From the filings
Software purchasing at Apricot Lane is driven by HQ, with Scott Jacobs (VP of Technology & Business Administration) as the key technology decision-maker. The franchise mandates a centralized buying service, a COUNTRY VISIONS intranet, and specific point-of-sale and inventory management systems. With 85 franchised locations and an average unit volume of $404,407, the addressable market is compact but tech-dependent.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Ongoing fee load
The recurring percentage of gross sales named in this filing, before rent, labour or any technology fee.
6.5%of gross sales (FY2026)
15% reference
Franchisor behaviours
21 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 5 explicit no's; 8 questions the text does not settle, which is not a no.
Accounting
Must the franchisee use an accounting or bookkeeping system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
FRANCHISEE shall maintain during the term of this Agreement, and shall preserve for the time period specified in the Confidential Operations Manual, full, complete, and accurate books, records, and accounts in accordance with the standard accounting system prescribed by FRANCHISOR in the Confidential Operations…
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesItem 11
If you use our specified computer system, we will have independent remote access to your system and the information stored in it.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
FRANCHISEE will supply to FRANCHISOR quarterly profit and loss statements and balance sheets on the Franchised Business within thirty (30) days following the end of the calendar quarter.
How the franchisor buys
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 8
We reserve the right to change administrators of the gift card program or to modify or discontinue the gift card program.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
0Item 8
In 2025 COUNTRY VISIONS received $0 of revenue from all required purchases or leases made by franchisees, representing less than 1% of our total revenue from all sources of $2,258,011 according to our 2025 audited financial statements.
Item 8 gives this proportion in one of two shapes: separate percentages for establishing the business and for operating it, or one figure covering "establishing and operating" together. Where they are separate, answer with the operating percentage; where the passage gives only the combined figure, answer with that. What percentage of the franchisee's purchases must come from designated or approved suppliers?
10Item 8
We estimate that the cost of all required purchases and leases (i.e., those which must be from our approved and designated sources or in accordance with our specifications) is between 40% and 50% of the cost to establish the Franchised Business and between 10% and 20% of the cost to maintain and operate the…
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
We may limit the number of approved suppliers with whom you may deal, designate sources that you must use and/or refuse any of your requests to approve a supplier or merchandise for any reason, including that we have already designated an exclusive source (which might be us or our affiliate) for a particular…
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
FRANCHISEE shall assign to FRANCHISOR or its designee, all of FRANCHISEE’s right, title, and interest in and to FRANCHISEE’s telephone numbers for the Franchised Business
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesFranchise agreement
FRANCHISOR may from time to time advise FRANCHISEE of its observations relating to the operation of the Franchised Business as disclosed by reports and information submitted to FRANCHISOR or by inspections or audits conducted by FRANCHISOR or its agents of the Franchised Business
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesFranchise agreement
FRANCHISOR shall have the right to add to and otherwise modify the Confidential Operations Manual from time to time to reflect changes in the specifications, standards, operating procedures and rules prescribed by FRANCHISOR for its Specialty Store.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 11
COUNTRY VISIONS will approve or disapprove your site selection within 30 days after receiving your written proposal.
Marketing
Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?
YesFranchise agreement
FRANCHISEE may not develop, maintain or authorize any other website, other online or digital presence or other electronic medium that mentions or describes the Franchised Business or displays any of the Marks without FRANCHISOR’s prior written approval.
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesItem 11
You must spend a minimum of $15,000 on marketing and advertising before opening and within the first 60 days afterwards.
Is the franchisee required to spend a minimum amount on local advertising or marketing, as a percentage of sales or a fixed amount?
YesFranchise agreement
FRANCHISEE shall spend on local marketing and advertising and promotion a minimum of two percent (2%) of Gross Revenues
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesItem 8
You must purchase computer hardware and software designated by COUNTRY VISIONS.
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
You must purchase computer hardware and software designated by COUNTRY VISIONS.
Payments
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesItem 6
During corporate training, you must execute all documents necessary to pay by electronic funds transfer (“EFT”) all amounts due under your Franchise Agreement with us (including, the Royalty and Fund contributions).
Must the franchisee participate in a gift card program?
YesItem 8
You must participate in our gift card program, currently administered by Ceridian-Stored Value Solutions.
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
FRANCHISOR requires the use of an approved point-of-sale and inventory management system and software for recording all Gross Revenues, sales information, inventory information, vendor lists and customer information.
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
If you use our specified computer system, we will have independent remote access to your system and the information stored in it.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 11
We reserve the right to charge tuition for optional training programs you attend.
Apricot Lane is a non-food retail franchise with 85 franchised boutiques and no disclosed company-owned locations. The brand’s average unit volume sits at $404,407, and the royalty rate is 5.5%. Year-over-year unit growth declined by 22%, signaling a contracting footprint that may still present replacement or consolidation opportunities for software vendors. The initial franchise term runs 10 years, with two additional successive renewal terms of 5 years each available to franchisees in good standing.
The addressable market for a software vendor is exactly 85 units. While small, the franchise’s mandated technology stack means every location must use approved systems, creating a captive, HQ-driven sales environment. If you sell POS, inventory management, or operational software, the path runs through the corporate office in California.
Software purchasing authority sits at the franchisor level. The 2026 FDD lists Scott Jacobs as Vice President of Technology & Business Administration, making him the most relevant executive for a vendor pitch. Other named officers include Kenneth M. Petersen (Founder and Director of Franchise Development), Christopher Lanning (President and CEO), Darcie Reeping (VP of Merchandising & Brand Operations), and Judy Lanning (Franchise Development Specialist). For technology sales, Jacobs is the primary buyer. No multi-unit operators are mapped in our corpus, reinforcing the HQ-centric purchasing model.
Apricot Lane’s Item 11 disclosures mandate several technology components. The franchise requires a Centralized Buying Service, the COUNTRY VISIONS intranet, an Inventory Management Service, and a point-of-sale and inventory management software system. A “Point of Sale Computer Reference” is also mandated. Specific vendor names for the POS and inventory software are not disclosed in the FDD, which means a vendor must inquire directly about incumbents and integration requirements. The presence of a mandated intranet and centralized buying platform suggests a controlled technology environment where HQ pre-approves or directly provisions core systems.
The FDD does not include an Item 8 procurement extract, so the designated-supplier versus approved-supplier framework remains unclear. However, the mandated nature of the tech stack implies that HQ exercises significant control over vendor selection. Renewal cycles tied to the 10-year initial term and subsequent 5-year renewal terms create natural windows for system re-evaluation. With unit counts declining, a vendor may find opportunities in consolidation—helping the franchisor streamline tech across a smaller, more tightly managed network.
The 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document is filed with state franchise regulators and contains the legal and operational disclosures referenced throughout this page. Use the embedded PDF viewer below to review Item 1 (executives), Item 11 (mandated systems), Item 17 (renewal terms), and Item 19 (financial performance) directly. For a ranked list of franchise targets matched to your software category, FranCloud can help you prioritize systems like Apricot Lane based on tech mandates, decision-maker profiles, and unit economics.
Questions vendors ask
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FDD alert
We’ll email you the moment Apricot Lane files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
150 operators run 150 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Top states by locations
| TX | 24 |
|---|---|
| GA | 9 |
| IL | 8 |
| VA | 8 |
| FL | 8 |
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Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.