Start a Apricot Lane Boutique Franchise in 2024

2024 Franchise 500 Rank: #369 Not ranked last year

Initial investment: $156K - $347K

Units as of 2024: 115 49.4% over 3 years

Apricot Lane Boutique is a fashion boutique franchise boasting a line of branded apparel, accessories, bags, trinkets, and other fashion basics. Everyone is looking for the latest trends without paying a fortune, which is how Apricot Lane wants to satisfy its customers.

At the heart of the Apricot Lane brand is a business that uplifts and empowers women. From its humble beginnings as a family-owned gift shop in California, the boutique has grown into a thriving brand with dozens of locations all over the U.S. The company attributes this level of success to its smart and passionate franchise owners.

Why You Should Start an Apricot Lane Boutique Franchise

Investing in an Apricot Lane Boutique can launch you into the big and rewarding world of fashion franchises. Its business model, dedicated support, affordable startup costs, and the women who keep the business alive speak volumes and showcase its success.

In every aspect of the operation, whether it’s merchandising or marketing, the franchise team will be there to ensure you’re doing everything right, ensuring that you duplicate the benefits that existing franchise owners have been reaping for years.

The Apricot Lane Boutique franchise gives you the advantage of introducing new trends ahead of your competitors while keeping your prices friendly—a formula that has worked for existing owners in encouraging brand loyalty.

What Might Make Apricot Lane Boutique a Good Choice?

To open a franchise, you will of course need to make an initial investment, encompassing the franchise fee as well as other costs involved in getting the business up and running. But compared to many other retail franchises, Apricot Lane’s initial investment is relatively low, with the average franchisee able to start the business for well under $500,000. And with your franchise fee and ongoing royalty fee come the benefits of a known brand name, proven business system, and franchisor support. If you want to obtain financing, you might need some form of liquid cash or liquid assets on top of the collateral necessary for the rest of the loan. This type of loan is usually through a third party that the company can happily link you up to and provide assistance with. With help like this, the requirements for opening a boutique can be more easily attainable.

How to Open Your Own Apricot Lane Boutique Franchise

Thankfully, Apricot Lane Boutique makes the process of how to open a boutique store easy. Franchising with the company typically includes an introductory call from the company’s franchise development specialist, followed by a series of emails called "Believe."

A crucial part of the process is finding the right location, and the team will be there to help you. They will send someone from the company, sometimes the CEO, to guide you as you search for opportunities.

Once you have made a final decision to open an Apricot Lane Boutique franchise, and the company believes that you will be a good addition to the family, you may sign your franchise agreement, pay the necessary fees, and buckle down to work in preparation for your opening.

Company Overview

About Apricot Lane Boutique

Industry	Retail
Related Categories	Apparel & Accessories, Miscellaneous Retail Businesses
Founded	1991
Parent Company	Country Visions Inc.
Leadership	Chris Lanning, President & CEO
Corporate Address	1339 Oliver Rd., #A Fairfield, CA 94534
Social	Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest

Business Overview

Franchising Since	2004 (20 years)
# of employees at HQ	20
Where seeking	This company is offering new franchises throughout the US.
# of Units	115 (as of 2024)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a Apricot Lane Boutique franchise.

Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees

Here's what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.

Initial Franchise Fee Definition: The initial fee paid to a franchisor to join their system What you need to know: Found in Item 5 of the FDD, this may be a flat fee, or may vary based on territory size, experience, or other factors.The franchise fee is an up-front (one-time) cost that a new franchisee pays to the franchisor. This fee is usually due at the signing of the franchise agreement and covers the right to use the franchisor's trademarks, name, and related business systems.	$39,500
Initial Investment Definition: The total amount necessary to begin operation of the franchise What you need to know: The initial investment includes the franchise fee, along with other startup expenses such as real estate, equipment, supplies, business licenses, and working capital. This is outlined in a chart in Item 7 of the FDD, showing a range of possible costs from low to high.	$156,450 - $347,300
Net Worth Requirement Definition: The minimum net worth you must have in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company What you need to know: Net worth is the value of a person's assets minus liabilities. Assets include cash, stocks, retirement accounts, and real estate. Liabilities include items like mortgages, car payments, and credit card debt.	$250,000
Cash Requirement Definition: The minimum liquid capital you must have available in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company.	$80,000
Veteran Incentives Definition: A discount or other incentive offered to military veterans who buy a franchise with this company.	$5,000 off franchise fee
Royalty Fee Definition: A ongoing fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis. What you need to know: Most franchisors require franchisees to pay an ongoing royalty fee, which is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD. This fee is typically a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales, but may also be a flat weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	5.5%
Ad Royalty Fee Definition: An going fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis to support advertising or marketing efforts. What you need to know: This may also be called advertising fee, marketing fee, brand fund fee, and more, but the basic purpose is the same-- to support promotion of the brand systemwide. As with the royalty fee, it is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD, and can be a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales or a weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	1%
Term of Agreement Definition: The length of time your franchise agreement will last. What you need to know: Franchise terms are typically anywhere from 5 to 20 years in length, but are sometimes instead dependent on factors such as the term of your lease. Once your term is up, you may have the option to renew your agreement, typically for a smaller fee than the original franchise fee.	10 years
Is franchise term renewable?	Yes

Financing Options

Some franchisors offer in-house financing, while others have relationships with third-party financing sources to which they refer qualified franchisees.

Third Party Financing	Apricot Lane Boutique has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: franchise fee, startup costs, equipment, inventory, accounts receivable, payroll

Training & Support Offered

Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.

On-The-Job Training	55 hours
Classroom Training	135 hours
Ongoing Support	Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings & Conventions Grand Opening Online Support Security & Safety Procedures Lease Negotiation Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Support	Ad Templates Social Media SEO Website Development Email Marketing Loyalty Program/App

Operations

Additional details about running this franchise.

Is absentee ownership allowed?	Yes
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit? Definition: The business can be run from your home and/or a vehicle, and it is not necessary to have a retail facility, office space, or warehouse.	No
Can this franchise be run part time? Definition: This business can be run by the owner on a part-time basis (less than 40 hours per week) and/or as a side business; it is not necessary for the business to be open/run full-time.	Yes
# of employees required to run	3-12
Are exclusive territories available? Definition: An exclusive territory is a fixed area in which you are given the right to operate and in which no other units of the same franchise may be opened. What you need to know: Territory size may be based on factors such as radius, population size, zip codes, and more. Details can be found in Item 12 of the FDD.	No