ShopPro
Mandatoryhile you are not required to use a computer system or computerized customer receipts, a source that ATL suggests is Advantage Systems dba ShopPro® (See Items 8 and 11); if you use ShopPro® you must pu
From the filings
ATL International
Automotive servicesATL International, an independently owned automotive-services franchisor based in Maryland, does not disclose the names of its HQ executives in the 2024 FDD, so the specific software buyer remains unknown. The system mandates ALLDATA and ShopPro across all 18 franchised locations, leaving no company-owned units. For a software vendor, the addressable market is exactly those 18 centers, with procurement signals and renewal windows detailed below.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
18
18 franchised
Unit growth YoY
-5.263%
vs prior filing
AUV
—
Item 19, 2024
Royalty
7%
of gross sales
Ad fund
—
national + local
Initial fee
$29K
per unit
Investment range
$95K–$142K
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Standards based
from the filing
Non-compete
2 years
from the filing
Item 19
No claims
from the filing
Ongoing fee load
What the operator pays every month
The recurring percentage of gross sales named in this filing. It is a floor, not a total — the filing discloses one of the two headline fees.
7%+of gross sales (FY2024)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
1 of these are mandated in the franchise agreement. Each is named in Item 11 of the filing, the incumbents a challenger must displace or integrate with.
ADP
essing Services While you have the option to choose any payroll service you wish, a source for payroll and payroll related tax filing data processing services that ATL suggests is ADP, LLC (“ADP”). In
ALLDATA
in areas in which they specialize, such as Center Administration, Technical/Equipment and Center Operation. Examples of items used as instructional materials are the Manual, the All Data® DVD-driven a
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
13 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 7 explicit no's; 14 questions the text does not settle, which is not a no.
Accounting
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesItem 22
Franchisee shall, at its expense, submit to Franchisor by the twentieth (20th) day of each month, an unaudited profit and loss statement on the Franchised Business for the preceding month and the year-to-date.
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
ATL is an approved supplier for equipment, signs, fixtures, forms, and other supplies.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
ATL reached an arrangement with AutoZone® under which ATL will receive payments from AutoZone® based on chainwide volume of parts purchased by ATL franchisees from AutoZone®.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesItem 22
Franchisee acknowledges that Franchisor, its affiliates and/or designees, has the sole and exclusive right and -7- authority to transfer, suspend, discontinue, terminate, and amend such telephone numbers and directory listings as Franchisor, in its sole discretion, deems appropriate.
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesItem 22
Franchisor shall continue its efforts to maintain high standards of quality, appearance, professionalism, and service of the Franchised System, and to that end shall conduct, as it deems advisable, inspections of the Franchised Center franchised herein, and evaluations of the automotive engine performance and…
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesItem 22
Franchisor may from time to time revise the contents of the Manual(s) and/or the services Franchisee is required or authorized to provide therein, and Franchisee expressly agrees to comply with each such revision upon receipt of written notice from Franchisor.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 11
ATL must approve the location (see Item 8) (franchise agreement–paragraphs 3H and 5A).
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesItem 8
You must obtain all of the products, equipment, signs, fixtures, furnishings, inventory, supplies, and other materials required to operate the Center solely from suppliers (including manufacturers, distributors and other sources) who meet our specifications for those items at the time.
Payments
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesItem 6
The franchise agreement requires you to pay weekly royalty fees, weekly advertising contributions, equipment/supplies charges, and any applicable late fees and interest charges to ATL by means of ACH debit originations or other means of electronic funds transfer from your bank account(s).
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesItem 15
If you are an individual, you must either (i) directly supervise the franchised business on the Center premises or (ii) employ a manager who has successfully completed the ATL training program for managers to supervise the franchised business on the Center premises.
Point of sale
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
Under ATL’s current system, the individual franchisee’s computers and software are not electronically linked to any computers or networks at ATL, and ATL’s only independent access to the information and data for the franchisee’s Center would be via audit/inspection (see Franchise Agreement paragraph 11E).
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 22
Franchisor may require Franchisee and/or its employees to attend and complete to Franchisor's satisfaction additional training programs ("Additional Training", including but not limited to such sales meetings, operations meetings and conventions as Franchisor may reasonably require).
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesItem 11
You must also satisfactorily complete additional training programs which may include sales meetings, operations meetings, and conventions as ATL may reasonably require.
