Yet Another Sign of the Changing Times... Franchises & Furniture
What do these business owners and investors know that seemingly others don't? Are they better at reading the writing on the wall or more willing to takes some risks? Perhaps both.
Most business owners and investors do take risks, but most often it's a calculated risk. What are they betting on? Southwest Florida, baby boomers, population growth, favorable tax environment, lower cost of living, and a highly desirable geographic location.
They may not be leading the parade of resurgence, but they are not far behind the new development and new home builders that have come back with abandon as previsouly described in these blog posts.
Here are some tidbits reported in today's The News Press...
Franchises:
7-Eleven and Baskin-Robbins have selected Southwest Florida (Collier and Lee Counties) as a key market to build their brands. Other franchisers are holding seminars and launching new restaurants like McDonalds and Moe's Southwest Grill. One franchise owner who owns seven restaurants has opened two new ones since 2010 after a three year hiatus since 2005 through 2007 when most were opened. These big-name franchisers do their research.
A McDonalds franchise owner is slated to open two new restaurants in the area beginning middle of June 2012. A large coop owning 53 McDonalds is set to open four more in the next year.
Baskin-Robbins is targeting 15 new restaurants from Fort Myers to Miami over the next several years.
Furniture:
El Dorado Furniture has purchased a shopping center for $9 million and intends to open a 70,000 square foot furniture store in Fort Myers mid-2013. El Dorado has been delivery furniture to Florida's West coast for more than 10 years from the East coast where people would visit and makes their purchases. They decided the time was right, now, to open and be present where the growing market is.
The former CEO and his son of the upscale Robb & Stucky Furniture that fell on hard times and closed have opened Clive | Daniels Furniture in Naples. Norris Furniture returns with new stores in Fort Myers and Naples. Previously, Norris sold his existing local furniture business to Hendricks Furniture which ultimately shut down. The defunct Robb & Stucky name was sold to a furniture billionaire from China and have reopened two new Robb & Stucky stores in Naples and Fort Myers.
So, how's business?
Clive | Daniel reported the revenue for the first month in business to be $1 million only to see that number triple in March.
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