Must a Bigfoot Forestry franchisee comply with extra-territorial advertising policies?
Bigfoot_Forestry Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
- Extraterritorial Operations.** You may not operate your Business or provide Bigfoot Forestry Services outside of your Territory except as otherwise permitted by this Section. With our prior approval, which we may withhold in our sole discretion, you may provide Bigfoot Forestry Services at job sites located outside your Territory but within a geographic area we approve (an "Approved Open Territory"). Under no circumstances will we approve an area that: (a) is assigned to another Bigfoot Forestry Business; or (b) is not adjacent to, and contiguous with, your Territory.
Source: Item 23 — RECEIPT (FDD pages 42–162)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to the 2025 Bigfoot Forestry FDD, franchisees may need to comply with extra-territorial advertising policies if they operate outside of their designated territory. Generally, franchisees can only provide Bigfoot Forestry services at job sites within their assigned territory. However, with prior approval from Bigfoot Forestry, a franchisee may provide services in an "Approved Open Territory," which is an area outside their territory but adjacent to it and not assigned to another franchisee.
If Bigfoot Forestry grants approval for a franchisee to operate in an Approved Open Territory, the franchisee must comply with two sets of rules. First, they must adhere to Bigfoot Forestry's then-current extra-territorial operations policy, if such a policy exists and is described in the Manual. Second, the franchisee must comply with all other conditions and requirements that Bigfoot Forestry specifies.
Bigfoot Forestry retains the right to revoke its approval for extra-territorial operations at any time. If approval is revoked, the franchisee must immediately cease all operations in the Approved Open Territory and transfer any ongoing projects in that area to Bigfoot Forestry or its designee. While Bigfoot Forestry does not anticipate revoking approval except in specific circumstances, such as awarding the territory to another franchisee or if the franchisee fails to meet operational standards, this clause gives Bigfoot Forestry significant control over where and how a franchisee can operate.