Interested in Getting Started Sooner?
Here’s a list of territories that are already ready to go but looking
for someone to fill the driver’s seat! Contact us if you’re
interested in getting started in one of these areas!
What Makes a Good Location?
Christian Brothers Automotive looks for car repair franchise locations
that have excellent access from the roadway, great visibility, local traffic
and the right demographics.
Chief Development Officer Michael Suttle and his team do extensive research
- see below - to select sites. Finding a great location creates the market
potential, and our outstanding business model actualizes that potential.
Using Data to Pinpoint Optimal Locations
When Christian Brothers studies new locations in a market, our real estate
department will study demographic data, using national databases to identify
areas that have large clusters of likely customers. Once potential neighborhoods
have been identified, a member of Christian Brothers’ real estate
team flies into the city and drives every major thoroughfare in target
areas in order to understand traffic patterns—whether traffic is
mostly local or commuter, and how light signals and medians affect the
way customers approach different commercial spaces. It’s not uncommon
for us to drive 2,000 miles or more in a week as we study traffic patterns.
Boots on the Ground, Eyes in the Sky
Once our real estate department has narrowed down the potential sites to
a dozen or fewer choices, they return and charter a helicopter to study
potential sites from up high. By combining high-tech databases with boots-on-the-ground
intelligence, the real estate department is able to recommend sites that
are primed for success to franchisees.
How committed to successful sites is Christian Brothers? We’ve taken
a pass on some markets where qualified candidates were interested in opening
a Christian Brothers, because we want to be absolutely sure that we are
setting up our franchisees to succeed.
“We’re trying not just to pick the best site for today—we’re
trying to pick the best site for 20 years from now,” Michael says.
“If we can’t find a great site, we’d rather have the
small disappointment up front than a big disappointment later.”
