FURNITURE FIXER BRINGS TOOLS TO CANADA
By Adnews Staff
Guardsman Woodpro of Grand Rapids, Michigan is opening franchises in Canada and may be looking for a PR agency in the next four to six months. Michael James, holder of the master franchise rights for Canada, told Adnews last week that it will be two to three years before he looks for an advertising agency - when there are franchises set up across Canada. Until then individual franchiseee will handle their own advertising. The first outlet opened at the end of April in Ottawa and the next is scheduled to be operating in Toronto by the end of June. Within the next five years the company wants to have 30 outlets across Canada. James bought the rights to the Canadian master franchise in early April. Formerly he was retail development and operations senior vice-president of Olympia & York Developments. Guardsman WoodPro does home or office calls to repair and restore furniture and decks. The company is a division of Lilly Industries of Indiana, which bought two-year-old Guardsman in late April.