What does Apricot Lane franchisor's recommendation of a premises indicate?
Apricot_Lane Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
Despite any assistance, information or recommendations that FRANCHISOR provided or will provide (whether before or after the Effective Date) with respect to the Premises, FRANCHISOR has made and will make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, of the suitability of the Premises for a Specialty Store or any other purpose. FRANCHISOR's recommendation indicates only that FRANCHISOR believes that the Premises meets or has the potential to meet, or that FRANCHISOR has waived, the general criteria of Premises acceptability that FRANCHISOR has established as of that time. Applying criteria that have appeared effective for other Premises might not accurately reflect the potential for all premises, and, after we recommend or accept a Premises, demographic and/or other factors included in or excluded from our location criteria could change, thereby altering a premises' potential. The uncertainty and instability of these criteria are beyond FRANCHISOR's control, and FRANCHISOR is not responsible if the Premises fails to meet FRANCHISOR's or FRANCHISEE's expectations. Your acceptance of the rights under this Agreement is based on your own independent investigation of, or agreement in the future to investigate, the Premises' suitability. **Initial
Source: Item 23 — RECEIPTS (FDD pages 51–222)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Apricot Lane's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the franchisor's recommendation of a premises indicates that they believe the location meets, has the potential to meet, or that they have waived the general criteria of premises acceptability that Apricot Lane has established at that time. However, Apricot Lane makes no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, of the suitability of the premises for a Specialty Store or any other purpose.
Apricot Lane emphasizes that criteria that have appeared effective for other premises might not accurately reflect the potential for all premises. Demographic and other factors included in or excluded from their location criteria could change after they recommend or accept a premises, which could alter the premises' potential. The uncertainty and instability of these criteria are beyond Apricot Lane's control, and they are not responsible if the premises fails to meet their or the franchisee's expectations.
This means that while Apricot Lane may offer guidance or suggestions regarding potential locations, the ultimate responsibility for assessing the suitability of a location rests with the franchisee. The franchisee must conduct their own independent investigation to determine if the premises will meet their needs and expectations for the Apricot Lane store. This is a common practice in franchising, as the franchisee typically bears the risk and reward of the specific location's performance.