What are the 7 Brew franchisee's obligations regarding pre-opening purchases/leases (Item 9) and how do these relate to the franchisor's restrictions on suppliers (Item 8)?
7_Brew Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
Collectively, your purchases and leases from us or our affiliates, from designated or approved suppliers, or according to our standards and specifications represent about 100% of your overall purchases and leases to establish and then to operate the Store.
Negotiation of Purchase Arrangements
There currently are no purchasing or distribution cooperatives, although we retain the right to form them. We and our affiliates currently negotiate purchase arrangements with suppliers (including price terms) for the Store's modular building, all inventory products, and certain services, including accounting and financial reporting. In doing so, we and our affiliates seek to promote the overall interests of the franchise system and affiliate-owned operations and our interests as the franchisor (and not for the particular benefit of one or more particular franchisees). We and our affiliates might not obtain the best pricing or most advantageous terms on behalf of 7 BREW Stores. We and our affiliates also are not responsible for the performance of suppliers and distributors to 7 BREW Stores, including if their products or services fail to conform to or perform in compliance with Brand Standards or our contractual terms with the supplier or distributor.
We do not provide material benefits to a franchisee (for example, renewal or granting additional franchises) for purchasing particular products or services or using particular suppliers.
If you want to purchase or lease any Operating Assets, products, or services from a supplier or distributor we have not then approved (if we require you to buy or lease the product or service only from an approved supplier or distributor), then you must establish to our reasonable satisfaction that the quality and functionality of the item or service are equivalent to that of the item or service it replaces and that the supplier or distributor is, among other things, reputable, financially responsible, and adequately insured for product-liability claims. You must pay upon request any actual expenses we incur to determine whether or not the items, services, suppliers, or distributors meet our requirements and specifications. We will decide within a reasonable time (no more than 90 days) and have the right to condition supplier or distributor approval on requirements relating to product taste; quality; safety; third-party lab testing; prices; consistency; warranty; supply-chain reliability and integrity; financial stability; customer relations; frequency, economy, and efficiency of delivery; the benefits of concentrating purchases with limited suppliers; standards of service (including prompt attention to complaints); and other criteria.
We have the right to inspect the proposed supplier's or distributor's facilities and require the proposed supplier or distributor to send samples or items either directly to us or to a third-party testing service. We have the right to re-inspect a supplier's or distributor's facilities and items and revoke our approval of any supplier, distributor, product, or service no longer meeting our criteria by notifying you and/or the supplier or distributor. We do not make our supplier approval criteria available to franchisees.
Despite these procedures, we have the right to limit the number of approved suppliers and distributors, designate sources you must use, and refuse your requests for any reason, including because we already have designated an exclusive source (which might be us or our affiliate) for a particular item or service or believe that doing so is in the 7 BREW Store network's best interest. If we approve any supplier or distributor you recommend, we have the right to authorize other 7 BREW Stores to buy or lease any Operating Assets, products, or services from that supplier or distributor without compensating you.
(1) We may periodically designate and approve Brand Standards, manufacturers, suppliers, and/or distributors for the Operating Assets, products, and services we periodically authorize 7 BREW Stores to use or sell. You must purchase or lease all Operating Assets, products, and services you use or sell at the Store only according to Brand Standards and, if we require, only from manufacturers, suppliers, or distributors we designate or approve (which may include or be limited to us, certain of our affiliates, and/or other restricted sources). We and/or our affiliates may derive revenue—in the form of promotional allowances, volume discounts, commissions, other discounts, performance payments, signing bonuses, rebates, marketing and advertising allowances, free products, and other economic benefits and payments—from suppliers that we designate, approve, or recommend for some or all 7 BREW Stores on account of those suppliers' prospective or actual dealings with your Store and other 7 BREW Stores. That revenue may or may not be related to services we and our affiliates perform. All amounts received from suppliers, whether or not based on your or other franchisees' purchases from those suppliers, will be our and our affiliates' exclusive property, which we and our affiliates may retain and use without restriction
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to 7 Brew's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, franchisees are obligated to purchase or lease almost all (approximately 100%) of their required goods to establish and operate their store from 7 Brew, its affiliates, or designated/approved suppliers. This encompasses the store's modular building, all inventory products, and certain services like accounting and financial reporting. 7 Brew negotiates purchase arrangements with suppliers, including price terms, aiming to benefit the entire franchise system rather than individual franchisees. However, 7 Brew does not guarantee the best pricing or terms for franchisees and isn't liable for supplier performance issues.
If a 7 Brew franchisee wishes to use a supplier not already approved, they must demonstrate that the supplier's quality and functionality are equivalent to the approved options. The supplier must also be reputable, financially responsible, and adequately insured. The franchisee is responsible for covering any expenses 7 Brew incurs to assess the proposed supplier. 7 Brew has 90 days to make a decision and can impose conditions on approval related to product taste, safety, pricing, and other criteria. 7 Brew can inspect the supplier's facilities and require samples for testing. Approval can be revoked if the supplier no longer meets 7 Brew's standards.
Despite these procedures, 7 Brew retains the right to limit the number of approved suppliers, designate exclusive sources (potentially including themselves or an affiliate), and reject franchisee requests for any reason if it is deemed in the best interest of the 7 Brew network. If 7 Brew approves a franchisee-recommended supplier, other 7 Brew stores can use that supplier without compensating the recommending franchisee. Furthermore, 7 Brew and its affiliates may receive revenue from designated, approved, or recommended suppliers in the form of various discounts, commissions, and allowances, which they retain without restriction.