82 Canadian Franchise Association http://www.cfa.ca | http://www.LookforaFranchise.ca
KANDY OUTDOOR FLOORING
Franchise units in Canada: 3
Corporate units in Canada: 1
Franchise fee for primary market: $47K
Franchise fee for secondary market: $27K
Investment required: $27K/$47K
Start-up capital required: $27K-$100K
Training: 5-day KANDY University
Available territories: All of Canada, US
In business since: 2011
Franchising since: 2015
In 2011, Kelly Niessen and her husband bought a condo-
minium in Vancouver and began to renovate. Later, they
wanted to improve their unit’s balcony, but couldn’t find
any attractive options that didn’t contravene the build-
ing’s bylaws.
So, after some research, they decided to offer what
they couldn’t find, and KANDY Outdoor Flooring was
born. The system offers condo owners high-quality floor-
ing for their outdoor spaces, says Niessen, the company’s
CEO. It’s removable, too, since condominium corpora-
tions don’t allow condo owners to stick or attach any-
thing permanent to outdoor spaces. “We fully custom-
ize it so (the flooring) looks like it belongs there,” says
Niessen, adding that KANDY Outdoor Flooring offers
everything from synthetics to hardwoods, all of which
can satisfy any style, and all of which are designed and
manufactured in Canada.
KANDY Outdoor Flooring’s targets are dense urban
centres such as Toronto and Vancouver, where the sys-
tem is based. “It’s a niche market. It’s not a product play,”
says Niessen. The system’s clients tend to be owner-
occupiers with household incomes of $75,000 and above.
The total cost to set up a franchise, including the fee,
can range from $27,000 to $100,000, depending on loca-
tion and vehicle requirements, and training takes five
days. There is no equipment to buy, but investors will
need a vehicle that is less than five years old, has a cer-
tain payload, and is a particular colour, because it will be
decorated with company decals. “It’s very low overhead,
and very low working capital is required,” says Niessen.
Husband and wife investors make an ideal team, she
says, with wives dealing with the design function and
husbands handling the materials. “It’s actually quite
physical,” Niessen explains, and typically franchisees
hire installers to do the work. Niessen says she looks for
franchisees with some aptitude for business, an interest
in renovations, and a passion for the process and the
customer experience created.
There are KANDY Outdoor Flooring franchises in
Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, and Toronto, and expan-
sion will likely come from both primary (Toronto and
Montreal) and secondary markets. In smaller centres,
Niessen says she may partner with other suppliers of
condo or complementary services. As for the benefits of
investing with KANDY Outdoor Flooring, Niessen says
the concept is home-based, has a significant online pres-
ence, a high referral rate, “and everything is done for the
franchisees on the back end.”