Can a Zoomin Groomin franchisee accept orders from consumers outside of their territory?
Zoomin_Groomin Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
You and other franchisees may not accept orders from consumers outside of your Territory, nor may you use other channels of distribution, such as the Internet, catalog sales, telemarketing, or other direct marketing, to make sales outside your Territory, without our prior written permission. We may grant or deny permission in our sole judgment. In no event will you be permitted to offer Services to any Client within a developed territory owned by another unit franchisee. Should we grant permission for you to operate in an undeveloped neighboring territory, our permission will be freely revocable by us for any reason or no reason at all. Further, you will be required to immediately stop providing Services to any Client located outside of your Territory upon verbal or written notice from us that a new franchisee has purchased such territory, and you will provide a list of all customers previously served by you in such territory to the new franchisee.
Should you (i) provide Services or otherwise operate your Franchised Business in another franchisees territory or (ii) fail to stop providing Services or otherwise operate the Franchised Business within fifteen (15) days after being advised that our permission to provide Services or otherwise operate the Franchised Business outside the Territory is revoked because a new franchisee purchased certain rights, then you will pay to the franchisee in whose territory such Services were provided an amount equal to 100% of all grooming and convenience fee collected by you for such Services. Furthermore, you must notify such franchisee who has rights in such territory and provided payment to them within ten (10) days of receipt of payment by you.
Source: Item 12 — TERRITORY (FDD pages 32–34)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Zoomin Groomin's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, franchisees are generally restricted from accepting orders from consumers outside their designated territory. The FDD specifies that franchisees "may not accept orders from consumers outside of your Territory, nor may you use other channels of distribution, such as the Internet, catalog sales, telemarketing, or other direct marketing, to make sales outside your Territory, without our prior written permission." This restriction is in place to protect the territorial exclusivity granted to each franchisee.
However, Zoomin Groomin may grant permission for a franchisee to operate in an undeveloped neighboring territory, but this permission is revocable at any time, for any reason. If a new franchisee purchases the neighboring territory, the original franchisee must immediately cease providing services to clients in that area and provide a list of those customers to the new franchisee.
If a Zoomin Groomin franchisee violates the territorial restrictions by providing services in another franchisee's territory without permission or fails to stop providing services after permission is revoked, they must compensate the affected franchisee. The penalty is "an amount equal to 100% of all grooming and convenience fee collected by you for such Services." The violating franchisee must also notify the franchisee whose territory was infringed upon and provide payment within ten days of receiving payment for the services.