Can All County require advertising cooperatives or franchisee advertising councils to be formed?
All_County Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
the council are selected and whether the council serves in an advisory capacity only or has operational or decision-making power.
We may establish or approve local and/or regional advertising cooperatives in your local or regional areas, covering the geographical areas we may designate in our sole business judgment. Membership in any advertising cooperative will be defined by a geographic area and we will manage the advertising cooperative. The decision whether to join any advertising cooperative will be voluntary for both company owned and franchisee owned locations and franchisees will not be required to join any advertising cooperative. The maximum amount any franchisee will be required to contribute to an advertising cooperative is 1% of annual Gross Revenue. We will allow you to review any governing documents for any advertising cooperative before you decide whether to join it.
Computer Requirements. You must use our required, customized version of Rent Manager® real estate management software as part of the Franchise Business. You will be required to sign an "Activation Agreement" with London Computer Systems, Inc. as a condition of using the Rent Manager® software. A sample copy of the Activation Agreement is included as Exhibit G to this Franchise Disclosure Document. London Computer Systems, Inc.'s principal business address is 1007 Cottonwood Drive, Loveland, OH 45140, Phone: 800‐669‐0871.
There is a $150 per seat initial software setup fee for each seat and you must pay us a monthly software license fee, which is presently $250 for the first seat and $60 for each additional seat.
Source: Item 11 — Franchisor's Assistance, Advertising, Computer Systems, and Training (FDD pages 20–26)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to All County's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, while the company can establish or approve local and/or regional advertising cooperatives, franchisees are not required to join them. Membership in any advertising cooperative is voluntary for both company-owned and franchisee-owned locations. If a franchisee chooses to join an advertising cooperative, the maximum contribution required is 1% of annual Gross Revenue. All County will allow franchisees to review the governing documents before deciding to join.
Currently, All County does not have any advertising cooperatives or franchisee advertising councils involved in the advertising process. However, there are no restrictions on All County's right to require these to be formed, changed, dissolved, or merged in the future. If All County establishes a franchisee advertising council, it will communicate all the policies of the council to franchisees through written updates to the Operations Manual or Methods of Operation.
The written policies of any franchisee advertising council may include information on how members of the council are selected and whether the council serves in an advisory capacity only or has operational or decision-making power. This means that while All County cannot force franchisees to join advertising cooperatives, they retain the right to create and modify advertising structures, including franchisee advertising councils, and communicate the policies related to these councils through updates to the Operations Manual.