As environmental factors like the COVID-19 pandemic, global warming and city-wide power outages affect businesses throughout the U.S., Batteries Plus has a well-equipped team ready to tackle any challenge.
Peter Schaumann, a multi-unit, California-based franchisee, has witnessed first-hand how many consumers and businesses rely on our products for everyday tasks and operations. As Peter explained, “I only see demand increasing, and I know we’re well-prepared.”
From Family Business to Franchise Owner
Prior to becoming a Batteries Plus franchisee, Peter worked in accounting, and eventually took over his family business, where he learned about everything that goes into running it successfully and profitably.
He learned about the Batteries Plus franchise through his neighbor’s brother, who owned six locations in Virginia. He began to explore this franchising opportunity by shadowing at the Virginia stores and learning all there is to know about franchising, batteries, bulbs and everything in between.
It wasn’t long before he purchased the Vista, Calif. store, which will soon be celebrating its 20th anniversary. In 2013, he purchased another location in Lake Forest, Calif., and aims to open an additional one in San Diego in the near future.
Realizing The Need For Batteries
As Peter began operating the stores, he noticed just how much customers rely on the products he sells. “Power outages are becoming more and more frequent,” he explained, “and we always have the inventory we need to provide backup batteries to those who need them.”
The Batteries Plus corporate team takes several steps to stay ahead of demand, especially as the world around us experiences major supply chain obstacles. Being a national franchise with over 700 locations provides us with the capital to order inventory months in advance so that our customers never have to wait too long to receive the products they need the most. In fact, our executives forecasted inventory shortages well in advance and built up a tremendous supply of inventory for the lean times ahead.
“That’s led to some great opportunities for us as a franchise,” said Peter. “More customers are coming to us simply because we are in stock when others aren’t.”
Many retailers are experiencing shortages in products like golf cart and RV batteries, while Batteries Plus retains a strong supply of both.
How Businesses Rely on Batteries Plus
Over the years, Peter has also become more aware of how many businesses rely on batteries for their day-to-day operations. From hotel room keypads to soap dispensers, automatic faucets and even parking meters, all industries have some sort of demand for batteries.
When the power does go out, these businesses must make sure operations still run as smoothly as possible. The backup batteries that Batteries Plus stores sell can ensure that hotel guests can still access their rooms during an outage.
“Owning my Batteries Plus stores has really been a learning experience,” Peter said. “You come to realize how important our products are. I didn’t even comprehend how many batteries the average household or business requires and how difficult it can be when there is a power outage or shortage of them. It feels great that we can help play a role in keeping businesses running.”
Even some of the most important devices, such as smoke alarms, require batteries. Peter has participated in community events to help promote awareness around the importance of changing out your batteries, even working with the local fire department to help educate others during Fire Safety Awareness Week.
A Recession-Resilient Brand
According to Peter, one of the best parts of owning a Batteries Plus franchise is its resilience– both to the pandemic and to environmental factors.
“Last time the power went out, we were able to stay functioning and open so that we could help others,” he explained. “Even during the pandemic when businesses everywhere had to close their doors or adjust to working from home, we never had to do any of that.”
Not only does Batteries Plus sell plenty of products online, but Peter is excited to see foot traffic back to normal and looks forward to serving several more customers and businesses throughout the years.