What does My Salon Suite's site approval mean for the franchisee?
My_Salon_Suite Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
we receive this information and materials from you to approve or disapprove the proposed site as the location for the Franchised Business. If we do not provide our specific approval of a proposed site, the site is deemed not approved. Our approval only means that the site meets our minimum requirements for a Franchised Business. Before you lease or purchase the site for the Franchised Business, you must locate a site that satisfies our site selection guidelines (Sections 7.A through 7.E of the Franchise Agreement). If we determine that an on- site evaluation is necessary, then you must: (i) submit to us in the form we specify a description of the site prior to our representative conducting its on-site evaluation, including evidence that the site satisfies our site selection guidelines, together with other information and materials that we may reasonably require, including a letter of intent or other evidence that confirms your favorable prospects for obtaining the site; and (ii) reimburse us for the expenses incurred in connection with such an evaluation. This does not apply to a Conversion Franchise.
We may terminate your Franchise Agreement if: (i) you do not propose at least one (1) location for your Franchised Business within six (6) months of executing your Franchise Agreement; or (ii) you are unable to locate and obtain a suitable location and Approved Location (including signing a lease for that location) within nine (9) months after you sign the Franchise Agreement (Sections 7.A to 7.E of the Franchise Agreement).
If you are granted the right to develop more than one (1) Franchised Businesses pursuant to the Development Agreement, then we will approve the location of future units and the thencurrent standards for sites will apply.
Lease – New Locations
We must approve any lease for the Approved Location before you enter into such an agreement. We may condition our approval on a number of conditions, including: (i) an agreement by you and the landlord of the Approved Location to enter into our prescribed form of collateral assignment of lease and our then-current form of lease addendum (if any); and (ii) receiving a written representation from the landlord of the Approved Location that you will have the right to operate the Franchised Business, including subleasing/renting certain portions of the Approved Location to different third-party salon professionals, throughout the term of your Franchise Agreement (Section 12.S. of the Franchise Agreement). You will also be required to provide to us computer-aided design ("CAD") and Portable Document Format ("PDF") files from the architect or contractor regarding the build-out of the Approved Location.
If you plan to purchase the building where the Approved Location for your Franchised Business will be, then the landlord entity that owns the building must be a separate entity from the franchisee entity. We must approve the lease that you use in connection with the Franchised Business.
Site Selection and Lease – Conversion Franchises
If you are a Conversion Franchisee, your Conversion Franchise will be located at the location of your existing business unless agreed to otherwise in writing. You will bear the cost and expense for making all alterations, modifications, and improvements necessary to establish the Conversion Franchise at your existing business.
We estimate the time from the date you signed the franchise agreement to the opening of your existing business as a Conversion Franchise will be 90 days. This time may vary depending on several factors, including the time required for modification and improvements necessary to operate the Conversion Franchise at your existing business.
Schedule for Opening
We estimate that it will take between 12 to 18 months to open your Franchised Business from the time you execute your Franchise Agreement.
Source: Item 11 — Franchisor's Assistance, Advertising, Computer Systems, and Training (FDD pages 42–53)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to My Salon Suite's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, site approval from My Salon Suite indicates that the location meets the franchisor's minimum requirements for a Franchised Business. However, franchisees must locate a site that satisfies My Salon Suite's site selection guidelines before leasing or purchasing. Franchisees are responsible for the costs associated with evaluating the demographics of the market area for the proposed location. My Salon Suite may use these factors to determine if the site is suitable.
In deciding whether to approve a site, My Salon Suite may consider demographic characteristics, traffic patterns, allowed design and building, parking, visibility, allowed signage, the neighborhood's character, competition from similar businesses, zoning restrictions, soil and environmental issues, and the site's physical characteristics. Franchisees must submit information for at least one proposed site within six months of signing the Franchise Agreement, and My Salon Suite has 15 business days to approve or disapprove the site. If My Salon Suite does not provide specific approval, the site is deemed not approved.
If My Salon Suite determines that an on-site evaluation is necessary, the franchisee must provide a description of the site, evidence that it meets the site selection guidelines, and a letter of intent. The franchisee must also reimburse My Salon Suite for the expenses incurred during the evaluation. Furthermore, My Salon Suite must approve any lease for the Approved Location before the franchisee enters into an agreement, and may condition its approval on certain requirements, such as a collateral assignment of lease and a lease addendum. The landlord must also provide written representation that the franchisee can operate the Franchised Business, including subleasing/renting portions of the Approved Location to third-party salon professionals, throughout the term of the Franchise Agreement. Franchisees must also provide CAD and PDF files from the architect or contractor regarding the build-out of the Approved Location.
For franchisees planning to purchase the building for their My Salon Suite location, the landlord entity owning the building must be separate from the franchisee entity. My Salon Suite must also approve the lease used in connection with the Franchised Business. Failure to propose a location within six months or to secure an Approved Location within nine months after signing the Franchise Agreement can lead to termination of the agreement. These stipulations do not apply to Conversion Franchises, which are located at the franchisee's existing business unless otherwise agreed upon in writing.