A franchise is a type of business whereby the owner (franchisor) grants permission/ licenses to an individual or company (franchisee) its operations including its business knowledge, processes, trademarks, products, and services and allows them to sell under the owners’ name in exchange for a commission or one-time fee. Let us know ‘Is Shoprite a Franchise?’.
Is Shoprite a Franchise?
Shoprite is therefore not a franchise but a retailers-owned cooperative of supermarkets with over 50 owned stores, another 296 stores affiliated to it, and other groceries stores as well in the United States. It has stores in six states: New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.
Who owns Shoprite?
The Wakefern food company owns ShopRite, operates 28 of the company stores with the rest owned, and operated individually or in small groups of the Wakefern co-op members. The average Wakefern member operates 6 stores. The members elect their board of directors to run the company as a whole. Wakefern founded in1946 in New Jersey is the seventh-largest retailers’ cooperative group of supermarkets. Wakefern has other subsidiary brands:
- The Fresh Grocer
- Price rite marketplace
- Dearborn market
- Gourmet garage
Are Shoprite Stores Individually owned?
Yes, most of the Shoprite stores are individually owned. Most of the Wakefern co-op members own several stores but a few have a single store. The members run their stores but there are some rules and guidelines set by the cooperative that they must abide by.
How to Tell If a Business Is a Cooperative or a Franchise?
The difference between a franchise and cooperation is that cooperation is a business owned by shareholders while a third party (franchisee) owns a franchise. Cooperation is a separate legal entity that means it is considered separate from its owners. A franchise is considered a method of expansion.
Franchised businesses have posted signs in their stores and notes on their marketing materials such as brochures and marketing materials. The franchisor licenses the franchisee to use the marketing tools, brand goods, services, and knowledge.
Cooperative businesses are owned and operated by members who use its product and services and benefit from the company.
In a franchised business, there is little or no room for creativity when it comes to the products and services since you cannot make additions or changes, while in a cooperative venture you are allowed to run your business whoever you want as long as it is by the standards of the cooperative.
In this case, Shoprite is a retail cooperative but in many ways, it operates as a franchise but with a few differences
- The members elect their board of directors to run the company as a whole.
- Franchise owners report to a cooperate officer
- Decisions made by individual owners have to meet the board’s approval
What is the difference between a franchise and an individually owned business?
One of the advantages of owning a franchised business is that the brand is widely recognized, unlike the individually owned business, independent businesses do not have access to wide marketing and are limited by infrastructure. Franchise businesses also have a higher success rate, higher profit margins compared to individually owned businesses.
Individually owned enterprises are at a higher risk of failure as they require starting from scratch from acquiring starting capital to getting to learn the needs of the market in which they are operating.
Frequently Asked Questions
1) What are the most profitable franchises?
Some of the most profitable franchises as of the end of 2021 are MacDonald’s, Dunkin’, Supercuts, Ace hardware, and The UPS store just to name a few.
2) What are the requirements to start a franchise?
Some of the requirements needed to get your franchise started are
· Money/ capital for getting the business off the ground and running- You will require enough money to start your franchise.
· Business plan- a good and well-detailed business plan detailing estimated investment expenses, projected returns, and how you intend on acquiring the funding for the franchise.
· Skills and experience- for the franchise venture to succeed you will require the relevant management skills and experience in the field.
· Meet the legal requirements- the parent franchisor always has legal and regulatory requirements for every franchise, make sure to meet these requirements that the parent business mandates.
· Good accounting- a good accountant who will give you sound advice on financial planning.
· Other factors to also consider such as profit margins of the business,
3) Are there risk involved in buying a franchise?
Like any other business, there are risks involved in buying a franchise. Although most franchised businesses are profitable and successful, there is a possibility of incurring losses. To mitigate such risks, it is important to conduct market research, take advantage of financial and legal advice, have prior skills and experience, and have a good business plan.
4) Are Shoprite stores affordable?
Yes they are, they sell many of the national brands, and they do accept coupons.
