Franchise Concepts Inc. Acquired by Former Franchisee <b></b>

St. Louis-Franchise Concepts Inc. (FCI), a franchisor of retail art and custom framing stores, was acquired by an investment group led by longtime Deck The Walls and The Great Frame Up franchisee Mark Ebling of St. Louis. FCI owns the brands Deck The Walls, The Great Frame Up, as well as Framing & Art Centre, the only national art and custom framing franchise in Canada. Together the brands form more than 300 franchise stores.

Ebling, a franchisee of more than 18 years with both Deck The Walls and The Great Frame Up, has been named president and CEO. Ebling said that FCI plans to establish a corporate office in St. Louis by late summer.

There are currently 122 Deck The Walls franchises in 34 states, 152 The Great Frame Up franchises in 33 states and 51 Framing & Art Centre franchises throughout Canada. According to Ebling, the acquisition provides FCI with additional resources to grow its franchise concepts and increase the level of franchisee support. -BizCom PR