Chains, Franchises and Property Managers: Getting Past 'Corporate Has to Approve'
JB Charging Team
"Corporate has to approve" usually means you're talking to someone who can't say yes, not that the answer is no. To get a vending placement at a chain, a franchise or a managed property, find the person who can decide, then give your contact at the counter one page they can forward, with one ask: a pilot at one store. Say a franchisee owns six stores in your metro. Win the pilot store, and the owner can approve the other five in one email.
Coming from snack or drink vending? A charging station competes with nothing on the menu and handles no food; see charging stations vs snack vending.
How to get a vending placement at a chain: find who decides
Picture a Tuesday at 2pm in a franchised tire shop. Customers wait an hour or more for tires and an alignment. The manager watches your demo rental, likes it, and says, "I'd have to run it by Rick." Rick owns this store and five others. He's your pitch.
| Where you are | How to tell | Who can say yes | Who else weighs in | What they'll ask for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franchise location | "Independently owned and operated" on the door or receipt; staff mention "the owner" | The franchisee, who may own several stores | The brand, if its standards cover guest-facing equipment | Photos, your insurance certificate, how they get out |
| Company-owned chain | The manager mentions "my district manager" | District or regional operations, sometimes facilities or purchasing | The store manager; risk or legal | A vendor packet: W-9, insurance certificate, one setup for every store |
| Tenant in a managed building (a shop in a mall, a bar in a hotel) | The door opens onto a mall corridor or hotel lobby; staff mention "the landlord" | The tenant, inside its own space | The landlord, for common areas, signs and power | Whether their lease allows added equipment |
| The managed property (mall, office lobby, mixed-use building) | A management office on site, or a management company's name on signs | The property or general manager; specialty leasing at malls | The owner's corporate office | Insurance matched to their sheet, their own license agreement, sometimes a fee |
Aim at the middle. A franchisee with three to ten stores, or a local group that owns several bars or hotels, is one decision-maker with several placements. A national company-owned chain is the slowest yes, and may already have a charging vendor.
Pick chains worth the wait: franchise hotels, sports bar and pub groups, bowling and trampoline-park franchises, salons, auto-service waiting rooms. In our experience, gyms, quick-service restaurants and office lobbies are weak placements whoever owns them, so a corporate yes there buys you little.
Property managers are the easiest to find and the heaviest on paperwork. The mall playbook covers their insurance sheets and fees, and the hotel playbook covers flagged hotels, where owner, management company and brand can all weigh in.
Three questions for whoever's at the counter
- "Is this store owned by a local franchisee or by the company?"
- "Who signs off on something guests use, like an ATM or a vending machine?"
- "What would they want to see? I can write one page you could send them."
Then ask when the owner or district manager is next in, and bring a J8 Pro (11.5 lb) to that visit; a live demo beats any email. If the store manager answers these, they're your champion. If it's a cashier, get the manager's name and shift.
When nobody will name the owner
Check the wall by the register: a posted liquor license or health permit often shows the business's legal name. Your state's business-entity search then shows its registered agent and, in many states, its officers or managers.
Failing that, franchisors file a Franchise Disclosure Document in states that register franchises, and some states let anyone download it, such as Minnesota through its CARDS search. Item 20 lists current franchisees with each outlet's address and phone number, though a large brand may list only outlets in and near the filing state (16 CFR 436.5). It doubles as a prospect list of who in your metro owns several stores. Item 8 shows whether franchisees must buy from approved suppliers, a hint at how tightly the brand controls its stores.
What about headquarters?
National deals run through procurement: supplier registration, insurance minimums, and coverage of every store in a region. For a one-metro operator, the realistic yes is the franchisee or the district manager. Use the brand's online supplier form only to get a vendor ID once someone inside has said yes, and go to headquarters when a regional contact invites you, with pilot results in hand. If brand standards rule out anything inside a store in a mall or managed building, ask the landlord about the common area outside.
The one-page proposal they can forward
The reader has never seen the station and probably won't call you. Put the risks first (cost, liability, staff time, the exit), then one reason, then one ask: a pilot at one named store, not a rollout.
- Title and summary. "Guest phone charging: pilot proposal for [brand], store #[X], [address]." Then: "Ask: a 60-day pilot from [date], review on [date]. Cost to the store: electricity only. Staff time: none. If the answer at review is no, I remove it at no cost."
