Press Release

When it comes to franchising, Josh Britland’s experience is limited. But Batteries Plus? That is something he’s well-versed in.

Britland began working as an associate at the Batteries Plus in the Providence, Rhode Island suburb of Seekonk in 2013. Over the next 10 years, he worked his way up to manager and in 2023, when the owner was looking to retire, he became the franchisee.

His belief in the brand has only grown stronger since then, motivating him to do something he set out to do in the beginning: expand. Britland signed a three-unit agreement to bring stores to a trio of nearby communities, including Foxborough and Taunton, Massachusetts, as well as Warwick, Rhode Island.

“We knew we wanted to expand when we bought it,” Britland said. “We began talking about new stores in the future, and even the previous owner was considering it. Batteries Plus was also asking us about more stores, because we’re the only one in a 60-mile radius. We felt adding three in that area would give us a good zone to be in charge of.”

Britland said the first of the three stores is expected to open in about 14 months, and the next will launch in two years. It’s a commitment that he embraces, having found the brand to be the right fit, even as an employee.

“I’ve had a good number of jobs over the years, and Batteries Plus has been the best one,” Britland said. “I was a mechanic for a long time, and that translated really well over to Batteries Plus with that knowledge. It’s made it one of those jobs where I can’t wait to get to work at the start of the day.”

That dedication didn’t go unnoticed either, whether it was the prior owner or the customers.

“I was pretty much involved in everything other than paying bills,” Britland said. “I was here so often that a lot of customers already thought I owned the place and were usually surprised I didn’t. Eventually, one day, the owner was talking about getting to the point of selling and hoping I would buy it. I discussed it with my parents and we decided to go in on it together.”

Since the sale, Britland said his mother, Karen, runs much of the administrative work from ordering and receiving supplies, while his father Joe manages the financial side of the business. His brother Chris is also involved in running the store, while Britland operates the front-of-house, day-to-day activities.

“We work well together,” Britland said. “It’s been fun and interesting seeing my parents learn the business and see how quickly they’ve grasped things. It’s nice having that family business angle, while also being part of a corporation that has hundreds of stores across the country. People see us as both a bigger business and a family-owned business.”

To do his part, Britland said he’s going to rely on the basics he learned through years as a manager.

“Customer service will always be the No. 1 thing in retail,” Britland said. “If you treat your customers well, it will make you successful. I will always take good customer service and somebody having a good experience because it’s the best advertising.”

Victor Daher, Batteries Plus vice president of global franchise development, said in the short time since taking over the location, the Britlands have proven to be strong franchisees.

“They’re extremely engaged in the business,” Daher said. “They’re in tune with their customers. They’re a great example of what we teach all of our owners that come into our business, to solve the problems our customers have. They’ve also done a great job of going after the commercial side of the business, which has been a big focus of our brand for the last several years.”

Daher said the family also helped penetrate a market that has taken the concept time to find traction. Batteries Plus has more than 740 locations nationwide, but Daher said it hasn’t grown as fast in the upper Northeast. He said the Britlands can help change that.

“With any franchise brand, the practice is continued growth with the franchisees that are already in the network,” Daher said. “We’ve offered specific incentives to drive our internal growth, and that’s a way we were able to initiative this expansion conversation with the Britlands for that market.”