How many Belocal franchisees were considered 'Reporting Franchisees' for the financial performance representation?
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. By "active franchisee" we mean actively involved in in-print activities for at least one Publication for the entirety of the Reporting Period.
We had a total of 135 BELOCAL publication franchises during the Reporting Period. We excluded the Commission payments made to publications that were not in print for the full year. We do not include information for franchisees who have been operating less than one year because we do not consider that information to be as reliable as information from franchisees who have been in operation for at least one year. We also excluded the Commission payments made to publications that were managed by 4 franchisees whose Commission payments were calculated using a different formula than the rest of our franchisees. We do not include in this disclosure document financial information about Publications managed by our affiliate. We do not include in this disclosure document financial information about our franchisees who operate the 13 Test Publications.
Source: Item 19 — FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE REPRESENTATIONS (FDD pages 55–59)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Belocal's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the financial performance representation includes data from 88 franchisees, which the FDD refers to as "Reporting Franchisees." These franchisees were active during the reporting period, which spanned from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025. To be considered an active franchisee, they needed to be actively involved in in-print activities for at least one Belocal publication throughout the entire reporting period.
It's important to note that Belocal had a total of 135 publication franchises during this period, but not all were included in the financial performance representation. The FDD excludes commission payments made to publications that were not in print for the full year. Belocal also excludes data from franchisees operating for less than one year, as they deem this information less reliable. Additionally, the financial data excludes publications managed by four franchisees whose commission payments were calculated using a different formula, as well as publications managed by Belocal's affiliate and the 13 test publications.
For a prospective franchisee, this means the financial performance data is based on a specific subset of Belocal franchisees who meet particular criteria. The data aims to provide a more reliable picture of potential earnings, focusing on established franchisees using a consistent commission structure. However, it's crucial to remember that this data may not be representative of all Belocal franchisees, especially those in their initial year of operation or those operating under different commission structures. A potential franchisee should consider these exclusions when evaluating the financial opportunity.