- Why this store. A line or two in the manager's words, with their OK: how long guests wait, how often staff get asked to charge a phone.
- What it is. A self-service power-bank rental station. Guests tap a card or phone, take a charged bank with Lightning and USB-C cables built in, and return it to any open slot. No app or account. One photo.
- What the store provides. One standard outlet, plus 9.4 by 8.7 inches for a J8 Pro (60W adapter) or 14 by 17.7 inches for a J24 Pro tower (rated at 160W). Built-in 4G, so it doesn't need the store's Wi-Fi; Wi-Fi is only a backup where the cell signal is weak.
- Staff time and cost. Staff do nothing; renters get help through the machine, the app or their receipt. Electricity is the only cost. If a guest keeps a bank, the guest is charged a non-return fee. The store never is.
- Where it goes. A photo of the spot, or a mock-up from your portal's 3D Viewer: back to a wall, out of exit paths, no extension cord.
- What the screen shows. The price and a "Rent a power bank" button, plus content you upload. Offer to run the store's own promos, and agree which ad categories never run.
- Who runs it. Your business name and phone, your restock schedule, and who the manager calls.
- Insurance and safety. Your certificate, with their legal names spelled exactly as their requirements say; see insurance and COIs for operators. The power banks carry FCC, CE and RoHS marks; add no other listing or safety claim. If their risk team asks for a specific listing, get the exact requirement in writing and send it to us before you promise anything.
- Terms and exit. Agreed in writing before install. The pilot terms add the review date and the store's option to have the station removed then, within [X] days, at no cost. If it stays, JB Charging's standard venue agreement runs six months, then month-to-month with 30 days' notice, with removal at no cost to the store. Any revenue share is in writing too, paid monthly by direct deposit with a statement.
- The ask, again. "A 60-day pilot at store #[X], starting [date], with a review on [date]."
Attach a spec sheet, a photo of a live install, your certificate and a W-9.
The cover email the manager forwards
Subject: Phone charging pilot: [brand] store #[X], [street]
Hi [manager], thanks for your time today. Attached is a one-page summary for [decision-maker]: a 60-day pilot at your store, no cost to the store beyond electricity, nothing for staff to do, and removed at no cost if the answer at review is no. If it's easier, I can send it to [decision-maker] myself and copy you.
[Your name, business, phone]
Name the PDF [brand]-store-[X]-charging-pilot.pdf so it survives forwarding.
Pilot one store, then expand
Pick the pilot yourself if you can: the store with your champion and the longest waits, not the flagship. Before install, write down the start and review dates, the spot, the guest price, and the three outcomes at review: stay, remove at no cost, or add stores.
- Give the staff the station's staff code. Each registered staffer gets a free rental a day, up to a weekly limit, and they're who the decision-maker will ask.
- Watch the store in your portal. Venue Insights shows its revenue over 7 and 30 days and flags stations that need attention, such as one low on charged banks. During a pilot, also check daily that the station shows online, and fix problems the same day.
At the review, send a short note. Your portal shows revenue and non-returns; log service visits and downtime yourself.
Subject: Store #[X] charging pilot, day 60
[Start] to [today]: [n] rentals, [n] banks not returned, [n] service visits, [n] days offline. Issues: [none, or what happened and the fix]. Same terms and setup at stores [2, 3, 4], starting [date]?
Chains like identical rollouts. Before you promise install dates for more stores, ask us about stock and timing.
What one franchisee's yes could be worth
The win isn't more per station; it's one decision-maker, one set of terms and one route. Take Rick's six stores and, for illustration, assume:
- Each J8 Pro costs about $890 delivered (the 10-pack is $8,299.90 list at the time of writing, plus $560 shipping as shown at checkout). Six cost about $5,300; the other four go to independents.
- A rental lasts an hour at the default $3 per 30 minutes: $6, of which you keep 80%, or $4.80.
- The franchisee takes 10% of each rental ($0.60) out of your 80%. That's an illustration, not a standard rate; you negotiate it.
- Each store costs you $10 a month in replacement banks and fuel.
