Batteries Plus is continuing to build its Bayou presence with a new multi-unit agreement in Louisiana.
The six-unit deal is with three experienced entrepreneurs who have backgrounds in multiple business categories. The new franchisees are Duane Carmouche, Mitch Matthews and Mohamad Zeidan.
Carmouche comes into the deal with a 20-year history in franchising as an owner of commercial cleaning brand Jani-King. Matthews and Zeidan, meanwhile, have experience in car sales.
Matthews built his career in the oil industry and as a car salesman, and today owns a car lot, as well as a Stor-Mor Portable Buildings business and an insurance agency. In his career, Zeidan has also owned and operated two used car dealerships.
Batteries Plus franchisees Mitch Matthews, Duane Carmouche and Mohamed Zeidan
The group plans to have their first location open in Alexandria by the end of the year, adding to the nine existing stores in Louisiana. While they’re new to the brand as franchisees, though, the business partners have been impressed with the battery retailer for some time. Matthews said he first became acquainted with the company as a customer.
“I was putting the Stor-Mor together and my daughter had called me and said her battery died in the parking lot one day after school,” Matthews said. “I had remembered seeing a Batteries Plus that had popped up not long before and called that location to see if they had that battery. They did and I was able to pay over the phone, and it was overall a pleasant experience.”
Matthews began researching the company’s franchise opportunity and saw its growth areas were the same as where he wanted to open businesses.
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“I talked with some of the other franchisees and already knew one of the owners here, as well as having worked with the wife of a franchise owner for a number of years,” Matthews said. “I was able to get a sense of the variety of batteries they offer and their commercial portion of it and, from a business model, it was absolutely a no-brainer.”
Matthews became friends with Zeidan through the car sales business, and Zeidan introduced him to Carmouche. When Matthews was exploring the Batteries Plus idea, he approached Zeidan, who agreed and then brought Carmouche into the deal.
Carmouche said he was ready to jump at the opportunity, having had an interest in the brand for several years.
“When I see colorful franchising and buildings, they catch my attention,” Carmouche said. “So, about seven years ago, I was in Lafayette, I saw the brand-new Batteries Plus store, I had to look it up and see what it was about. I thought it was an interesting and positive opportunity and said, ‘that would be a cool franchise to get into one day.’”
Like Matthews, Carmouche also cited the commercial side of the business as an advantage.
Retail brand Batteries Plus offers products for residential and commercial customers
“I do commercial cleaning now with Jani-King and have worked with commercial customers on a daily basis for the last 20 years,” Carmouche said. “When I saw that they had gone from retail to commercial, that especially caught my attention.”
Once their six locations are open, Carmouche said the group’s mix of experience and the hiring of strong employees will make their operations are successful.
“All three of us are business owners, so, what one of us may lack, the other one will make up for,” Carmouche said. “It’s also going to be about putting the right people in place, because you’re only as good as your employees.
“You have to pick the right partners and the right managers,” said Carmouche. “We’re also going to be going to our buildings. You can’t just sit at home and think any business is going to run itself. You have to get out there and show the workers that you’re along with them for the ride.”
Batteries Plus has 707 locations across 47 states with 585 of them franchised. Along with Louisiana, the brand is targeting northeastern states for expansion. The initial investment range is from $246,918 to $498,419.