What is Buff City Soap restricted from doing in the Protected Area after it is identified?
Buff_City_Soap Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
uld consider for an application to approve any new location, such demographics, traffic patterns, physical site profiles, access, parking, competition in the market area, and other factors.
You do not have a right of first refusal to establish additional locations in your Protected Area, nor will you have any similar rights to obtain additional franchises.
During the term of the Franchise Agreement, neither we nor our affiliates will operate, franchise or license any other person or entity to operate a BCS Makery in the Designated Area until your Protected Area is identified, and, thereafter, will not operate or authorize any person other than you to operate a BCS Makery in the Protected Area. This restriction will not apply to any BCS Soap operating or under development by any person within the Designated Area as of the effective date of the Franchise Agreement. The Protected Area will be determined by us and stated in an Exhibit G of the Franchise Agreement that we send you.
The continuation of territorial protection under the Franchise Agreement does not depend on the achievement of any specific sales volume, market penetration or other contingency. We retain no rights to modify your Protected Area.
We retain all rights within and outside the Protected Area except those that are expressly granted to you in the Franchise Agreement. You will receive no compensation if we exercise our reserved rights. Without limiting the preceding sentence, we retain the right:
(1) to advertise and promote the System within and outside the Protected Area;
- (2) to operate and license or franchise other persons to operate a BCS Makery at any location outside of your Protected Area;
- (3) except for the restriction against the establishment of another BCS Makery in the Protected Area, to offer and sell, and authorize others to offer and sell, any products and services, including those offered and sold at BCS Makeries (such as packaged personal care products, clothing, merchandise and other Buff City Soap memorabilia), under the Marks or other trademarks at or from any location or through any channel of distribution (spas, salons, boutiques, supermarkets, discount stores, department stores and convenience stores, hospitals, health care facilities, airports, stadiums, business or industry locations (e.g. manufacturing site, office building, distribution facilities), military installations, military commissaries, universities, schools, the internet (or any other existing or future form of electronic commerce), other retail locations or wholesale channels and other retail facilities such as kiosks and multi-brand facilities providing a limited number or representative sample of the Products and services normally offered by a BCS Makery);
- (4) to establish and operate, and license others to establish and operate, any business other than a BCS Makery, including other shops or retail businesses, under the Marks or under other marks, including Makeries or other businesses that we or its affiliates may operate, acquire, be acquired by, or be merged or consolidated with; and
- (5) to establish and operate and license others to establish and operate, BCS Makeries and other retail facilities in any Reserved Area whether or not located within the Protected Area. A Reserved Area is any location that by its nature is unique and separate in character from locations generally developed as BCS Makeries, which include military bases, airports, shopping malls, hospitals, campuses, schools, hotels, casinos and other mass gathering locations or events. Because we may operate and authorize others to operate BCS Makeries in any Reserved Area, you will not receive an exclusive territory.
Source: Item 12 — TERRITORY (FDD pages 43–45)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Buff City Soap's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, once a Protected Area is established, Buff City Soap is restricted from operating, franchising, or licensing any other person or entity to operate another Buff City Soap Makery within that Protected Area. This restriction applies for the duration of the Franchise Agreement, provided the franchisee is not in default. The Protected Area is formally defined in Exhibit G of the Franchise Agreement. However, this restriction does not apply to any Buff City Soap already operating or under development within the Designated Area as of the Franchise Agreement's effective date.
Despite this restriction, Buff City Soap retains significant rights within and outside the Protected Area. They can still advertise and promote the Buff City Soap system, operate or franchise Makeries outside the Protected Area, and offer or sell products and services through various channels, including online, retail locations, and wholesale channels. Buff City Soap can also establish other businesses besides Buff City Soap Makeries, even under the same or different trademarks, and operate Makeries in Reserved Areas like military bases or airports, regardless of the Protected Area.
This means that while a franchisee has some territorial protection against another brick-and-mortar Buff City Soap location, they may still face competition from other franchisees, company-owned outlets, alternative channels of distribution, or even other brands that Buff City Soap controls. The franchisee does not have the right to modify their Protected Area, and Buff City Soap retains all rights not expressly granted to the franchisee. This includes the right to develop alternative distribution channels that may compete with the franchisee's business.
Prospective franchisees should be aware that the Protected Area's size can vary, with metropolitan areas typically having smaller Protected Areas than suburban or rural areas. The continuation of territorial protection does not depend on achieving specific sales volumes or market penetration. Given these factors, it is crucial for potential franchisees to carefully review Exhibit G of the Franchise Agreement to understand the exact boundaries of their Protected Area and to assess the potential for competition from other channels and brands.