As we head into the second half of 2022, our five resale brands - Play It Again Sports®, Plato’s Closet®, Once Upon A Child®, Music Go Round® and Style Encore® - and their combined 1,292 locations have so much to celebrate and look forward to.
From industry recognitions and partnerships to sustainability efforts and franchise growth, our resale franchise is positioned for continued success through the rest of the year and beyond.
[1].png)
Why Winmark Is a Top Franchisor
At Winmark - The Resale Company®, we help others bring their entrepreneurial dreams to life. Three of our brands - Plato’s Closet, Play It Again Sports and Once Upon A Child - were recently ranked on Entrepreneur's Franchise 500. Once Upon A Child even ranked number one in the Children’s Retail category for the twelfth year in a row.
Meanwhile, the three brands also broke into the top 200 of the publication’s Top Global Franchises list, with Play It Again Sports at #170, Plato’s Closet at #135 and Once Upon A Child at #95.
When you make the decision to go into business for yourself, you don’t have to go into business by yourself. With Winmark, you can expect not only a high level of support at every stage of the process but also have confidence that you are partnering with the leader in sustainable resale with a 30-year track record of success.
Promoting Sustainability
Of course, part of our mission as a resale franchise is to make a positive impact on the world around us. Resale offers an environmentally-friendly way for shoppers to reduce, reuse and recycle. This is especially important to Millenials and Gen Z, who make up the majority of consumers.
As the $17.5 billion resale industry continues to grow, Winmark is celebrating the difference we’re making every day. We have the most sustainable solution in the entire resale industry with most goods staying in the local market without additional shipping, handling and packaging costs. Since 2010, our stores have recycled over 1.4 billion items, with 158 million recycled per year, 432,000 per day and 5 items recycled per second.
[1].png)
Continuing Rewarding Partnerships
One of the best parts of owning a business is having so many opportunities to give back. At the end of last year, we launched partnerships to become the Official Resale Partner of the LA Kings and its Kings Care Foundation and, separately, that of USA Hockey. These partnerships, along with our others including PGA® professional Tom Hoge, focus on Winmark’s ongoing mission to provide Resale for EveryoneTM. One way we’ve worked toward this, for example, is together with the LA Kings we hosted equipment drives, purchased quality used sports gear and donated proceeds to the Kings Care Foundation.
In March, we wrapped up our mentorship program with Blake Bolden, an inspiring trailblazer who was named one of the top 25 most powerful women in hockey. Supporting and empowering girls and young women as they navigate the world of ice hockey, this initiative offered 25 U.S. and Canadian female hockey players a chance to learn from a pro herself about mental preparation, nutrition, goal setting, time management, self-motivation, spreading kindness and more.
[1].png)
Full Speed Ahead: The Growth of our Resale Franchise
This year has already been a strong one for our popular resale brands. Just this month, we signed franchise agreements to add eleven Play It Again Sports locations in the Twin Cities area, St. Cloud and Duluth, MN., Superior, WI. and Grand Forks, ND.
We’ve opened 18 new stores in the first six months of the year and have 44 more in development. We’re also nearing several milestone events - the 500th Plato’s Closet store as well as the opening of our 1,300th location. It’s an exciting time to be in resale! With over 2,800 open territories in North America, we are always looking for passionate aspiring entrepreneurs to join our resale franchise.
Are you looking to join a growing franchise focused on community and sustainability? Contact us today to learn more about opening a Winmark store in your area.