That leaves $4.20 a rental, less $10 a store each month.
| If each of the 6 stores rents... | Your net a month, all 6 | Months to cover $5,300 |
|---|---|---|
| About 1 a day (30 a month) | $696 | About 8 |
| About 5 a week (20 a month) | $444 | About 12 |
| About 1 a week (5 a month) | $66 | About 80, nearly 7 years |
| Rarely (2 a month) | About -$10 (rentals of about $50 don't cover $60 in costs) | Never, at this rate |
The bottom rows are why you pilot one store first: it tells you which row you're in before you commit six stations. Card processing is already inside JB Charging's 20%. Your time, taxes and slow weeks aren't in the table, and a station can earn less than it costs.
Patience: a follow-up schedule that doesn't burn your champion
Expect "not yet" before you hear yes. Keep each touch short, and make each one add something.
| When | Who | What |
|---|---|---|
| Day 0 | Store manager | Demo; leave the printed one-pager |
| Day 1 | Store manager | The cover email above |
| Day 7 | Store manager | "Did it go up? Any questions back?" If not: "Would it help if I sent it to [name] and copied you?" |
| Day 21 | Manager, or the decision-maker if introduced | Something new: a fresh install photo, or an answer to their question |
| Day 45 | Decision-maker | Ask for a decision date. If it's stuck, shrink the ask: a look at a live station at another venue, or a 30-day pilot |
| After that | Both | Monthly. On "not now," ask when vendor reviews or budgets happen, and put that date in your tracker |
Log each objection in their words; your next touch answers it. Go up with the manager copied, never around them. They'll still run that store after corporate says yes.
Independents first: keep momentum while corporate thinks
Place your first stations with independents, where the owner is in the building and can decide in one visit: bars, hotels, salons, entertainment venues. If a chain takes ten weeks to decide, six stations held back for it sit idle for 60 station-weeks.
Each independent install strengthens the chain pitch: a real photo for the one-pager, portal numbers, and a live station the district manager can visit. Walk chains and independents on the same afternoons, and never hold a station back for a chain that hasn't signed.
Next step
Have a chain or property manager on your list? Book a call and bring its name, how it's owned and who you've met; we'll help plan the approach. Coming from vending? We'll tell you honestly whether charging fits your route. Or see the stations first.
Examples are illustrative only, not a forecast or a typical result. What a station earns depends on the venue, placement, pricing, local demand, and how actively you run it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you get a vending placement at a chain?
Start by finding out how the location is owned. At a franchise, the franchisee usually decides. At a company-owned chain, it's usually district or regional operations, and in a mall or managed building, the property manager. The store manager usually can't sign but can champion it. Ask who signs off on things guests use, offer a one-page summary they can forward, and ask for a pilot at one store rather than a rollout. Keep placing stations with independents meanwhile.
How long does corporate approval take for a new vendor?
It varies, and it often takes weeks or months. The usual holdups are vendor onboarding (a W-9 and an insurance certificate matched to their requirements), a legal review of the agreement, and the company's budget or vendor-review calendar. Ask your contact which applies, follow up on a steady schedule, and keep placing stations with independents meanwhile.
Whose agreement do we sign, mine or the chain's?
Often theirs. A franchisee may sign yours, but company-owned chains and property managers often send their own vendor or license agreement. Check its insurance, indemnity and termination terms against what you carry, and ask us if a clause conflicts with how the station runs.
Will a chain expect a revenue share?
Some will, though many venues host a station as a free guest amenity. If there is a share, it comes out of your 80%, it's agreed in writing before install, and at a company-owned store it's paid to the business, not to a manager personally.
Do I need the landlord's approval to put a station in a mall or office building?
For common areas such as corridors, food courts and lobbies, usually yes. The property controls that space, usually through the property or general manager, or specialty leasing at a mall. A tenant can usually decide about its own space, subject to its lease. Expect an insurance requirements sheet, and at some malls a placement fee.
How do I find out who owns a franchise location?
Ask the staff first. Many franchise locations also say "independently owned and operated" on the door or receipt. A liquor license or health permit posted near the register often shows the business's legal name, which your state's business-entity search can tie to a registered agent or officers. Failing that, Item 20 of the brand's Franchise Disclosure Document lists current franchisees with their outlets' addresses and phone numbers (large brands may list only the outlets in and near the filing state). Some states that register franchises, such as Minnesota, let anyone download these documents.
