Great Clips Named Among Top Franchise Opportunities by National Media

MINNEAPOLIS, MN, March 26, 2011 (Press-News.org) Great Clips, the world's largest hair salon brand, was recently named one of the nation's top franchise opportunities by three highly respected national media outlets. The staffs at Forbes, Entrepreneur and AllBusiness.com independently evaluated the best franchise companies in operation through a number of diverse criteria, and Great Clips, which boasts nearly 3,000 North American salons, earned high marks from all three.

"We have a strong brand and a great system that has been refined over almost 30 years to give our salon owners the ability to build a thriving, sustainable local business," said Rob Goggins, vice president of franchise development with Great Clips. "These rankings are a great honor and a testament to the work we've put in to make Great Clips not only the best franchise system in our category, but one of the best across the entire franchising industry."

Summary of Great Clips success in 2011 franchise rankings:

- Forbes named Great Clips as the top hair care franchise and ranked the company number 7 overall in its 2011 list of the "Top 20 Franchises to Start," which takes into account initial investment, store survival rates and hours of training offered to new franchisees.

- In the annual Entrepreneur 500 franchise rankings, Great Clips came in at number 29 of America's top 500 franchisors, the fifth consecutive year the company has landed among the top 20 percent on this prestigious list.

- For a third consecutive year, Great Clips was named among the top 30 on the AllBusiness.com "All Star Franchise Rankings," landing at number 26 for 2011. This list names the top 300 franchise companies in the nation based on system-wide financial strength, franchisee financing options, and overall brand Web visibility among other considerations.

"These are three of the most renowned and well-respected evaluations of viable franchise opportunities," Goggins said. "To be perceived so highly across all three sets of criteria is a great source of pride for everyone that is part of our system. It shows we provide all the tools and support Great Clips franchisees need to build a strong business."

For more information on the Great Clips franchise system, visit http://www.greatclipsfranchise.com.

About Great Clips, Inc.

Great Clips, Inc. was established in 1982 in Minneapolis. Today, Great Clips has nearly 3,000 salons throughout the United States and Canada, making it the world's largest salon brand. Great Clips salons employ nearly 25,000 stylists who receive ongoing training to learn advanced skills and the latest trends. Make Great Clips your choice for value-priced, high-quality hair care for men, women and children. No appointments needed, and salons are open nights and weekends. For more information about Great Clips, Inc. or to find a location near you, visit http://www.greatclips.com.