God has called them to “go into all the world” to reach young people via franchising.

Add Comment (2 Comments) | Read More
Syndicate content
more

Expert Advice

Blackstreet Buys Alphagraphics

Gossip | Oscar P Hoot | Jan 16 | service
Oscar P Hoot's picture

This auditorily gifted bird has heard that Blackstreet Capital Management LLC has bought out the franchisor of quick printing shops, Alphagraphics, Inc.

Add Comment (1 Comments) | Read More

Kingship, Oligarchy or Republic at Alphagraphics?

Gossip | Oscar P Hoot | Aug 3 | service
Oscar P Hoot's picture

I am hearing strange stirrings at quick-print chain Alphagraphics. The U.K. holding company of Salt Lake City-based Alphagraphics is beyond bankruptcy.

Add Comment (2 Comments) | Read More

UPS Fears Continuation of Losing Streak by California Appellate Court

Member | Joe Wightman | Jul 19 | legal, service
Joe Wightman's picture

Would you buy a franchise if the franchisor had an unfettered right to completely change the business model at any time and prevent you from renewing your current agreement unless you adopted the new business model?

Add Comment (21 Comments) | Read More
Syndicate content
more