factual

Under what conditions does Mrcool require a transfer of the franchise agreement to be approved by the franchisor?

Mrcool Franchise · 2025 FDD

Answer from 2025 FDD Document

purported Transfer without the written consent of Franchisor, or otherwise in violation of this Agreement including, but not limited to this Article 14.B. shall constitute a breach of this Agreement and shall convey to the transferee no rights or interests in this Agreement; and

  • (5) In the event of a Transfer of this Agreement that is approved by Franchisor, Franchisee shall not be relieved of Franchisee's obligations under this Agreement whether said obligations accrued and/or arose prior to and/or after the date of Transfer.

14.C. CONDITIONS FOR APPROVAL OF TRANSFER

Provided Franchisee and each Owner and Spouse, respectively, are in substantial compliance with this Agreement and the Ancillary Agreements, and Franchisor does not elect to exercise Franchisor's right of first refusal as set forth in Article 14.F. below, Franchisor shall not unreasonably withhold its approval of a Transfer by Franchisee or an Owner. The proposed transferee (including such assignee's owner(s) and spouse(s) if the proposed transferee is a Corporate Entity) must be of good moral character, have sufficient business experience, aptitude and financial resources to own and operate a MRCOOL Center, and otherwise meet Franchisor's then applicable standards for franchisees as determined by Franchisor in its sole, but reasonable discretion. Furthermore, the proposed transferee and the proposed transferee's owners and spouses may not own or operate, or intend to own or operate, a Competitive Business. Franchisee agrees that Franchisor may condition approval of a Transfer upon Franchisee's satisfaction (either before, or contemporaneously with, the effective date of the Transfer) of the following:

(1) Franchisee must provide written notice to Franchisor of the proposed Transfer of this Agreement at least 30 days prior to the Transfer, and Franchisee must have also satisfied the obligations set forth in Article 14.F. below;

  • (2) All accrued monetary obligations of Franchisee and all other outstanding obligations to Franchisor and/or Franchisor's affiliates under this Agreement and the Ancillary Agreements must be satisfied in a timely manner, and Franchisee must satisfy all trade, supplier, and vendor accounts and other debts, of whatever nature or kind, in a timely manner;
  • (3) Franchisee, each Owner, and each Spouse must not be in default or material breach of this Agreement or the Ancillary Agreements;
  • (4) The transferee shall be bound by all terms and conditions of this Agreement, and each owner of the transferee and their respective spouses shall personally execute the Franchise Owner and Spouse Agreement and Guaranty in the form attached to this Agreement as Exhibit 1. Each owner of the transferee shall also be required to execute such further agreements designated by Franchisor whereby the proposed transferee assumes each and every obligation and responsibility of Franchisee as set forth in this Agreement;
  • (5) All obligations of Franchisee under this Agreement and the Ancillary Agreements shall be assumed by the transferee, each individual owner of transferee, and their respective spouses in a manner satisfactory to Franchisor;
  • (6) Franchisee, each Owner, and each Spouse must execute the General Release attached to this Agreement as Exhibit 8 releasing Franchisor, Franchisor's affiliates and Franchisor's past and present officers, directors, shareholders, members, partners, agents, representatives, independent contractors, servants and employees, of any and all claims against Franchisor for matters arising on, or before, the effective date of the Transfer;
  • (7) If the proposed Transfer includes or entails the Transfer of this Agreement, substantially all of the assets of the Franchised Business, a controlling interest in Franchisee, or is one of a series of Transfers which in the aggregate Transfers substantially all of the assets of the Franchised Business or a controlling interest in Franchisee, then, at the election of Franchisor and upon notice from Franchisor to Franchisee, the transferee may be required to execute (and/or, upon Franchisee's request, shall cause all interested parties to execute) for a term ending on the expiration date of the original Term of this Agreement, the then current standard form Franchise Agreement offered to new franchisees of MRCOOL Centers and any other agreements as Franchisor requires. Such agreements shall supersede this Agreement and its associated agreement in all respects, and the terms of Franchisor's then current agreements may differ from the terms in this Agreement, provided that such agreements shall provide for the same Royalty Fee, Advertising Contributions, and all other financial or monetary obligations established in this Agreement;
  • (8) Unless Franchisee has met the requirements of Article 7.B. within the five year period immediately preceding the Transfer, the transferee, at its expense, must improve, modify, refurbish, renovate, remodel, and/or otherwise upgrade Franchisee's MRCOOL Center Facility to conform to the then current standards and specifications of Franchisor, and the transferee must complete such improvements, modifications, refurbishments, renovations, remodeling, and/or upgrading within the time period Franchisor reasonably specifies;
  • (9) Franchisee, each Owner, and each Spouse shall remain liable for all obligations to Franchisor set forth in this Agreement;
  • (10) At the transferee's expense, the transferee, and the transferee's Managing Owner, managers and/or any other applicable employees of transferee's MRCOOL Center must complete any training programs then in effect for franchisees of MRCOOL Centers upon terms and conditions

set forth in this Agreement or as Franchisor otherwise reasonably requires;

