Entrepreneur: Start & Grow Your Business

Ziebart

Auto appearance services and accessories

Year began: 1954 Franchising since: 1963
Ziebart International was founded in 1954 by Kurt Ziebart. A German mechanic, Ziebart developed a process to stop corrosion and opened the first Ziebart store in Detroit. The private company began franchising in 1963 and has more than 600 locations in 55 countries. In 1989, Ziebart acquired Tidy Car, a franchise company offering similar services, and sold franchises under the name of Ziebart Tidy Car until 1999, when the name changed to Ziebart. The company has co-branding relationships with Speedy Auto Glass and Rhino Linings USA.

1290 E. Maple Rd.
Troy, MI 48007-1290

Phone: (800)877-1312/(248)588-4100
Fax: (248)588-1444

Franchisor is a privately-held company with 40 employee(s); 4 employee(s) in franchise department.

Franchise Growth

Year

2007
2006
2005
2004

U.S. Franchises

110
114
127
128

Canadian Franchises

40
74
54
60

Foreign Franchises

104
132
157
166

Company
Owned

20
20
21
24

Where Seeking Franchisees

Nationwide

Worldwide

Costs & Fees

Total investment: to $210K
Franchise fee: $25K
Ongoing royalty fee: 5%/8%
Term of agreement: 10 years, renewable
Renewal fee: 15% of then-current fee

Type of Financing Available
	In-House	Third Party
Franchise Fee	No	No
Startup Costs	No	No
Equipment	No	No
Inventory	No	No
Accounts Receivable	No	No
Payroll	No	No

Qualifications

Net worth requirement: $50K
Cash liquidity requirement: $25K
Business Experience:

General business experience

Operations

10% of all franchisees own more than one unit
Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 4
Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

Training & Support

TRAINING

Available at headquarters: 3-6 weeks
At franchisee's location: 3-6 weeks

ONGOING SUPPORT

Newsletter
Meetings
Toll-free phone line
Grand opening
Internet
Security/safety procedures
Field operations/evaluations

MARKETING SUPPORT

Co-op advertising
Ad slicks
National media
Regional advertising

Rankings in Entrepreneur magazine 2004-2008

Franchise 500® rank:
#374 (2008); #216 (2007); #445 (2006); #416 (2005); #374 (2004);

America's Top Global Franchises:
#200 (2004);

Last Updated: 11/26/2007 12:00:00 AM