What is a 'designated vendor' for Basecamp Fitness?
Basecamp_Fitness Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
r specifications and quality standards. We do not impose any fee for our consideration of an item not previously approved.
We may require you to purchase certain furniture, equipment, inventory, supplies, services and other products used or offered at your studio from vendors we approve, in which case we will provide you with a list of approved suppliers. These will include mandatory vendors (persons from whom you must purchase certain items or services), designated vendors (for items or services that must be purchased from vendors we approve), and preferred vendors (for vendors we have approved, but in categories where we do not require you obtain our approval of the vendor). These suppliers may pay vendor rebates to us and they may include our company and affiliates of ours. We may modify our mandatory, designated, and/or preferred vendor(s) at any time. We may require you to offer additional services or products and some of those products or services may require that you purchase additional equipment or training for your staff.
When we have a designated vendor (other than a mandatory vendor), if you want to purchase from other vendors the items or services for which that vendor has been designated, you must notify us in writing and obtain our approval. If you seek approval of a new supplier (or if the supplier applies directly to us for approval), we will require the supplier pay us a nonrefundable fee of $300 before we will consider approving their application. This fee is intended to defer our cost of reviewing the supplier. (We do not require you to pay any fee.) We may also require the supplier to sign a supplier agreement with us.
In reviewing prospective suppliers, we consider whether the product or service is consistent with our concept and brand; how they and/or their products or services would enhance our brand and make it more attractive to members and other customers or franchisees; how the product or service would improve the studio experience of a member; how the product or service would increase revenue of a franchisee's business; how the product or service would increase the efficiency of a franchisee; if the product or service is already available through other sources, would approval of another vendor enhance competition or dilute our ability to maximize pricing benefits for our franchisees; is the product of a commercial quality with a proven record of durability; does the supplier support our values; and other factors. In addition, we consider demand from franchisees, the need for the vendor based on business trends, and the ability of the vendor to serve franchisees throughout the United States. (The criteria is posted on our website for potential vendors and franchisees.) We will generally notify you and the supplier of our approval or disapproval within 2-12 months of our receipt of all the information and samples we request. If we revoke approval of any supplier or any item offered by a supplier, we will send you written notice of our revocation of an approved supplier or item.
As of the issuance date of this Disclosure Document, we have the following sole suppliers in our System:
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- We or a third party, depending upon the item, are currently the sole suppliers of certain items logo'd with our Marks, including any branded mobile applications, all retail products for re-sale, workout formats that you must use at your Basecamp Studio and all fitness programming. You must purchase the Build-Out Package from us.
Source: Item 8 — RESTRICTIONS ON SOURCES OF PRODUCTS AND SERVICES (FDD pages 28–32)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Basecamp Fitness's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, a designated vendor is a vendor from whom franchisees must purchase specific items or services, but only if Basecamp Fitness has given its approval. If a franchisee wants to use a different vendor for items or services for which a vendor has been designated, they must get written approval from Basecamp Fitness.
Basecamp Fitness may require franchisees to purchase certain furniture, equipment, inventory, supplies, services, and other products from approved vendors. These vendors can be mandatory (where purchase is required), designated (where purchase is required from an approved vendor), or preferred (where vendors are approved, but franchisee approval isn't required). Basecamp Fitness can modify these vendor designations at any time and may require franchisees to offer additional services or products, potentially necessitating further equipment or training.
If a franchisee seeks approval for a new supplier, or if the supplier applies directly to Basecamp Fitness for approval, the supplier must pay a nonrefundable fee of $300 to cover the review costs. Basecamp Fitness may also require the supplier to sign a supplier agreement. This system allows Basecamp Fitness to maintain quality control and potentially benefit from vendor rebates, which can be up to 15% of franchisee purchases. However, franchisees are not given preferential treatment, such as franchise renewal or additional franchises, based on their use of designated or approved suppliers.
Basecamp Fitness considers several factors when reviewing prospective suppliers, including consistency with the brand, enhancement of the brand's attractiveness, improvement of the member's studio experience, potential for increased franchisee revenue and efficiency, commercial quality, durability, and alignment with company values. They also consider franchisee demand, business trends, and the vendor's ability to serve franchisees effectively.