Growth News--HCX, Payless Car Rental <b></b>

Fort Lauderdale, Florida--Hair color only salon chain HCX is ready to saturate the Pittsburgh market with franchise stores. With a first franchisee signed up, a local headquarters established at Southpointe, and a site search underway, HCX hopes to open 25 stores in the Pittsburgh area in the next few years. Overall, the company hopes to have 4,000 salons in the United States in the next seven years. -Pittsburgh Business Times

St. Petersburg, Florida--Payless Car Rental System Inc. announced that its reservations to date for July have increased more than 54 percent over the same period last year. The company attributes the growth to franchise expansion, especially the ones servicing international airports. Payless recently opened airport locations in Jacksonville, Florida, and San Diego, and an additional 25 franchises are scheduled to open this year. -The Business Journal of Tampa Bay