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Author Topic: Bowlmor is doing bowling a favor.  (Read 4300 times)

Impending Doom

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Bowlmor is doing bowling a favor.
« on: August 20, 2014, 02:19:56 PM »
Yeah, I said it. Bowlmor is doing bowling a favor.

The commercialization and incorporating of the bowling center as done by AMF and Brunswick wasn't any good for the bowling community. The only thing it did was make the public aware of the fact that bowling centers throw birthday parties. Franchises are not the way to go, for the most part, if you want to create an atmosphere that makes your employees treat the bowling business like it's their own (thus, empowering employees), and make the league bowler enjoy the sport. Corporate types make decisions in these places, and don't see the day to day operations. It matters.

I live in the Chicagoland area. We are not short on bowling centers in the area, but there are plenty closing. I can't say I've been to one corporate owned center that made me feel like I was a valued customer.

Now I've worked and run pro shops, and worked as a porter in locally owned centers. They feel like home. I could go talk to the owner at any time. I could bowl with them. The feel was that they wanted you. Like a good restaurant, you could go in, and know the service you're going to get, and if something is off, you could speak to the person that owns it, or a direct person linking yourself to them (GM, etc)

In a corporate center. they don't care. You're a number. A stat to bring up at the monthly phone meeting.

Let these franchise chains go. Bring back locally owned centers.

#BowlingResurrection
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itsallaboutme

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Re: Bowlmor is doing bowling a favor.
« Reply #1 on: August 20, 2014, 03:06:15 PM »
If you are going to rant at least know what franchise means.
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milorafferty

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Re: Bowlmor is doing bowling a favor.
« Reply #2 on: August 20, 2014, 03:35:49 PM »
If Bowlmor did create a franchise business model, that would increase private ownership.

It would also allow them a way to divest themselves of bowling alleys that didn't work with corporate management.
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Impending Doom

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Re: Bowlmor is doing bowling a favor.
« Reply #3 on: August 20, 2014, 03:57:33 PM »
OK, you're right. Corporate owned centers. Dismiss the word franchise. Was focusing on work while typing that out. I shouldn't work and rant about bowling at the same time.
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Jorge300

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Re: Bowlmor is doing bowling a favor.
« Reply #4 on: August 20, 2014, 04:26:32 PM »
Well not quite true Milo. The idea of a Franchise is to expand the Corporate landscape without the actual company investing it's own money. These center would still be required to follow the Bowlmor concept, the Bowlmor general rules, etc. And in exchange Bowlmor would allow them to brand as Bowlmor/AMF/Brunswick and give them corporate rates at suppliers to get the Bowlmor products and/or supply them with items such as possibly the scorring system, etc. These "franchises" would have some autonomy but they wouldn't be able to drift too far from the corporate concepts.

I do find the article that Riggs wrote interesting (another thread here and slightly off topic I know) in that Bowlmor wants to sponsor the PBA and claims they won't make many changes to the Brunswick centers. Maybe this is a way to merge the commercial/open play/family fun center concept with "serious" bowling and have options for both. One can hope.


Quote from: milorafferty on August 20, 2014, 03:35:49 PM
If Bowlmor did create a franchise business model, that would increase private ownership.

It would also allow them a way to divest themselves of bowling alleys that didn't work with corporate management.
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Jorge300

milorafferty

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Re: Bowlmor is doing bowling a favor.
« Reply #5 on: August 20, 2014, 04:52:27 PM »
I have a pretty good handle as to what a Franchise is. I worked for Domino's pizza for years.  I started as a driver, became a store manager, area supervisor, senior area supervisor, franchise consultant, franchise operations director and corporate operations director.

A Franchise is a business model/concept the parent company can sell. Bowlmor has a successful business model and there is value in that, just as there is with a McDonald's franchise. The parent company (Franchise) may or may not make money through distribution of a product. McDonald's makes the bulk of it's profits from distribution of the product, where other Franchise's sell the concept and only take a % of gross sales as the franchise fee. The Franchisee usually pays an advertising fee to the parent company, which is then split between local advertising and regional/national advertising.

When a corporate owned location is not thriving as management thinks it is capable of, it is usually offered for sale to a franchisee who can provide more direct "hand-on" management than it would get as a corporate location. This is done all the time in the franchise world. That is what I meant when I stated Bowlmor could divest itself of their no/low profit locations.


There is of course, a built in efficiency of scale with equipment purchases. And it would also give Bowlmor a ready made customer base for the lane beds, pinsetters, restaurant equipment etc when they actually do close a location.


Seems like a workable business model to me, depending on the health of the bowling industry of course.

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"If guns kill people, do pencils misspell words?"

"If you don't stand for our flag, then don't expect me to give a damn about your feelings."

Jorge300

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Re: Bowlmor is doing bowling a favor.
« Reply #6 on: August 20, 2014, 05:19:04 PM »
Milo,
    Sorry, I misunderstood what your point on franchises. But I do agree it might be a good business model. And if they use the Brunswick brand as a seperate option it could allow for a local owner to decide if he wants the Bowlmor/Fun Center concept or the Brunswick "serious" bowling concept. And the owner can use whichever fits best in the demogrpahics of their area.
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Jorge300

milorafferty

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Re: Bowlmor is doing bowling a favor.
« Reply #7 on: August 20, 2014, 05:22:33 PM »
No worries Jorge.  ;D


Great point about the two different brand options.
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"If guns kill people, do pencils misspell words?"

"If you don't stand for our flag, then don't expect me to give a damn about your feelings."

bradl

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Re: Bowlmor is doing bowling a favor.
« Reply #8 on: August 20, 2014, 11:20:05 PM »
Quote from: milorafferty on August 20, 2014, 05:22:33 PM
No worries Jorge.  ;D


Great point about the two different brand options.

[tongue_in_cheek]

This is where King Louie needs to come back and just lay them all to waste.  :P
[/tongue_in_cheek]

BL.
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