Does Annex Brands reserve the right to discontinue or modify e-commerce services at its discretion?
Annex_Brands Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
We may make various e-commerce services available to you for reasonable fees.
We will periodically notify you, in our Manuals, in bulletins, in our newsletter (360 Today), in postings on our Intranet franchisee support site, by email, by publishing a list, in writing or otherwise, of available e-commerce services, together with a schedule of applicable fees.
We also may provide a method by which you may be able to offer websites to your customers and to offer to your customers some of the same e-commerce services that will be available to you.
Currently, you are not required to use any of these e-commerce services, but we reserve the right to make this a requirement in the future.
We reserve the right to discontinue or modify these e-commerce services, in our sole discretion.
Source: Item 22 — Contracts (FDD pages 109–110)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Annex Brands's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, Annex Brands retains the right to discontinue or modify e-commerce services offered to franchisees at its sole discretion. This means that while Annex Brands may offer various e-commerce services for reasonable fees, they are not obligated to maintain these services indefinitely in their original form.
Annex Brands periodically informs franchisees of available e-commerce services and their associated fees through various channels, including manuals, bulletins, newsletters, intranet postings, email, and written notices. While franchisees are not currently required to use these e-commerce services, Annex Brands reserves the right to mandate their use in the future.
For a prospective franchisee, this implies that reliance on specific e-commerce services to grow their business could be risky, as these services could be altered or terminated. It would be prudent to discuss with Annex Brands their long-term strategy for e-commerce offerings and to understand the potential impact of any changes on the franchisee's business operations. This is a fairly standard clause in franchise agreements, as franchisors need the flexibility to adapt to changing market conditions and technological advancements.