Rent-to-Own

Premier Home Furnishings

Trooper Earle (troop@premierrents.com)

P.O. Box 244 Lightfoot, VA 23090

800/277-3643; fax 757/258-9262

www.premierhomefurnishings.net

 

Type of rent-to-own business: Furniture

 

Company-owned stores: 0

 

Franchise-owned stores: 7

 

Expansion plans: The eventual goal is to be licensed or have the ability to franchise in all 50 states.

 

Type of franchise owner they’re looking for: Someone who thinks innovatively, with a strong background in either RTO or the retail furniture market.

 

Why they’re different: Being new, the company is hungry and eager to work with potential franchises. Being part of an experienced team of the Premier family, these are people you want to have in your corner.

 

What they’ll do for you: Everything—but only if you want them to. President Jim Schebler offers an example: “We have advertising people for your store, but you don’t have to use them. If you want to use sombody else for your advertising, then you have got the opportunity to use them.” Schebler says that “there’s only one way to make a McDonald’s burger,” but at Premier, “we offer a little bit more freedom while giving good guidelines to follow and quality control guidelines, which is key for us. These are guidelines, but each operator still has the right, the opportunity and the freedom to run the business as they see fit.”

 

License master franchise rights: Yes

 

Selling primary multiple store location agreements: Yes

 

Selling franchise agreements for just one store: Yes

 

Active franchisee advisory board: No. There is a marketing advisory board and a purchasing board.

 

Net worth of candidate: Like Premier Rental-Purchase, it theoretically can be zero, because they use SBA funding and guidelines.

 

Franchise fees: $35,000

 

Royalties: 3 percent

 

Advertising co-op: $100 per month per location