Batteries Plus Continues to Power Commercial Businesses

Batteries Plus pivoted business operations quickly when COVID-19 broke out. The leading omnichannel retailer of batteries, specialty light bulbs and phone repair services rolled out curbside pickup within two days at more than 720 units nationwide in response to the coronavirus pandemic, much to the satisfaction of grateful retail customers.

The brand has also continued to serve commercial customers during this critical time. From hospitals to logistics providers to manufacturers and more, Batteries Plus is working hard to ensure it meets the needs of a variety of commercial businesses.

“At the very start of the pandemic we got letters from commercial customers that said ‘We need you to stay open’ and ‘You’re essential to our services,’” Chief Strategy Officer and Vice President of Franchise Development Jon Sica said. “Commercial businesses are trying to do their best at this time and outside of Batteries Plus, some of them really have nowhere else to go for these specialty products and our level of expertise.”

To that end, Batteries Plus has been helping commercial customers across the board, whether through estimates, pricing or delivery. Batteries Plus has also adapted their offerings to serve commercial businesses during closures by virtualizing the sales process. Of course, even commercial customers can still do pickup at the stores. The brand was also able to meet the initial flood of demand for product that came out of increased activity in the healthcare and distribution sectors. Sica noted that companies were preparing for a prolonged supply interruption and wanted to be prepared.

Fortunately, Batteries Plus is built for flexibility and adversity.

“Between the products and expertise we offer and the small, versatile format of our brick-and-mortar stores, we could not have been better positioned to weather this storm from a franchise-model standpoint,” Sica said.

Critically, Batteries Plus franchise owners also reached out directly to their commercial customers to let them know they were open and to gauge their needs.

“One thing we found early on was that some owners were reluctant to reach out to commercial customers because they didn’t know if those customers wanted to hear from someone in sales,” Sica said. “It was the opposite, as those customers were eager to have a conversation. They needed certain items but didn’t know where to get them. By being proactive on the sales side, our franchise owners were able to meet commercial customer needs.”

One Batteries Plus veteran who can speak to the brand’s high commercial demand is Lance Barthel. Barthel is the Commercial Sales Manager at the St. Cloud and Sauk Rapids stores in Minnesota, a role he’s held for eight years. He is 100% focused on commercial sales growth for the two stores and noted that business has been very busy lately. His two stores have recently done a great deal of business with assisted living facilities and in the manufacturing and healthcare sectors.

Sales to educational institutions have been particularly strong for the Sauk Rapids and St. Cloud stores. Barthel noted that St. Cloud, for example, is home to major student hubs such as St. Cloud State University and St. Cloud Technical and Community College.

“Education has also been really strong,” Barthel said. “Since schools are out, that gives maintenance people time to focus on getting things updated and renewed and replaced, whether it’s on the battery side or on the lighting side. Of course, we’re also doing a lot of tablet repairs since students are learning at home.”

One way that Batteries Plus really stands out is by providing customers with immediate service. This was already a huge asset for the brand in the age of ecommerce, but now that many online vendors are unable to provide a fast turnaround on orders, a brick-and-mortar enterprise like Batteries Plus is even more valuable.

“It used to be so easy to get your online orders quickly, but now people are finding that they’re taking longer to arrive,” Barthel said. “At Batteries Plus, we’re able to deliver things on a daily and even hourly basis, and our customers are thankful for that quick service.”

This ability to continue servicing customers has been great on employee morale. Barthel is certainly thrilled to continue serving commercial customers during COVID-19.

“Our sales associates feel very important right now with everything going on, and they also feel thankful to have a job,” Barthel said. “Customers are always commenting on the great service our employees provide. At Batteries Plus, we’re just working hard to solve problems for both our commercial and retail customers, and we’re really happy to help them at a time like this.”

The startup costs for a Batteries Plus franchise range from $201,450 to $385,230. The franchise fee is $37,500. To learn more about franchising with Batteries Plus, visit https://batteriesplusfranchise.com/.