Does Zoomin Groomin define what constitutes 'Customer Data' as confidential information?
Zoomin_Groomin Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
"Confidential Information" means our information or data (oral, written, electronic or otherwise), including, without limitation, a trade secret, that is valuable and not generally known or readily available to third parties obtained by you from us during the term of the Franchise Agreement. The Confidential Information of ours includes all intellectual property associated with our Franchise System, all other materials relating to our Franchise System that are not a matter of public record, and all information generated during the performance of the Franchise Agreement.
"Customer Data" is considered Confidential Information and includes all information about Customers that may be collected in connection with their use of your services including, but not limited to, name, telephone number, address and email address.
Upon termination of your Franchise Agreement, you must return to us our Operations Manuals and any Confidential Information. You may never - during the initial term, any renewal term, or after the Franchise Agreement expires or is terminated - reveal any of our Confidential Information to any other person or entity or use it for the benefit of any other person or business.
Source: Item 14 — PATENTS, COPYRIGHTS AND PROPRIETARY INFORMATION (FDD pages 36–37)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Zoomin Groomin's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, Customer Data is explicitly defined as Confidential Information. Zoomin Groomin considers all information about customers collected in connection with their use of the franchisee's services to be confidential. This includes, but is not limited to, the customer's name, telephone number, address, and email address.
This designation as Confidential Information means that a franchisee is obligated to protect this data and prevent its unauthorized disclosure. The franchisee cannot reveal this information to any other person or entity or use it for the benefit of any other person or business during the initial term, any renewal term, or after the Franchise Agreement expires or is terminated. This obligation extends beyond the term of the franchise agreement, meaning that even after a franchisee leaves the Zoomin Groomin system, they are still bound to protect this customer data.
This is a fairly standard practice in franchising, as customer data is often considered a valuable asset. Franchisors want to ensure that franchisees do not use this information to compete with the system, either during or after the franchise relationship. Prospective franchisees should understand the scope of this confidentiality obligation and ensure they have systems in place to protect customer data. Zoomin Groomin also defines 'Confidential Information' as non-public sensitive or proprietary material related to their Franchise System, relationship with the franchisee, or the Franchise Business, whether provided by Zoomin Groomin or the franchisee. This includes client lists, performance data, and reports from their Franchise System, along with any notes, summaries, or other derivative works.