  • (11) Franchisee must pay the Transfer Fee to Franchisor;
  • (12) Franchisor's approval of the material terms and conditions of the Transfer, and Franchisor determines in Franchisor's Reasonable Business Judgment that the price and terms of payment are not so burdensome as to be detrimental to the future operations of the Franchised Business by the transferee;
  • (13) Transferee's employees, directors, officers, independent contractors, and agents who will have access to Confidential Information shall execute the Confidentiality Agreement attached hereto as Exhibit 2;
  • (14) Franchisee entering into an agreement with Franchisor agreeing to subordinate any obligations of transferee to make installment payments of the purchase price to Franchisee to the transferee's obligations to Franchisor, including, without limitation, transferee's obligations with respect to Royalty Fees and Advertising Contributions;
  • (15) Franchisee and transferee acknowledge and agree that Franchisor's approval of the Transfer indicates only that the transferee meets, or Franchisor waived, the criteria established by Franchisor expenses incurred in the operations of Franchisee's Center or to any creditor of Franchisee for any products, materials, supplies or services purchased by Franchisee's Center. Franchisor has the right to charge a reasonable fee for such management services and may cease to provide management services at any time.
  • (2) If Franchisee is a Corporate Entity, upon the death or permanent disability of Franchisee's Managing Owner, the remaining Owners within a reasonable time, which shall not exceed 30 days from the date of death or permanent disability must appoint a new Managing Owner that is approved by Franchisor. The appointed Managing Owner must attend and successfully complete the Training Program within 60 days of the appointment. If Franchisee's Center is not being managed by a Franchisor approved Managing Owner (as applicable) within 30 days after such death or permanent disability, Franchisor is authorized, but is not required, to immediately appoint a manager to maintain the operations of Franchisee's Center for, and on behalf of, Franchisee at Franchisee's sole costs until an approved Managing Owner is able to assume the management and operation of Franchisee's Center.

Source: Item 23 — RECEIPTS (FDD pages 55–263)

What This Means (2025 FDD)

According to Mrcool's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, Mrcool requires a transfer of the franchise agreement to be approved by the franchisor. Mrcool will not unreasonably withhold approval of a transfer if the franchisee, owners, and spouses are in substantial compliance with the agreement and ancillary agreements, and if Mrcool does not exercise its right of first refusal. The proposed transferee must be of good moral character, have sufficient business experience, aptitude, and financial resources to operate a Mrcool Center, and meet Mrcool's standards for franchisees. The transferee and their owners/spouses cannot own or operate a competitive business.

To gain approval for a transfer, the franchisee must provide written notice to Mrcool at least 30 days prior to the transfer and satisfy obligations outlined in Article 14.F. All accrued monetary and outstanding obligations to Mrcool and its affiliates must be satisfied, along with trade, supplier, and vendor accounts. The franchisee, owners, and spouses must not be in default or material breach of the agreement. The transferee must be bound by all terms of the agreement, and their owners/spouses must execute the Franchise Owner and Spouse Agreement and Guaranty.

The transferee, owners, and spouses must assume all obligations of the franchisee under the agreement and ancillary agreements in a manner satisfactory to Mrcool. Franchisee, each Owner, and each Spouse must execute a General Release releasing Mrcool and its affiliates from any claims arising on or before the transfer date. If the transfer includes the franchise agreement, substantially all assets of the franchised business, or a controlling interest in the franchisee, Mrcool can require the transferee to execute the then-current standard form franchise agreement for a term ending on the original agreement's expiration date, which would supersede the original agreement, provided that such agreements shall provide for the same Royalty Fee, Advertising Contributions, and all other financial or monetary obligations established in this Agreement. The franchisee and transferee must acknowledge that Mrcool's approval of the transfer does not constitute approval of future transfers or waive the requirement for Mrcool to approve such future transfers. The transfer must comply with all applicable laws and be made in conjunction with a transfer of the franchise agreement approved by Mrcool.

Additionally, unless the franchisee has met the requirements of Article 7.B. within the five-year period before the transfer, the transferee must improve, modify, refurbish, renovate, remodel, or upgrade the Mrcool Center to meet Mrcool's current standards within a timeframe specified by Mrcool. The franchisee, each owner, and each spouse remain liable for all obligations to Mrcool. The transferee and its managing owner, managers, and employees must complete any training programs in effect for Mrcool franchisees. The franchisee must pay a Transfer Fee to Mrcool, and Mrcool must approve the material terms and conditions of the transfer, determining that the price and payment terms are not detrimental to the franchised business's future operations. Transferee's employees, directors, officers, independent contractors, and agents who will have access to Confidential Information shall execute the Confidentiality Agreement attached hereto as Exhibit 2. Franchisee entering into an agreement with Franchisor agreeing to subordinate any obligations of transferee to make installment payments of the purchase price to Franchisee to the transferee's obligations to Franchisor, including, without limitation, transferee's obligations with respect to Royalty Fees and Advertising Contributions.

Disclaimer: This information is extracted from the 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document and is provided for research purposes only. It does not constitute legal or financial advice. Consult with a franchise attorney before making any investment decisions.