Merlin franchisees in Ill. add stores

ST. CHARLES, Ill. (May 15, 2013) — Merlin 200,000 Miles Shop franchisees Dolph Young and Timothy Williams have expanded their businesses in Illinois to three stores each.

Mr. Young, a Merlin Corp. franchisee since 2000, opened his third Merlin shop in Montgomery, Ill., while Mr. Williams—Merlin's former director of franchising who left the company in January to take over two franchised stores—has acquired franchise rights to a third store, in DeKalb, Ill.

Mr. Young's new store, on U.S. Route 30 in west Montgomery, gives him stores on both sides of the Fox River that runs through the city, Merlin said. The newly built 4,200-sq.-ft. store has seven service bays and is set up to have seven to 10 employees, as demand warrants.

The building was built according to a Merlin corporate design, according to Mark Hameister, director, market development, for Merlin Corp. In most cases, he added, Merlin leases new buildings from the developer and then subleases to the franchisee.

The cost was not disclosed, but Mr. Hameister said buildings of this size typically run $225,000 to $275,000.

Mr. Young opened his first Merlin shop in 2000 on the east side of Montgomery and opened his second Merlin's location in 2009 in nearby Yorkville, Ill., where he achieved $1 million in sales in 2012.

He and his teams at the Montgomery and Yorkville stores have received numerous Merlin awards, including:

• Most Improved Performance Award—for the highest percentage of shop sales improvement over the previous year;

• Tenacity Award—for surpassing the previous year's sales every month;

• We Care Award—for having zero customer complaints during the year;

• Marketing Effectiveness Award—for achieving the highest average chainwide score on third-party conducted Marketing Effectiveness inspections;

• Image and Maintenance Award—for achieving the highest average chain wide score on third-party conducted Image and Maintenance inspections; and

• Top 10 Percent Award—for a shop's yearly sales ranking in the top 10 percent of the chain.

Mr. Williams, who left Merlin Corp. in January after a 29-year career with the St. Chatrles, Ill.-based company, took over a Merlin corporate-operated store in DeKalb in mid-April. His other stores are in Carpentersville and Elgin.

Merlin's 200,000 Miles Shops provide a menu of auto repair and maintenance services—simple oil changes, brake service, fluid exchanges, tire replacement and more—designed to help car owners keep their vehicles running for 200,000 miles and beyond.

The new store is the 42nd Merlin's location in Illinois and 48th overall, including nine that are corporate-run stores. Other outlets are in Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Merlin is seeking franchise owners for opportunities in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin, Mr. Hameister said, including existing but temporarily shuttered locations in Peoria, Ill., and Milwaukee available for immediate occupancy.