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Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Air Traffic vs Ace Hardware including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.
Start-Up Costs and Fees |
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Investment | $166,200 | $41,000 - $2,110,230 |
Franchise Fee | $30,000 | $5,000 |
Royalty Fee | 5% | 0 |
Advertising Fee | - | - |
Year Founded | 1993 | 1924 |
Year Franchised | 2003 | 1976 |
Term Of Agreement | 10 years | - |
Term Of Agreement | 10 years | - |
Renewal Fee | $5K | - |
Business Experience Requirements |
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Experience | Minimum Financial Requirements: * $250,000 Liquid Assets * $400,000 Net Worth | |
Financing Options |
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In-House/3rd Party | In-House/3rd Party | |
Franchise Fees | No/No | No/Yes |
Start-up Costs | No/No | No/Yes |
Equipment | No/No | No/Yes |
Inventory | No/No | No/Yes |
Receivables | No/No | No/Yes |
Payroll | No/No | No/Yes |
Training & Support |
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Training | - | Training in all functional areas of operation, service and promotion: * Effective store management * Strategies and management of each revenue center * Purchasing and inventory strategies * Implementing helpful customer service * Financial management and "back-office" procedures * Hiring, training and managing employees * Effective store marketing techniques |
Support | Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, Internet, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives | Hands on, in-store training at opening - Ongoing contact from dedicated Ace support staff - In-store tools for continual improvement * In-store customer survey * Customer comment card program * Mystery shopper program A district manager will be assigned to your store to facilitate ongoing business needs and help you develop store growth plans to maximize retail sales and profits. |
Marketing | Co-op advertising | - |
Operations |
100% of all franchisees own more than one unit Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 5 - 10
Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators) | - |
Expansion Plans |
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US Expansion | - | - |
Canada Expansion | No | No |
International Expansion | No | No |
Air Traffic Stores are an exciting new franchise concept that creates an interactive environment for customers to shop and play at the same time.Air Traffic created a unique niche in the billion-dollar toy and game industry. Popular brand names, product ties to the entertainment industry, and millions of marketing dollars create excitement about the product and ring the register at your store. At Air Traffic our #1 objective is to develop a team between our franchisee and our retail support staff. This team will work together to maximize the profitability of the store.
What started as a little chain of stores built up by a gathering of Chicago retailers in 1924 has advanced into one of the country's driving "useful equipment" merchant possessed cooperatives. Ace has developed from a couple of Chicago-region tool shops, to incorporate more than 4,700 stores in 50 states and more than 70 nations. However one thing has stayed unaltered - Ace's dedication to conveying accommodating equipment administration to shoppers.