School of Rock Amplifies International Expansion Efforts in 2019

After closing the books on a wildly successful year in 2018, School of Rock already has plans to outperform itself. The leader in performance-based music education took key steps to grow its worldwide reach to several new countries in 2018 and is priming to further expand its audience in Europe in 2019.

“Last year was a banner year for us,” School of Rock Chief Development Officer Anthony Padulo said. “We’re very excited about what we accomplished and are just as excited about the pipeline for 2019.”

School of Rock closed 2018 with 223 schools in nine countries: Canada, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Brazil, the Philippines, Australia, South Africa and the U.S. Over the course of the year, the brand signed 36 new franchise agreements, 31 of which were domestic. The brand also opened 21 new schools, entering markets like New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Atlanta, among others, and signed two master franchise agreements internationally, one covering Brazil and the other covering Chile and Peru.

In addition to increasing its worldwide reach, School of Rock saw an 11 percent increase in same-store sales as of November 2018 as well as a 17 percent increase in sales system-wide during that same time frame. The brand’s impressive 2018 gives way for even loftier ambitions in 2019; School of Rock is planning to sign 35 domestic and five international franchise agreements in the year ahead.

“Some of the markets we’re looking to open in are Santa Rosa and San Diego, California as well as the greater New York City area, specifically Queens, Williamsburg, Hoboken, New Jersey, and Greenwich, Connecticut,” Padulo said. “Internationally speaking, we’re looking at a third school opening in Sydney, Australia, as well. From a growth perspective, we’re at a very exciting point, and things are poised to become even more exciting in 2019 and 2020.”

Padulo, who has a background in international development for multiple franchise brands including Dunkin’ and Baskin-Robbins, said that while the brand is always targeting franchise development opportunities in the U.S. states where it has yet to establish a presence, 2019’s goals include pursuing franchise partners in the United Kingdom, Spain and Portugal in particular.

“We approach international development with a much more proactive and targeted approach than we do domestically,” he said. “We focus our pursuit on master franchisees or area developers, whereas in the U.S., we seek single-unit agreements with owner-operators. We’re looking for franchisees with a business perspective in addition to a true passion for music. Even though we have adult programs, the bulk of our business is teaching kids to be a part of a band and work together by encouraging collaboration. Our mission is to impact lives through music and help our students reach their creative potential, so we look to franchisees who possess a sense of wanting to give back.”

Despite School of Rock’s well-established reputation as the leader in performance-based music education, the brand isn’t just “sitting back on our laurels,” according to Padulo. School of Rock has invested in franchisee communication, forged key vendor partnerships and upgraded its curriculum to continue to dominate its segment in 2019 and beyond.

“We’re focused on taking counsel from our franchisees to make sure our existing franchise system is as successful as possible while also encouraging growth,” Padulo said. “We have formed some very strategic alliances and partnerships with key vendors that not only give franchisees better pricing, but also establish exclusive programs that add incredible value to our catalog of programs, helping us to become that much more competitive.”

After 2018 was spent redefining its franchise development process and mentoring its team on building and reinforcing a strong foundation for awarding franchises, School of Rock is ready for its best year yet.

“Growth since 2017 has been serious,” Padulo said. “Our numbers are rising, and most importantly, our passionate, growing community of music educators is at its strongest yet.”