Does the City Publications franchise agreement prohibit acting as a consultant to any Competitive Business?
City_Publications Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
[Item 23: RECEIPT]
A. Restriction During Term of Agreement
Franchisee covenants that, except as otherwise approved in writing by Franchisor, neither Franchisee nor any partner(s), officer(s), director(s), member(s), executives, professional staff or sales staff or the spouses of any of the foregoing shall, during the term hereof, either directly or indirectly, for itself or through, on behalf of or in conjunction with, any person, persons, partnership, corporation, limited liability company or other entity:
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- Own an interest in, manage, operate, be employed, in a sales or management capacity, by, or act as a consultant to any Competitive Business anywhere;
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- Initiate any action to hire, or attempt to hire for any other employer, any person who is employed by Franchisor or employed by any other franchisee of the CITY PUBLICATIONS System, or induce any such person to leave his employment with Franchisor or any other franchisee in order to work for any other employer, whether or not the person's employment with the business is pursuant to a written agreement or is at will; or
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- Divert business of customers of the Franchised Business or other Franchisor or franchisee-owned CITY PUBLICATIONS Businesses to any Competitive Business.
B. Restriction After Termination
Franchisee covenants that, except as otherwise approved in writing by Franchisor, neither Franchisee nor any partner(s), officer(s), director(s), member(s), executives, or professional staff or sales staff or their spouses of any of the foregoing shall for a period of two (2) years after the expiration or termination of this Agreement regardless of the cause, either directly or indirectly, for itself or through, on behalf of or in conjunction with, any person, persons, partnership, corporation, limited liability company or other entity: [Item 23: RECEIPT]
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- Own an interest in, manage, operate, be employed, in a sales or management capacity, by, or act as a consultant to any Competitive Business anywhere within the Exclusive Territory granted to Franchisee, or within a radius of twenty-five (25) miles of any other Franchisor or franchisee-owned CITY PUBLICATIONS Business;
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- Initiate any action to hire, or attempt to hire for any other employer, any person who is employed by Franchisor or employed by any other franchisee of the CITY PUBLICATIONS System, or induce any such person to leave his employment with Franchisor or any other franchisee in order to work for any other employer, whether or not the person's employment with the business is pursuant to a written agreement or is at will; or
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- Solicit business from customers of Franchisee's former CITY PUBLICATIONS business or other Franchisor or franchisee-owned CITY PUBLICATIONS Businesses.
C. Reasonableness of Restrictions
Franchisee acknowledges that the restrictive covenants contained in Section 17 are essential elements of this Agreement
and that without their inclusion, Franchisor would not have entered into this Agreement. Franchisee agrees that each of the terms set forth herein, including the restrictive covenants, is fair and reasonable, and are reasonably required for the protection of Franchisor and the Franchise System.
D. Remedies
As any breach by Franchisee of any of the covenants contained in this Section would result in irreparable injury to Franchisor, and as the damages arising out of any such breach would be difficult to ascertain, Franchisee agrees that, in addition to all other remedies provided by law or in equity, Franchisor, in the event of a breach or threatened breach of the covenants herein contained, shall be entitled to seek immediate equitable remedies including, but not limited to, restraining orders, preliminary and permanent injunctions in order to prevent Franchisee, its partners, members, officers, directors or employees from continuing to breach the covenants contained in this Section 17. [Item 23: RECEIPT]
- "Competitive Business" means any business that sells, or grants franchises or licenses to others to operate a business that
sells, direct mail advertising or similar services to those offered as part of the CITY PUBLICATIONS System or in which Confidential Information could be used to the disadvantage of Franchisor or its other franchisees; provided, however, that the term "Competitive Business" shall not apply to: (a) any business operated by Franchisee under a Franchise Agreement with Franchisor, or (b) ownership for investment purposes of less than five percent (5%) of the stock of any publicly-traded corporation in which similar services as those offered as part of the System are sold only as an ancillary product, constituting less than ten percent (10%) of the aggregate gross sales of such business.
Source: Item 23 — RECEIPT (FDD pages 39–129)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to City Publications' 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the franchise agreement does place restrictions on a franchisee's ability to act as a consultant to a competitive business, both during the term of the agreement and after termination.
During the term of the agreement, unless approved in writing by City Publications, a franchisee (or their partners, officers, directors, members, executives, professional staff, sales staff, or their spouses) is prohibited from acting as a consultant to any Competitive Business. The definition of "Competitive Business" includes businesses that sell direct mail advertising or similar services to those offered as part of the City Publications system, or businesses in which confidential information could be used to the disadvantage of City Publications or its other franchisees. However, this restriction does not apply to businesses operated by the franchisee under a franchise agreement with City Publications or ownership for investment purposes of less than 5% of the stock of any publicly-traded corporation where similar services are an ancillary product constituting less than 10% of the aggregate gross sales.
After termination of the franchise agreement, the franchisee faces similar restrictions for a period of two years. Unless otherwise approved in writing by City Publications, the franchisee and related parties are prohibited from acting as a consultant to a Competitive Business. This post-termination restriction applies regardless of the cause of termination.
These restrictions are acknowledged by the franchisee as essential elements of the agreement, and the franchisee agrees that they are fair, reasonable, and necessary to protect City Publications and its franchise system. Breaching these covenants could result in irreparable injury to City Publications, entitling them to seek equitable remedies such as restraining orders and injunctions, in addition to other legal remedies.