Thanks to impressive brand growth over the past year, the nation’s largest wireless retail franchise has been recognized as a top player in the space.

From the time of its founding in 1988, wireless retail brand Wireless Zone® has racked up a catalog of praise for its lucrative yet accessible franchise opportunity. Over the years, the brand has adapted to the changing technology and retail landscapes to remain one of the most competitive franchises in the game. The implementation of several strategic changes in recent years has paid dividends in growth, and because of this, Wireless Zone® has found itself included as one of Franchise Gator’s Top 100 Franchises of 2019 for the first time in five years.

Franchise Gator rankings are given after analysis of data within a brand’s FDD as it relates to six specific criteria: financial stability, growth, transparency, engagement, continuity and sustainability. “At the core of it, franchising is about risk reduction,” the portal explains. “You join a franchise because it provides a heightened chance of success as a business owner.”

What makes Franchise Gator’s annual ranking different from other industry indexes, though, is that it focuses on brands that are viable options for the typical franchise buyer. This means things like market availability, investment level and industry are also taken into account in an effort to bring lesser-known opportunities to light. As such, Wireless Zone®’s inclusion, despite being a three-decades-old legacy brand, is all the more impressive.

The average level of profitability that Wireless Zone® can offer when compared to the likes of service and QSR franchise opportunities makes it an attractive investment, particularly as an addition to an experienced franchisee’s portfolio. The brand leverages its support from a nationally-recognized partner in Verizon to further its credibility, yet still maintains the signature community feel that makes its stores so successful.

“Our close relationship with Verizon provides the perfect balance between instant brand recognition and small business ownership,” said Wireless Zone® Corporate Marketing & Communications Manager Margaret Cooley. “This is invaluable in an ever-changing industry where demand for technology devices remains high, yet people still rely on personal interactions to choose the best technology solution for their personal use."

In the last few years specifically, Wireless Zone® has seen smooth and consistent growth. Executive Director of Development Keith Dziki explained that this is a direct result of three things: franchisee performance, a new ownership structure focused on growth and store performance and the evolution of services offered to consumers by Verizon. These practices, coupled with changes to the franchise recruiting process, continue to help the brand grow steadily.

“The wireless industry overall is a very competitive space, with many carrier options for the consumer to choose from,” said Dziki. “The franchise owners who perform and follow the Verizon brand’s model and standards are the ones who are rewarded with growth opportunities. Wireless Zone and Verizon leaned on the high performers by awarding them new locations so that they could replicate their success in other markets.”

For Cooley, being included on the Franchise Gator ranking is yet another achievement to add to the long list of recognition the brand has received over the years.

“It speaks to our longevity and ability to adapt to the changing environments in technology,” she said. “We've been able to add smart home devices and additional technology beyond phones that support a totally connected society overall. It also shows that people are interested in what Verizon is doing in terms of implementing its 5G network and the value it will bring to our franchise opportunity.”

As far as the future is concerned, Wireless Zone®’s demonstrated ability to innovate over the years indicates the brand’s determination to prosper in the face of change. From clunky car phones to the presence of a computer in everyone's pocket, the transformation from phone to personal device indicates that society’s reliance on technology isn’t going away anytime soon.

“Wireless Zone has continued to stay relevant in this ever-changing industry and country,” said Dziki, emphasizing that the path to obtaining legacy status was a challenging one. “We’ve adapted our model, image, offering, and more over the last 30 years. We had to make sure that we were still a good fit for individuals looking to adopt a wireless business, while at the same time, deliver an end-product that produced results for the franchise owners that have invested in our brand.”