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5 Reasons Why NTY Franchises are Sustainable Businesses

Selecting a franchise is a big decision. That’s why it’s important to choose one that will stand the tests of time and the economy. Here are five reasons why NTY franchises are sustainable businesses:

1. Resale

All five NTY franchises are resale businesses. By its very nature, resale is sustainable. Take the company’s flagship brand Clothes Mentor, for example, which started franchising in 2007 when the U.S. economy was on the verge of a recession. Within the following few years, when other retail stores were struggling, Clothes Mentor stores were thriving. The downturn created an even bigger demand for the resale niche that has continued to grow as the economy improves.

2. Green Concept

Franchisees that partner with NTY and customers that shop our stores value the reuse of quality goods. NTY stores buy products from customers for cash on-the-spot, which puts money back into the pockets of people within the community. This, in turn, helps the planet by extending the life of great clothing, shoes, furniture, toys, electronics and more and keeps those items out of landfills.

3. Customers Love NTY Products and Services

Just like they love making money by selling items to NTY Franchise stores, customers love saving money by shopping with us, too. Our point-of-sale software features a sophisticated buy matrix, which helps NTY Franchise stores price their high-quality merchandise at approximately 70% less than the original retail price. That great value and seeing new items on the floor every day keeps shoppers coming back.

4. Profitability at Store Level

Our proprietary point-of-sale system also helps stores stay on course for achieving high gross margins of approximately 60%, which translates to a faster return on investment, greater profits and the opportunity for rapid growth to multi-store businesses. The following is a snapshot of the return-on-investment numbers for franchisees with our Children’s Orchard brand.

Return on investment numbers for Children’s Orchard:

5. Accessible Corporate Team and Franchisee Network

With 200 stores open across all brands, NTY has developed a strong franchise support system that starts with a highly experienced management team. In addition, we have a large and diverse network of franchisees that are easily accessible for validation during the franchising process as well as ongoing support in the form of idea sharing, franchise advisory councils (FACs), potential advertising cooperatives, comradery and more.

Click on the brand logos at the top of this page to find out more about NTY’s five franchises.

*$648,342 is the average net sales of the 5 stores included in the top 25% of all 21 Children’s Orchard® stores in operation for entire calendar year ended December 31, 2015. Of the 5 stores included in the average net sales for the top 25% of all stores, 2 stores (40%) met or exceeded the average net sales. There is no assurance, however, that you will do as well. See Item 19 of the Children’s Orchard® Franchise Disclosure Document dated April 26, 2016, for more information.

Ronald G. Olson

President

Ron Olson has been President and a Director of NTY Franchise Company since October 2006. Ron’s background included starting his career at Dayton’s Department Store, where he held many management positions. In 1977 he opened his own furniture store in Minnesota, which was a Drexel Heritage prototype store. In 1988 he co-founded Grow Biz International, now called Winmark. The first franchise rights that Olson purchased and started marketing was Play It Again Sports. Olson continued buying the Franchise rights for Once Upon A Child, Plato’s Closet, and Music Go Round. Today there over 1,000 Franchise locations.

Under NTY Franchise Company, the franchise rights were bought for Clothes Mentor and New Uses. In 2013 Olson bought Laptop Exchange and changed the name to Device Pitstop. In 2014 the company opened NTY Clothing Exchange and NTY Kids, now Children’s Orchard. There are currently 204 stores sold and 133 stores opened under the NTY Franchise umbrella.

Chad Olson

Chief Operations Officer

Chad Olson has been Chief Operations Officer of NTY Franchise Company since January 2007. From May 1994 to December 2006, he held various positions for Winmark Corporation (f/k/a Grow Biz International, Inc.), including Field Operations Manager for the Once Upon a Child concept from 1999 to 2002, and Regional Operations Manager for the Plato’s Closet concept from 2002 to 2006.

Sarah Primmer

Vice President of Finance & Human Resources

Sarah Primmer is the Vice President of Finance and Human Resources for NTY Franchise Company. She joined the company in January 2014. Prior to joining NTY, Sarah spent over 25 years as the controller and business manager of a local sales and marketing firm calling on Target stores.

Michael D. Smith

Vice President of Strategic Planning

Michael D. Smith is the Vice President of Strategic Planning. From December 2000 to July 2010, Michael held the position of Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of the franchise company Laptop Xchange. From June 1994 to December 2000, Michael held numerous roles within the Grow Biz International brands of Play It Again Sports and Computer Renaissance. These roles included Corporate Store Management, Field Operation Specialist, and Franchisee.

Jenny Mann

Vice President of Operations | Executive Director of IT

Jenny Mann is the Senior Vice President Clothes Mentor and Children’s Orchard. In February of 2024, Jenny took on her current role overseeing IT, Marketing and the e-commerce platforms for both brands. Prior to this, Jenny was the Director of Marketing for NTY Franchise Company since January 2013. Jenny started with the NTY Franchise Company in 2008 with Clothes Mentor and has held many roles, including; Store Manager, New Store Opener, and Regional Operations Manager. Before joining NTY Franchise Company, Jenny worked for Old Navy (Gap, Inc.) and Target in management roles.

Michelle Vaudrin

Senior Director of Operations

Michelle Vaudrin is the Senior Director of Operations for Clothes Mentor and Children’s Orchard. Prior to joining NTY Franchise Company in March 2016, she worked in leadership roles for Burlington, American Eagle and Macy’s. Michelle attended University of Wisconsin-Stout with a degree in Retail Merchandising and Business Administration. She brings extensive background in training of strategies, merchandising, customer service and multi-unit store operations to the team.

Ashley Huebner

Director of Marketing

Ashley Huebner oversees NTY Franchise Company’s marketing and advertising efforts to drive sales, build brand awareness and lead the planning on how to effectively market both brands. She leads creative initiatives for NTY Franchise Company, driving the brands’ vision in aesthetics, tone, and trends to elevate our brand position as a leader in the resale category. Ashley joined the Clothes Mentor team in March of 2015. Ashley has 8+ years of Graphic Design experience. Ashley holds a strong background in design, user experience, and a passion for creativity. She holds a BA degree in Advertising and Art.

Jessica Fix

Franchise Contract and Office Administrator

Jessica Fix is the Franchise Contracts and Office Administrator for NTY Franchise Company. She started with the company in January of 2018. Jessica works alongside the Franchise Development Team and provides office support to the headquarter office. She has 20 years in the franchise industry, previously working for Carlson Leisure Group/Travel Leaders Franchise Group in a variety of roles, such as Database Coordinator, Legal Contract Administrator, and Executive Assistant to the Franchise Sales Team.