From whom must a Big Blue Swim School franchisee acquire the School's pool materials?
Big_Blue_Swim_School Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
Besides the items and services described above for which we and our affiliate currently are approved or designated suppliers, you currently must acquire the School's furniture, fixtures, equipment, Computer System, point-of-sale system, accounting and bookkeeping system, business software (including background check services, credit card processing services, customer feedback software, customer review mitigation, and recruiting tracking software), worker's compensation support, payroll and employee benefits software, signage, uniforms, chemicals and other supplies,
pump, HVAC, pool systems (including the pump room and pump notifications), pool materials (including swim platforms, lane tents, teaching tools, goggles, swim diapers, and swimsuits), building-management systems, marketing (including search engine optimization, digital, print, and email), graphic design services, adaptive swim lessons, lifeguard training, and Loyalty Program Media services only from suppliers we designate or approve.
Source: Item 8 — RESTRICTIONS ON SOURCES OF PRODUCTS AND SERVICES (FDD pages 29–34)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to the 2025 Big Blue Swim School Franchise Disclosure Document, franchisees must acquire pool materials from designated or approved suppliers. These pool materials include swim platforms, lane tents, teaching tools, goggles, swim diapers, and swimsuits.
Big Blue Swim School enforces this requirement to maintain brand standards and ensure quality control across all franchise locations. By mandating specific suppliers for essential items like pool materials, Big Blue Swim School aims to protect its trade secrets and intellectual property, assure a reliable supply of products meeting their standards, and control third-party use of their trademarks.
While franchisees are generally required to purchase from designated or approved suppliers, they can propose alternative suppliers. However, Big Blue Swim School retains the right to approve or disapprove these alternative suppliers based on criteria such as product quality, safety, financial stability, and customer relations. The franchisor can also inspect the supplier's facilities and require product testing, with the franchisee bearing any associated costs. Big Blue Swim School does not make their approval criteria available to franchisees.
Big Blue Swim School can limit the number of approved suppliers, designate exclusive sources, and refuse franchisee requests for any reason, including if they believe doing so is in the best interest of the Big Blue Swim School network. This might be disadvantageous from a cost and service basis to have more than one supplier in a given market area, and Big Blue Swim School has the right to consider the impact of any supplier approval on their and their franchisees' ability to obtain the lowest distribution costs and best service.