Winning brings a thrill that can easily become addictive. It doesn’t happen by accident, but rather is built with intention, competition, and recognition. Batteries Plus is learning that in the best possible way, and it’s becoming contagious throughout the brand’s entire franchise system.
Winning: It’s in the Batteries Plus DNA
The Batteries Plus executive team doesn’t take winning for granted. In fact, it wasn’t until recently that awards and accolades – like Johnson Controls’ Leadership Award in Shareholder Value (2022) and the Franchise Innovation Award for Leadership in Technology (2024) – started steadily coming in. Batteries Plus has been on a mission to build a brand culture rooted in victory, with a reputation for excellent performance.
Among the brand’s most impressive feats was its gradual climb in Entrepreneur’s annual Franchise 500 ranking, most recently coming in at #291, up 182 spots from their ranking on the same list just four years ago. And with over 30 years on the list, Batteries Plus was also inducted into the publication’s exclusive Hall of Fame list.
“Our entire franchise system is simply addicted to winning,” said Joe Malmuth, Chief Development Officer for Batteries Plus. “From individual franchisee honors to national growth awards, our consistent recognition reflects a system built to perform. That win-rate is exactly why savvy franchise investors are continuing to choose us and we’re proving, year after year, that this is a brand built for sustained success.”
That competitiveness and drive to win carries through the Batteries Plus franchise system, with more franchise owners being qualified for an award for exceptional sales achievements than the brand has ever experienced in the past. On an international scale, Corey Robinson – the franchise owner of 12 Batteries Plus stores – was recognized by the International Franchise Association as a Franchisee of the Year earlier this year.
Furthering the brand’s culture of winning are the high-performing entrepreneurs and franchise owners who have taken note, drawn to the brand’s momentum and high standards. Batteries Plus is increasingly seen as a franchise system where winners thrive.

Cover Story July 2025
Creating a Competitive System
With a franchise system built around excellence and expertise, Batteries Plus has raised the bar for prospective franchisees. Strong performance from its network has enabled the brand to increase its financial and operational requirements, further ensuring that incoming owners are equipped to meet the same high standards. Simply put: it now takes more to join a winning team.
That same philosophy carried through to the reinvention of the company’s annual franchise convention: PlusCon. Organizers were inspired by the vibrant Las Vegas atmosphere coupled with Batteries Plus’s winning streak to create an event that stood against tradition. PlusCon ultimately evolved into an event that gamified success and offered unparalleled opportunities for growth and collaboration within the Batteries Plus franchise system. The celebrated expertise of franchise owners was amplified during the most inventive and thrilling portion of PlusCon: the final rounds of competition for the inaugural Plus Games.
Plus Games Competition
The Plus Games were created to build store owner excitement leading up to PlusCon, with an overall goal to provide owners with the tools and incentives to drive store performance while strengthening the expertise of their teams. The Games accomplished that – and so much more.
From November 2024 until the finale at PlusCon in May, 182 ownership groups representing nearly 300 franchise stores participated in a bracket-style competition. This wasn’t a simple sales contest – though store performance across key metrics during the Games was a component. This was a physical and mental competition – everything from trivia to relay races – requiring months of training and preparation.
Plus Games
“Our vision of Plus Games was to re-train the system for the benefit of our franchisees — who may not have been to training school for 20 years — while challenging and fostering the spirit of competition among all store associates with $30k up for grabs,” said Jon Sica, Chief Operating Officer of Batteries Plus. “We wanted to do something our system had never seen before and something many thought wasn’t possible and we knocked it out of the park. From the launch six months before convention, to the finals on stage at convention, Plus Games was a memorable tour de force and I can’t wait for the next one.”
The first round centered around company history, with trivia games testing their expertise on Batteries Plus history, culture, support, and contacts, as well as product knowledge, inventory, and services. The Top 16 stores moved on to the next round for a timed relay-style competition. As the competition narrowed down to the “Elite 8” in March, teams went head-to-head in timed battles for key fob programming, battery installation, and product knowledge.
PlusCon featured the final two rounds of the Plus Games. The Semi-Finals pitted the top four teams against each other in a speed-round of Plus-Bowl trivia. Once the competition narrowed down to two teams, it was a race to the finish – literally. The final challenge was a key cutting challenge. Once the key was cut, they tested their work by inserting the key and turning to see if it lit the Plus Games Champion sign.
The winners were crowned on the final day of PlusCon: Frank Meier and his team at the Batteries Plus store in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. In addition to a cash prize, each member of the team received an 85-inch TV and a Plus Games Championship Ring. The store also received a Batteries Plus Champion Cup to be put on display. The three runners up also received smaller prizes of their own.
Real Challenges with Real Results
As determined store owners and associates pushed boundaries and expanded their knowledge and expertise throughout Plus Games, the engaging competition also helped drive their respective store’s success. During the sales portion of the competition, the Games resulted in a noticeable difference across the franchise system.
The top three quartile stores saw a median total sales growth of 5.9-7.4% between November 2024 and January 2025, compared to the same period the previous year. Stores in the top quartile also saw a 12.3% median increase in key fob sales during the Plus Games, compared to the same time frame in the previous year.
From national accolades to top-tier franchisee performance driving success, Batteries Plus’s competitive drive has become a defining part of its identity. PlusCon and the Plus Games took that same spirit that’s been building up within the system, and brought it to life, reinforcing a culture where achievement is celebrated, performance is measured, and success is shared. In a brand where franchisees compete to be the best, and where corporate executives lead by example, Batteries Plus has proven that building a winning system starts with building a winning mindset.