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NATION'S LARGEST RESALE FRANCHISOR SURPASSES $1 BILLION IN SALES

MINNEAPOLIS— Winmark Corporation—Twin Cities-based parent company of popular resale chains Plato’s Closet®, Once Upon A Child®, Play It Again Sports®, Style Encore® and Music Go Round® concluded 2015 by achieving more than $1 billion in system-wide franchised retail sales along with recycling over 135 million items back into local communities by reselling quality used merchandise back to its customers.

Driving these impressive numbers is the company’s teen to twenty-something resale concept, Plato’s Closet, which buys and sells girls and guys clothing and accessories. The company’s most recent franchise disclosure showed the average Plato’s Closet location achieving sales of just over $1 million, with the top 25 percent of stores reaching an average sales volume of almost $1.5 million. Not far behind was the company’s children’s resale concept, Once Upon A Child, with an average sales volume of almost $1 million with the top quartile of stores generating an average sales volume of nearly $1.5 million.

A leader in the resale retail sector and franchise industry for nearly three decades, company executives credit achieving this milestone to its franchise partners nationwide. Winmark Corporation’s President of Franchising, Steve Murphy, stated: “Our success is widely driven from having the best franchisees in the industry who are benefiting from the thriving trend of consumers shopping at resale stores. Our in-store experience is unparalleled in the resale space. With our high standards, customers shopping at any of our 1,100-plus locations across North America can expect a breadth of high quality, gently used merchandise in a clean, welcoming environment.”

Proof of Winmark Corporation’s industry dominance is evident in the continued advancement of its Plato’s Closet and Once Upon A Child brands in Entrepreneur magazine’s prestigious Franchise 500 ranking of the nation’s top franchise opportunities; respectively climbing to the No. 105 and No. 132 spots overall. Additionally, the 2016 list named Plato’s Closet the top retail franchise and Once Upon A Child the top children’s retail franchise for the second consecutive year. The Play It Again Sports brand, the largest sporting goods chain specializing in new and used merchandise, also made theFranchise 500list, placing at No. 327. Music Go Round remained as the largest seller of used and new musical instruments in North America. Also, for the second consecutive year, Forbes magazine recognized Plato’s Closet as one of the nation’s top five franchise investments. Finally, Style Encore was recognized as one of the fastest growing women’s franchise brands in North America.

To augment North American franchise expansion across its five, niche resale brands, Winmark Corporation has planned regional seminars to meet prospective owners in several major markets. “With the high demand for our franchise brands, we felt it made sense to bring the opportunity to our candidates in 2016,” stated Murphy.

Ideal franchisees come from varying backgrounds and experiences – from loyal brand customers to aspiring entrepreneurs seeking a transition out of corporate America. Winmark Corporation is committed to its franchisees’ success, and provides owners extensive training and support, including: business planning and site selection assistance; store design and layout; inventory management; proprietary computer systems; franchise-specific product, style and trend training; ongoing small business consultation support from regional field operations staff and professional marketing and merchandising materials, among other benefits.

For any information regarding the company’s franchise offerings or to express interest in attending a regional seminar, contact Pete First at (763) 520-8485 or pfirst@winmarkcorporation.com.

About Winmark Corporation
Winmark Corporation, based in Minneapolis, creates, supports and finances business. Specializing in developing franchises for retail stores that buy, sell, and trade new and used merchandise, it is the parent company of Plato’s Closet®, Once Upon A Child®, Play It Again Sports®, Music Go Round®, and Style Encore®. It also operates a leasing and financing business under the marks Wirth Business Credit® and Winmark Capital®. As of December 26, 2015, there were 1,150 franchises in operation under the company’s retail brands, as well as an additional 88 retail franchises that have been awarded but are not open. For more information visit www.winmarkcorporation.com and www.winmarkfranchises.com.

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