Franchise News

Award-Winning Franchise Brands Continue to Lead the Resale Industry, Promoting Sustainability and Resale for Everyone™

Winmark Corporation, North America's leading franchisor of sustainable resale brands Once Upon A Child®, Plato's Closet®, Play It Again Sports®, Music Go Round® and Style Encore®,  reports a great start to the first half of the year with 21 new signed franchise agreements and 29 openings across all five brands. With over 2,800 available territories for new franchisees, Winmark has its eyes set on aggressive North American franchise development, focusing on its mission of providing Resale for Everyone™.

As the $17.5 billion resale industry continues to grow, Winmark's resale brands will continue to defy the odds and grow to meet the increasing demand for quality used, secondhand products. In fact, Winmark's resale brands have recycled over 1.4 billion items since 2010, with 158 million recycled per year, 432,000 per day, and 5 items recycled per second.

Winmark has been honored as a top franchisor, as Plato's Closet, Play It Again Sports, and Once Upon A Child were recently ranked in the annual Entrepreneur's Franchise 500. Once Upon A Child even ranked No. 1 in the Children's Retail category for the twelfth year in a row. Additionally, the three brands also broke into the top 200 of the publication's Top Global Franchises list, with Once Upon A Child at No. 95, Plato's Closet at No. 135, and Play It Again Sports at No. 170.

In the past year, Winmark has announced several partnerships, including Blake Bolden's emBolden her mentorship program, which wrapped in March; USA Hockey, becoming the Official Resale Partner of USA Hockey and an official partner of the organization; the LA Kings and Kings Care Foundation as the Official Resale Partner of the LA Kings; and more recently an ongoing partnership with PGA® professional Tom Hoge.

"This year especially, we have seen an increase in demand for quality used clothing, fitness, sporting goods, music gear, and baby items," said Renae Gaudette, Chief Operating Officer for Winmark Corporation. "Customers are looking for local, sustainable options to sell their quality used items, get paid immediately, and receive great value in return. All of our brands meet those needs in their communities. Our goal is to find more franchise partners to fill those 2,800+ territories so that every community has the opportunity to benefit from our brands, and similarly those franchisees are awarded the opportunity to be part of a successful network of sustainable resale brands."

Winmark has solidified its strong position by delivering consumers an experience that is unparalleled in the resale space. The company's commitment to sustainability and providing quality used merchandise in a clean, welcoming environment sets it apart from other resale concepts and has proven to be a key driver in both consumer and franchise growth, as many of its franchisees were customers prior to opening their own stores.

To learn more about Winmark - the Resale Company® and its franchise opportunities, visit winmarkfranchises.com.

Winmark ? the Resale Company®, is a nationally recognized franchising business focused on sustainability and small business formation. We champion and guide entrepreneurs interested in operating one of our award winning resale franchises: Plato's Closet®, Once Upon A Child®, Play It Again Sports®, Style Encore® and Music Go Round®. At June 25, 2022, there were 1,293 franchises in operation and over 2,800 available territories. An additional 46 franchises have been awarded but are not open.