At a time when the car audio dealer base is contracting, Tint World is growing rapidly.
Nine franchise stores have opened since 2007 but 16 additional licenses have been sold and the chain is on track to reach 40 locations by next CES, said new COO Robert Garza.
About 35 percent of Tint World’s business is in car AV & electronics, but that figure is growing. “That’s why we brought on Robert Garza from the mobile electronics industry,” said CEO Charles Bonfiglio.
New stores are opening in Chicago, Texas, North Miami, North Carolina, Oklahoma and other key locations.
About 50 percent of the business in most stores is in window tinting, which can include home, office, boat and car tinting.
For the car, Tint World claims it is one of the few one-stop shops for everything for the vehicle including dent repair, protective paint coating and “While we’re at it, can we sell you a back up camera,” said Bonfiglio.
The stores carry brands including Rockford, Alpine, Kenwood, Kicker, Clifford, Viper, Audiovox, Parrot, Memphis, NAV-TV, and Got2bWireless. “We’re working on JL Audio,” said Bonfiglio.
The stores also use Avidworx displays that are altered to create a unique look for the chain.
Since Tint World provides marketing, training, signage, etc. the franchise model lets the store owner “focus on sales and installation and we provide the support that lets them grow,” he added.
Stores are averaging sales of $450,000 a year (including window tinting) with some stores generating over $1 million. A soup to nuts franchise license including training, advertising, inventory, opening day sale, and lease negotiation starts at $100,000.
Source: CEoutlook
