For how long after the Conclusion of the Annex Brands franchise is the franchisee restricted from owning or being involved with a competing business within 5 miles of their former center?
Annex_Brands Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
3. Covenantor's Post-Term Non-Competition and Non-Solicitation Covenants.
- a. For purposes of this Section 3, the word "Conclusion" means the expiration, termination, non-renewal or transfer of the Franchise under the Franchise Agreement, regardless of whether such expiration, termination, non-renewal or transfer occurs prior to, or at the end of, the Franchise's term.
- b. Upon the Conclusion of the Franchise under the Franchise Agreement, and in accordance with the time period and geographic restrictions set forth below, Covenantor will not directly or indirectly (such as through corporations or other entities controlled by Covenantor or by, through or in conjunction with, any other individual person or person, including but not limited to Covenantor's spouse if any, relatives, employees or business affiliates):
- i. divert or attempt to divert any business or customer of any Retail Center or Commercial Logistics Center to any competitor, or do anything injurious or prejudicial to the goodwill associated with ABI's Marks or System for a two
(2) year period following the Conclusion of the Franchise under the Franchise Agreement and without geographic restriction;
ii. own, maintain, engage in, be associated with, be employed by, advise, assist, invest in, be landlord to, franchise, make loans to, or have any interest in any business which is the same, competes, or is substantially similar to, Franchisee's Center or any Retail Center or Commercial Logistics Center, which is located within 5 miles of Franchisee's Center or any Retail Center or Commercial Logistics Center in operation or under construction as of the Conclusion of the Franchise under the Franchise Agreement (with such restriction limited to a two (2) year period following the Conclusion of the Franchise under the Franchise Agreement); and/or
iii. enter into any business relationship with any terminated (former) Corporate Account(s) of any Retail Center or Commercial Logistics Center for a one (1) year period following ABI's termination of any of its Corporate Accounts.
c.
As an alternative to Subsection 3(b)(iii) above, and only if the applicable former Center is located in a state whose public policy disfavors the enforceability of postterm non-competition covenants against franchisees, then on the Conclusion of the Franchise under the Franchise Agreement, in accordance with the time period and geographic restrictions set forth below, Covenantor will not directly or indirectly (such as through corporations or other entities controlled by Covenantor or by, through or in conjunction with, any other individual person or persons including but not limited to Covenantor's spouse if any, relatives, employees or business affiliates), own, maintain, engage in, be associated with, be employed by, advise, assist, invest in, be landlord to, franchise, make loans to, or have any interest in any business which is the same, competes with, or is substantially similar to Franchisee's Center, and:
i. which sells packaging and shipping services (which constitute only a limited portion of all products and services sold by Franchisee's Center);
ii. which is located at the premises of Franchisee's Center; and
iii. with such partial restriction limited to a six (6) month period following the Conclusion of the Franchise under the Franchise Agreement.
d.
ABI may (in its sole discretion) at any time unilaterally reduce the scope of any part of the post-term non-competition covenant to something less than the restriction provided in Section 3 of this Agreement, and Covenantor agrees and promises to comply with any such reduced restriction on receipt of written notice from ABI.
Source: Item 22 — Contracts (FDD pages 109–110)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Annex Brands's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, a franchisee is restricted from involvement in a competing business within a 5-mile radius of their former center for a period of two years following the conclusion of the franchise agreement. The "Conclusion" of the franchise includes its expiration, termination, non-renewal, or transfer. This restriction prevents the franchisee from owning, maintaining, engaging in, or being associated with any business that competes with the Annex Brands center.
This non-compete clause extends not only to direct involvement but also to indirect involvement through entities controlled by the franchisee, including family members and business affiliates. The restriction applies to businesses that are substantially similar to the franchised center. This measure aims to protect Annex Brands's market share and goodwill by preventing former franchisees from leveraging their knowledge and experience to directly compete in the same geographic area.
However, there is an alternative condition that applies if the former Annex Brands center is located in a state where public policy disfavors the enforceability of post-term non-competition covenants against franchisees. In this case, the restriction is limited to a six-month period following the conclusion of the franchise, and it applies only to businesses that sell packaging and shipping services, which constitute a limited portion of the products and services sold by the franchisee's center, and which are located at the premises of the franchisee's center. Annex Brands retains the right to reduce the scope of the non-competition covenant at any time.
Prospective franchisees should be aware of these post-term non-competition restrictions, as they could significantly impact their ability to engage in similar business ventures after leaving the Annex Brands system. Franchisees should seek legal counsel to understand the specific enforceability of these covenants in their state and to assess the potential implications for their future business plans.