Need For Their Franchise 'Going And Growing'

(Tuesday, November 18, 2008) - From hearing aids to construction equipment, batteries are powering more and more of our lives.

So that makes an inviting climate for a new Batteries Plus retail store in Norton Shores that sells batteries for nearly any type of item, be it a laptop computer, jet ski, cell phone or lawn tractor.

"We are the only ones in the battery business and that business is going and growing," local Batteries Plus co-owner and General Manager Dick Van Luyn said. "Even in this economy, the battery business has plenty of fresh air. There is growth."

With their new location in a strip mall at 5839 Harvey, Van Luyn and business partner Dick Schmuldt -- both of Grand Rapids -- now have four Batteries Plus franchise outlets in West Michigan. Van Luyn has a sales background with Steelcase Inc. and Schmuldt a background in industrial sales.

The co-owners have bought into a franchise founded in Green Bay, Wis., in 1988. The concept is to be a one-stop shop for all kinds of batteries.

Batteries Plus offers its own brand batteries as well as those of a dozen vendors, including Rayovac and Werker. Most of the batteries are in stock, but within 48 hours, special orders can be delivered from a central warehouse in Wisconsin, the owners said. Specially-designed batteries and packs also can be built right in the store.
Chronicle/Dave AlexanderNeed batteries for an older model camcorder or cell phone? Batteries Plus likely has it in the store, or can get it for you quickly.

Have an old, bulky 12-year-old camcorder with a battery the electronics store doesn't carry anymore? You can get one at Batteries Plus. Likewise, for those portable power tools with rechargeable battery packs.

Only about half the business at a Batteries Plus store typically comes from consumer retail, with the other comprised of commercial accounts.

"Every single building in this community has a need for batteries," said Schmuldt, who is the commercial sales manager for all four stores. An example are battery-powered emergency lights near exit signs in commercial buildings that provide lighting during a power failure.

"For the first time, we will go out to the customers to offer them our services for their battery needs," Schmuldt said. "We will work with them and be an extension of their purchasing departments."

Batteries Plus has batteries of all chemical types, from traditional alkaline batteries to rechargeable nickel metal hydride cells. The fastest-growing are the lithium ion batteries that are used in a number of rechargeable devices, the owners said.

"There has been a big swing toward rechargables as a 'green' concept," Schmuldt said.

The company also is a collection center for its customers' used batteries. The company sorts and recycles old cells, keeping them from causing problems in local landfills, they said.

The first West Michigan Batteries Plus store opened in 2000 on 28th Street in Kentwood and others are in Holland and Portage.

With the new store in Muskegon, the partners say they think they have locked up the region from the Indiana state line north to Ludington. Nevertheless, the owners, who are in the business with a silent partner who originally established the local franchise, said they are always on the look out for expansion opportunities.

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