What criteria must a Belocal publication meet to be considered a 'Reporting Publication'?
Belocal Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
This historical financial performance representation relates to Commission payments we paid from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025 ("Reporting Period") to 84 BeLocal Publications that were in print as of June 30, 2024 and that had been in print for a full year ("Reporting Publications") and to 88 franchisees who were active franchisees for the Reporting Period ("Reporting Franchisees"). By "in print," we mean that the publication that had been in print for at least one year under the franchisee's management.
Source: Item 19 — FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE REPRESENTATIONS (FDD pages 55–59)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Belocal's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, a 'Reporting Publication' must meet specific criteria related to its time in print. To be included in the financial performance representations, a Belocal publication must have been in print as of June 30, 2024, and must have been in print for a full year. This means the publication must have been actively operating under a franchisee's management for at least one year to be considered a 'Reporting Publication'.
Belocal uses the data from these 'Reporting Publications' to compile the financial performance representations in Item 19 of the FDD. This information is intended to provide prospective franchisees with insights into the potential financial performance of Belocal publications. By focusing on publications with at least one year of operating history, Belocal aims to provide a more reliable and representative overview of potential earnings.
It is important to note that Belocal excluded data from publications that were not in print for the full year, as well as those managed by franchisees whose commission payments were calculated using a different formula. Additionally, financial information from publications managed by Belocal's affiliate and the 13 test publications were also excluded from the financial performance representation. This ensures that the data presented reflects a consistent and comparable set of publications operating under standard franchise agreements.
Prospective franchisees should understand these criteria when reviewing the financial performance data. The data represents a specific subset of Belocal publications and may not be indicative of the performance of new publications or those operating under different circumstances. It is advisable for potential franchisees to conduct their own due diligence and consult with financial advisors to assess the potential financial performance of a Belocal franchise in their specific market.