Hartland, Wis. — In response to the strong third quarter which saw the signing of 20 new store agreements, bringing the brand’s total signings for the year to 66, Batteries Plus has made substantial additions and promotions to its store development team.
Kirtis Hill has been promoted to chief retail growth officer. In this new role, he will be working directly with franchisees to optimize store growth in markets nationwide, while providing leadership to enterprise teams working on high-priority strategic initiatives to drive sales and profitability.
“Kirtis’ background in both strategy and analytics, and his boots-on-the-ground approach to working with franchisees, makes him the perfect fit for this new role as the quarterback of our most important growth initiatives,” says Jon Sica, chief strategy and development officer at Batteries Plus.
In addition, Jason Moss has been promoted to director of real estate and has brought on a new real estate manager, Mary Hardin-Rathel. In Moss’s new role, he will leverage his skill at negotiating and deal-making across both real estate and corporate acquisitions. Batteries Plus takes pride in delivering turnkey real estate support, and Moss has made a name for himself with franchisees by helping them secure ideal sites in both urban and rural markets.
Joining Hill and Moss in their roles is Liz Duggan, who holds the position of senior manager of store events and partnerships. Duggan’s efforts are focused on building the grand opening and commercial events and she works hand-in-hand with local owners to make sure each grand opening is a success. In addition, Batteries Plus is looking to hire another event coordinator which will aid in the support of grand openings in 2022.
“Supporting the growth and profitability of franchisees is the more important thing we do at Batteries Plus,” says Sica. “I’m looking forward to seeing this team continue to make a difference in the lives of our franchisees, while bringing Batteries Plus stores to communities across the country as our national expansion ramps up. I’m also excited that we can keep adding talent to an organization that already has one of the best teams in retail and franchising.”
In addition, the development team has promoted Justin Shaper to director of new store development. Shaper will oversee store openings, grand openings and the crucial first-year support a franchisee receives. Shaper’s franchisee-facing role will play a key part on the development leadership team that will help Batteries Plus build 30-plus stores in 2021, and more in years to come.
“We’re seeing more than 70 people a week inquire about joining our brand, and we have started weekly Discovery Days to handle the amount of interest in joining Batteries Plus,” says Joe Malmuth, vice president of franchise development and relations. “Because of the consistency and resiliency of our model in these uncertain times, and our 30-year track record of success, Batteries Plus continues to be one of the best franchise investments in the market today.”
Batteries Plus, founded in 1988 and headquartered in Hartland, Wis., is a leading omnichannel retailer of batteries, specialty light bulbs and phone repair services for the direct-to-consumer and commercial channels. Batteries Plus is owned by Freeman Spogli, a private equity firm based in Los Angeles and New York City. For more information, visit www.batteriesplusfranchise.com.
[EDITOR’S NOTE: To view the October 2021 issue of Retail & Restaurant Facility Business magazine, in which Batteries Plus is the cover story, click here.]
SOURCE: Batteries Plus