Does Gokhale Method require franchisees to purchase all furnishings and equipment from the franchisor?

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To ensure that high and uniform standards of service and quality are maintained, you must operate your Gokhale Method Franchised Business in strict conformity with our methods, standards, specifications, protocols and customer service requirements, and you must purchase certain supplies, fixtures, and equipment from us. Except for the proprietary items that we supply, you may purchase supplies, fixtures and equipment from any source, so long as the items meet our specifications, which are listed below.

Approved Suppliers

Initial Equipment and Furnishings

Prior to opening your Franchised Business, you must purchase the following equipment and furnishings from us: a Gokhale® Roller, a Gokhale Pain-Free™ Chair, 8 Stretchsit® Cushions, 8 Gokhale® Wedges, 8 Gokhale® Head Cushions, 8 copies of 8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back, and sufficient shirts or uniforms (if required by us). You must also obtain an application proprietary to GMI for an iPhone; there is no charge for this application. There are no other suppliers for these items, because they are proprietary to us and GME. Because these items are proprietary to us, we do not authorize other sources to supply these items nor do we permit you to purchase them elsewhere. We do not supply the specifications of these items to third parties. Other than these items, you may purchase other required equipment and supplies from any source that can provide equipment and supplies that meet our specifications.

No officer of GMI owns any interest in any supplier of equipment, furnishings or supplies other than Esther Gokhale's ownership of GME itself.

The items that you must purchase or obtain that must meet our specifications, but that you may obtain from any source are: an Apple MacBook with an Intel Core i5 processor or equivalent, MacOS 12 Monterey or later operating system, and at least 13 inch monitor; optionally an equivalent PC; an iPhone (iPhone 6S or later, running iOS 15 or above), iPad (running iOS 15 or above), or iPod Touch (with camera, 7th generation or later, running iOS 15 or above); a digital projector with sufficient brightness for your location; a projector screen with a diagonal measure of at least 60 inches; 1 exercise strap; 1 yoga mat; 2 pillows (not cervical pillows); 1 folding chairs; 2 height implements (e.g. buckwheat pillows or flannel sheets).

As a part of scheduling group Gokhale® Foundations courses, you must own or make available for use the following: one chair per student; one Stretchsit® Cushion per student; one Gokhale® Wedge per student; one Gokhale® Head Cushion per student; two pillows per student (you can use the institute's automated form to request students to bring their own); one yoga mat or equivalent lying surface per student (you can use the institute's automated form to request students to bring their own). GME is the only approved supplier of the items identified in this paragraph, except that you may purchase the chairs, pillows, and yoga mats from any supplier approved by us.

Source: Item 5 — INITIAL FEES (FDD pages 10–11)