What are the permissible methods for a Management Recruiters franchisee to sell, transfer, or assign the franchise business?
Management_Recruiters Franchise · 2024 FDDAnswer from 2024 FDD Document
chisor must approve Franchisee's domain names, URLs, and electronic addresses if they contain any
of the Marks or any portion or derivative of the Marks. Franchisee must cease use of domain names, URLs, and electronic addresses which contain any of the Marks or any portion or derivative of the Marks upon expiration or termination of the Franchise Agreement.
13. TRANSFER AND ASSIGNMENT
- 13.1. By Franchisor. This Agreement shall be fully and freely transferable and assignable by Franchisor at any time for any reason.
- 13.2. By Franchisee. Franchisee understands and acknowledges that the rights and duties created by this Agreement are personal to Franchisee and its Principals and that Franchisor has entered into this Agreement in reliance upon the individual or collective character, skill, aptitude, attitude, business ability, and financial capacity of Franchisee and its Principals. Therefore, except as hereinafter provided, neither Franchisee's interest in this Agreement nor any of its rights or privileges herein or obligations hereunder shall be sold, assigned, transferred, sublicensed, shared, or divided or otherwise transferred by Franchisee, in whole or in part, voluntarily or involuntarily, by operation of Law or otherwise in any manner, except upon prior written approval of Franchisor, and in accordance with the provisions of this Section 13. Any assignment or transfer without such approval shall constitute a breach of this Agreement and shall convey no rights or interest in the Franchise Business to such purported assignees or transferees. The only permissible methods of sale, transfer or assignment of the Franchise Business are those set forth in this Section 13.
- 13.3. Change of Business Form. Whether or not an assignment or transfer of the Franchise Business is involved, Franchisee, whether an individual or otherwise, shall not change its business form, whether to obtain the services of a partner, to merge, consolidate, reorganize, or to accomplish any other change, without the prior written approval of Franchisor.
- 13.4. Deemed Assignment. If Franchisee is at any time a corporation or limited liability company, then one or more transactions involving (i) issuance of any securities by Franchisee, or (ii) the transfer of stock or voting power of Franchisee, or (iii) any merger or consolidation involving Franchisee, the effect of which shall result in Franchisee's Principals owning or controlling less than fifty-one percent (51%) of the aggregate voting
securities of Franchisee or otherwise losing the right to control the affairs of Franchisee, shall be deemed to be an assignment of this Agreement within the meaning of this Section 13. If Franchisee is at any time a partnership, then the death, voluntary or involuntary or other withdrawal of any general partner, admission of any additional general partner, or transfer of any general partner's interest in the property, management, or profits and/or losses of the partnership shall be deemed to be an assignment within the meaning of this Section 13.
- 13.5. Franchisor's Right of First Refusal. If Franchisee desires to sell or otherwise transfer the Franchise Business and assign this Agreement, Franchisee shall deliver to Franchisor written notice setting forth all the terms of the proposed transfer and assignment and all information that Franchisor requests concerning the proposed assignee. Franchisor shall have the option, during the thirty (30) days after receipt of the notice, to purchase the Franchise Business and accept assignment of this Agreement on the terms contained in the notice, provided that Franchisor shall have the right to substitute the cash equivalent of any non-cash consideration described in such notice. If Franchisor exercises this option, the purchase of the Franchise Business by Franchisor must be completed no later than thirty (30) days after Franchisor's notice to Franchisee of its purchase election. If Franchisor does not exercise this option during such thirty (30) day period then Franchisee may, during the following one hundred twenty (120) days, transfer the Franchise Business and assign this Agreement to the proposed assignee on the terms in the notice, provided that the assignment shall be made, without limitation, in compliance with this Section. Any proposed transfer not completed within such one hundred twenty (120) day period or any material change in the terms of the proposed transaction prior to closing shall constitute a new offer to which Franchisor shall have the right of first refusal and shall require compliance with this Section 13.5.
- 13.6. Further Conditions. If Franchisor elects not to exercise its right of first refusal, Franchisor's approval of a proposed transfer shall not be unreasonably withheld. However, without limitation of the foregoing, imposition of any or all of the following conditions precedent to Franchisor's approval shall be deemed to be reasonable:
- 13.6.1. Transfer to Franchisee's Corporation.If Franchisee is an individual or partnership and desires to assign and transfer his rights to a newly organized corporation or limited liability company solely for the convenience of ownership:
- such entity's charter shall provide that its activities are confined exclusively to operating the Franchise Business as set forth in this Agreement;
- Franchisee shall be, and shall remain, the owner of the majority stock interest in the transferee corporation or limited liability company;
- the individual Franchisee (or if the Franchisee is a partnership, one of the general partners) shall be, and shall remain, the principal executive officer of the entity;
- the transferee entity shall enter into a written assignment with Franchisee and Franchisor, in form satisfactory to Franchisor, assuming all of the Franchisee's obligations under this Agreement; provided, however, that the Franchisee shall guarantee and shall remain ultimately responsible for all of Franchisee's obligations under this Agreement;
- each stock certificate of the transferee entity shall have conspicuously endorsed upon it a statement that it is held subject to, and that further assignment or transfer thereof is subject to, all restrictions imposed upon assignments and transfers by this Agreement;
Source: Item 23 — RECEIPTS (FDD pages 67–327)
What This Means (2024 FDD)
According to Management Recruiters' 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document, the rights and duties within the franchise agreement are personal to the franchisee and its principals. As such, Management Recruiters requires prior written approval for any sale, assignment, transfer, or sublicense of the franchise. Any transfer without this approval constitutes a breach of the agreement. The permissible methods for transferring the franchise are detailed in Section 13 of the agreement.
Specifically, if a franchisee desires to sell or transfer the franchise, they must provide Management Recruiters with written notice of the proposed terms and information about the potential assignee. Management Recruiters then has a 30-day option to purchase the franchise business on those terms, with the right to substitute cash for any non-cash consideration. If Management Recruiters declines this option, the franchisee has 120 days to complete the transfer to the proposed assignee, under the original terms. Any changes to the terms or failure to complete the transfer within this period constitute a new offer, subject to Management Recruiters' right of first refusal.
Further conditions apply to the transfer, including situations where the franchisee wishes to transfer rights to a corporation or limited liability company solely for ownership convenience. In such cases, the entity's charter must confine its activities to operating the franchise, the franchisee must retain majority stock interest and remain the principal executive officer, and the entity must assume all obligations under the franchise agreement. All stock certificates must indicate that they are subject to transfer restrictions, and no new voting stock can be issued without Management Recruiters' prior consent. All accrued financial obligations to Management Recruiters must be satisfied before the transfer.
In the event of death or incapacity of the franchisee, their spouse, heirs, or legal representative have 180 days to participate in the business, provided they maintain all standards and obligations. During this period, they must either meet the qualifications for a new franchisee or sell the franchise to someone who does. Regardless of the transfer method, the franchisee remains bound by the non-compete covenants outlined in Section 17 of the agreement.