First and foremost, you have our sympathies for what you and your families are going through at the moment with all of the store closings. We all know retail is a tough and brutal business at times, and we wish you all the success in the world in your next endeavor.
Many of you have been in the retail game for a long time, honing a very specific set of skills to carve out a career that can be cut short in a second due to forces beyond your control. But we wanted you to know that these skills can be used in your own business, where you control the environment, you control the culture and you control your own destiny.
Winmark Corporation is the leading franchisor in the retail resale sector, the fastest-growing segment of the retail industry. The resale industry is estimated to be an $18 billion business, and our five unique brands – Plato’s Closet®, Once Upon A Child®, Style Encore®, Play It Again Sports® and Music Go Round® – make up over $1.2 billion of that number.
Resale is the one area of retail that continues to have a growing customer base and has seen phenomenal growth over the past decade with the growing Gen Z and Millennial demographics. For more on the resale industry, visit our website and take a look at our recent industry report, Where is the Resale Industry Headed in the Next Five Years?.
Our brands are represented by hundreds of passionate franchisees who care about their communities and the environment. Over the past decade, we have recycled over 1 billion items back into our communities, saving an enormous number of products from going to landfills or being incinerated – thus preventing the unnecessary depletion of our planet’s natural resources.
Our customers and communities we serve have also benefited greatly by saving up to 90 percent off regular retail pricing and earning cash on-the-spot for their items. This allows them to stretch their family budgets even further.
While retail’s future continues to be under attack from Amazon and other internet giants, our brands continue to excel in our communities, buying and selling items with our customers through our brick-and-mortar locations and our online marketplaces. We continue to thrive 30 years after having opened our first location, and now with over 1,250 locations in North American and growing, our future has never looked brighter.
We are looking for talented entrepreneurs to join our franchise family and open their own stores in their communities. We have something for everyone, from children’s products to sporting goods and fashion apparel to musical instruments.
If you are interested in continuing your career in retail but want to own your own future, consider one of Winmark’s franchise brands and open your own retail resale store today. To learn more, go to https://www.winmarkfranchises.com/become-a-franchisee.
We wish you nothing but success in your retail careers and thank you for the opportunity to share our franchise brands with you.
Sincerely,
Renae Gaudette
President of Franchising
Winmark Corporation