Does the Wisconsin Addendum to the Zoomin Groomin Disclosure Document supersede any conflicting terms in the Disclosure Document for franchises governed by the Wisconsin Fair Dealership Law?
Zoomin_Groomin Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
WISCONSIN ADDENDUM TO THE DISCLOSURE DOCUMENT
As to franchises governed by the Wisconsin Fair Dealership Law, if any of the terms of the Disclosure Document are inconsistent with the terms below, the terms below control.
1. Item 17 is modified to also provide,
If the franchise agreement contains any provisions that conflict with the Wisconsin Fair Dealership Law, the provisions of this Addendum shall prevail to the extent of such conflict.
With respect to franchises governed by Wisconsin law, the Wisconsin Fair Dealership Law applies to most, if not all, franchise agreements and prohibits the termination, cancellation, non-renewal or the substantial change of the competitive circumstances of a dealership agreement without good cause. That Law further providesthat 90 days' prior written notice of a proposed termination, etc. must be given to the dealer. The dealer has 60 days to cure the deficiency and if the deficiency is cured, the notice is void.
Source: Item 9 — 01. Financial Statements and Exhibits. (FDD pages 68–156)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Zoomin Groomin's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the Wisconsin Addendum to the Disclosure Document takes precedence over any conflicting terms within the standard Disclosure Document for franchises in Wisconsin governed by the Wisconsin Fair Dealership Law. This means that if there's an inconsistency between the general franchise terms and the specific provisions in the Wisconsin Addendum, the Addendum's terms will be the ones enforced. This ensures that Zoomin Groomin's franchise operations in Wisconsin comply with local laws designed to protect franchisees.
Specifically, the addendum states that if the franchise agreement contains any provisions that conflict with the Wisconsin Fair Dealership Law, the provisions of the addendum shall prevail to the extent of such conflict. The Wisconsin Fair Dealership Law generally applies to franchise agreements within the state, preventing termination, cancellation, non-renewal, or significant changes to the competitive circumstances of a dealership agreement without good cause.
Furthermore, the law mandates that Zoomin Groomin must provide the franchisee with a 90-day prior written notice of any proposed termination or significant change. The franchisee then has 60 days to address and cure any deficiency cited in the notice. If the franchisee successfully cures the deficiency within this period, the termination notice becomes void. This provision offers Zoomin Groomin franchisees in Wisconsin a degree of protection and an opportunity to rectify any issues before facing termination or adverse changes to their franchise agreement.