The filing answers no to 7 questions
- Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?Item 11
- Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?Item 20
- Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?Franchise agreement
- Is the franchisee required to spend a minimum amount on local advertising or marketing, as a percentage of sales or a fixed amount?Item 22
- Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?Item 11
- Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?Item 8
- Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?Item 11
The vendor opportunity at ATL International
ATL International operates 18 franchised automotive-service centers, all of which represent the total addressable market for a software vendor—no company-owned units are disclosed in the 2024 FDD. The system shrank slightly year-over-year, with unit growth at -5.263%. While the average unit volume is not reported, the royalty rate sits at 7.0% on gross sales, and the initial franchise term runs 15 years. For a vendor, the small footprint means every location counts; displacement of an incumbent or addition of a complementary tool requires a clear value proposition tied to the mandated tech environment.
Who controls software purchasing
The 2024 FDD does not list any HQ executives, so the identity of the software buyer remains unknown. In systems of this size, purchasing decisions often sit with an owner-operator or a general manager, but without named individuals or a disclosed procurement hierarchy, vendors should assume a centralized, HQ-driven approval process given the presence of mandated technology. The lack of an Item 8 extract further obscures whether ATL International uses a designated-supplier model or allows franchisees to choose their own vendors. Direct outreach to the franchisor is the only way to map the buying center.
Mandated and current tech stack
ATL International mandates two core systems: ALLDATA, a DVD-driven automotive information system, and ShopPro, specifically ShopPro® 4.5 for Windows. ADP is also referenced in the FDD’s technology disclosures, though the document does not clarify whether ADP is mandated or merely recommended. For a software vendor, this stack signals a shop-management and repair-information backbone. Any pitch must address integration with or replacement of ShopPro and ALLDATA, as franchisees are contractually required to use them. The presence of a legacy Windows-based version (ShopPro 4.5) may indicate an upgrade opportunity if the franchisor is open to modernizing.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
Because the 2024 FDD omits Item 8, the procurement model is not publicly defined. Vendors cannot assume an open market; the mandated tech suggests ATL International exerts strong control over supplier selection. Renewal terms offer a potential window: after the initial 15-year term, franchisees in good standing can renew for three additional 5-year periods, but they must sign a new franchise agreement that “may contain terms and conditions materially different from those in your previous franchise agreement, such as different training qualifications.” This clause gives the franchisor leverage to introduce new technology requirements at renewal, creating periodic openings for vendors. With 18 units on staggered renewal schedules, the opportunity is continuous but small.
How to read the ATL International FDD
The 2024 FDD is embedded below. Key sections for a software vendor include Item 11 (the source of the ALLDATA and ShopPro mandates), Item 17 (renewal conditions and the potential for new tech requirements), and Item 20 (unit counts and growth rates). Note that Item 1 does not list executives, and Item 8 is absent, so procurement pathways must be inferred from the franchisor’s control over operations. For a ranked target list of franchise systems that match your software, FranCloud can help you prioritize based on tech mandates, unit counts, and renewal triggers.
Questions vendors ask
ATL International, answered from the filing
The 2024 FDD does not list any HQ executives, so the buying center is unknown. Given the small system size (18 units) and mandated tech, purchasing authority likely rests with a founder or operations lead, but no name or title is on file.
The FDD mandates ALLDATA (a DVD-driven automotive information system) and ShopPro, specifically ShopPro® 4.5 for Windows. ADP is also mentioned in the tech disclosures, though its mandate status is less explicit.
There are 18 total units, all franchised. The FDD does not report any company-owned locations. Year-over-year unit growth was -5.263%, indicating a slight contraction from the prior year.
The 2024 FDD does not include an Item 8 extract, so the procurement model (designated supplier, approved supplier, or open) is not disclosed. Vendors should inquire directly about how to become an approved or designated supplier.
Initial franchise terms are 15 years. Franchisees in good standing can renew for three additional 5-year terms, but must sign a new agreement that may contain materially different terms. Renewal timing varies by unit, with no aggregate window disclosed.
The FDD was filed with state franchise regulators in 2024. You can view the embedded PDF viewer below to read the full document and verify the tech mandates, unit counts, and renewal terms cited on this page.
Source
Read the filing itself
Every number on this page traces back to this document. Read it in full, page by page. Buy the original PDF to download, search, and annotate it.
View only A one-time purchase: the original filing, yours to keep.
FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment ATL International files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
ATL International’s FDD on file does not disclose a franchisee directory.
Related Automotive services brands
Primary franchise filings · updated July 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.