What is the franchisee's responsibility regarding site selection for an Aerus franchise?
Aerus Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
You must obtain, via purchase or lease, a retail space to serve as an Approved Location of your Franchised Business. If you are purchasing the assets of an existing Aerus Business, you will sublease the premises of the Aerus Business or will take an assignment of the premises lease from us or one of our affiliates. If you are opening a new location, you will select a proposed site and submit such proposal to us for approval. We will approve or disapprove any proposed site within 30 days of receiving all of the requested information regarding the proposed site. If we do not agree on a proposed site, we have the right to terminate the Franchise Agreement.
While it is your sole responsibility to obtain a mutually acceptable site, we will provide you with assistance in finding a location as we deem reasonable and appropriate. In approving a proposed site, we will consider factors such as size, location, nearby commercial and residential development, demographics, visibility from roadways, and parking space in approving a site. Your leased/purchased space should be approximately 1,500 to 2,000 square feet and located in a strip shopping center. Your purchase or lease of a site should be based on your own independent investigation of your Area of Responsibility and the site.
Once we approve of the proposed site, you may proceed with a lease and finish out consistent with the requirements of the Manuals. You must open the Franchised Business at the Approved Location not later than the Opening Date described in the Franchise Agreement. Failure to do so may result in termination of the Franchise Agreement. We will identify any modifications or improvements to the premises of the Franchised Business, if any, which you must make, at your expense, prior to the Opening Date, or within such time period ending after the Opening Date as we may designate in writing. (Franchise Agreement Section 1).
The typical length of time between signing the Franchise Agreement and opening the Franchised Business is expected to be 1 to 6 months. The length of time prior to opening will depend on such things as the need for application processing, training and site selection and build out (if necessary).
Source: Item 11 — Franchisor's Assistance, Advertising, Computer Systems, and Training (FDD pages 36–43)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Aerus's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, franchisees are responsible for securing a retail space, either through purchase or lease, to serve as the Approved Location for their franchised business. If a franchisee is purchasing an existing Aerus business, they will either sublease the premises or take over the existing lease from Aerus or its affiliates. For new locations, the franchisee must select a proposed site and submit it to Aerus for approval. Aerus will then approve or disapprove the proposed site within 30 days of receiving all necessary information. Aerus retains the right to terminate the Franchise Agreement if they do not approve of the proposed site.
While the franchisee has the primary responsibility for finding a suitable location, Aerus will provide assistance in the site selection process as they deem reasonable and appropriate. In evaluating a proposed site, Aerus considers factors such as size, location, nearby commercial and residential development, demographics, visibility from roadways, and parking space. Aerus specifies that the leased or purchased space should be approximately 1,500 to 2,000 square feet and located in a strip shopping center.
The franchisee's purchase or lease decision should be based on their own independent investigation of their Area of Responsibility and the site itself. Once Aerus approves the site, the franchisee can proceed with the lease and any necessary build-out, ensuring it aligns with the requirements outlined in the Manuals. The franchised business must be opened at the Approved Location by the Opening Date specified in the Franchise Agreement, and failure to do so may result in termination of the agreement. Aerus will also identify any required modifications or improvements to the premises, which the franchisee must complete at their own expense before the Opening Date or within a designated timeframe after opening.
The FDD states that the typical timeframe between signing the Franchise Agreement and opening the business is expected to be 1 to 6 months. This duration depends on factors such as application processing, training, and site selection and build-out, if necessary. This highlights the importance of efficient site selection to minimize delays in launching the Aerus franchise.