MASON, Ohio, Oct. 3, 2000 (PRIMEZONE) -- PickUps Plus, Inc. (OTCBB:PUPS), a leading retailer of truck and SUV accessories, announced today that it is has successfully conducted its annual franchisers meeting, at which it outlined its new marketing campaign and expanded web site.
Beginning in early October, PickUps Plus will initiate its new ad campaign with the first of a series of half-page ads in Entrepreneur Magazine. The ads are meant to assist the company in attracting qualified new franchisees for its expanding operations. Entrepreneur Magazine currently has a total monthly readership of over 3 million per month.
PickUps Plus also will soon be unveiling its new, much more advanced e-commerce web site (www.pickupsplus.com). The new site will expand the company's existing e-commerce capabilities extensively and will be much more interactive and user friendly than the existing site. The site will carry all types of aftermarket car and truck accessories from hundreds of top manufacturers.
At the annual franchise meeting, PickUps Plus CEO, John Fitzgerald, outlined the company's corporate goals for 2001. "We will continue to develop and expand the PickUps Plus brand nationwide as we make our name synonymous with quality SUV and truck accessories. Entrepreneur Magazine's millions of monthly readers makes it a premier outlet to get our company message out, as well and to attract new franchisees. We plan to become a household name to in the $30+ billion (SUV) and light truck accessories market."
PickUps Plus sells all major brands of popular pick-up and SUV accessories in its store and on its extensive web site at www.pickupsplus.com. It features quality name brands such as Westin, DeeZee, Lund, GTS and Deflecta-Shield and hundreds of other manufacturers to match every make and model of vehicle from General Motors, (NYSE:GM), Dodge/Jeep (NYSE:DCX), Ford (NYSE:F) and all leading imports. PickUps Plus also installs almost everything it sells, onsite.
PickUps Plus has been expanding under its aggressive franchise plan, seeking new locations with high potential nationwide. Currently, PickUps Plus owns and operates three corporate stores, while overseeing six franchise locations in seven states. The company is preparing to launch two new franchises and is in talks with several other potential franchisees. The company expects to have stores on both coasts this year.
PickUps Plus is uniquely positioned to take advantage of the tremendous growth in the sale of new light trucks and SUVs. The market for truck accessories continues to climb with the explosive growth in truck sales. Market research from Ford Motor Company reveals that 90% of truck and SUV owners purchase after market accessories for their vehicles, spending an average of $1,600 within the first three months of purchase. PickUps Plus is one of the very few national chains to specialize exclusively in this lucrative market.
Year-to-date, trucks have represented 52.6% of total North American passenger automotive production. In addition, four out of the five top selling vehicles in the U.S. are trucks or SUVs as well. PickUps Plus knows that every one of these truck owners is another potential customer for their stores or e-commerce site (www.pickupsplus.com), where online shoppers from anywhere can choose from tens of thousands of the newest aftermarket automotive parts and accessories.
About PickUps Plus
Founded in 1993, PickUps Plus is a leading national franchiser of retail stores dedicated to the sale and installation of quality aftermarket accessories for pickup trucks and SUVs - a $30+ billion a year market. PickUps Plus operates three prototype corporate retail stores and currently has another six franchise stores in seven states. After several years of extensive development and testing of its franchise system, the company is gearing up to start a nationwide expansion. It expects to be first-to-market in many areas of the country because even though truck and SUV accessory market growing rapidly, it is still highly fragmented and made up almost entirely of small, independent, non-branded shops.
Fast, professional installation, the most knowledgeable people in the business, and attention to detail make PickUps Plus the first stop for people looking for quality truck and SUV accessories. PickUps Plus owners and employees are trained in factory recommended installation procedures and know the accessories that match every vehicle they service. The company's franchise program appeals to the growing number of truck and SUV enthusiasts and professionals that already sell and install bedliners, ladder racks, bug guards, painted visors, floor mats, off road equipment and an ever-expanding line of after-market accessories, but lack the ability to attract large numbers of customers to their independent operations. Because every PickUps Plus location is clean and inviting, a high percentage of their sales come from the hard to reach female market.
Statements regarding financial matters made by PickUps Plus, Inc (the Company) in this press release other than historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The company intends that such statements about the company's future expectations, including future revenues and earnings and all other forward-looking statements are subject to the safe harbors created thereby. Since these statements (future operational results and sales) involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change at any time, the company's actual results may differ materially from expected results. This information is not a recommendation to buy or sell securities in the Company. The IR Department (TIRD) is a media relations firm employed by the Company and Corporate Funding International, Inc. (CCF). TIRD and the Company believe that all information in this release has been obtained from sources considered reliable, but cannot guarantee that the statements presented herein are accurate or complete. TIRD receives twenty-two thousand five hundred shares of the Company's free trading stock per month from CCF and warrants to purchase fifteen thousand shares of the Company's free trading stock in equal amounts at one dollar and fifty cents, two dollars and fifty cents and three dollars and fifty cents per share per month from the Company, according to its long term contracts with CCF and the Company. TIRD, its officers, directors, and employees currently own twenty thousand shares of the company's free trading common stock. TIRD's compensation typically has a long position in the securities of the companies in which it publishes information, and may be buying or selling securities in the course of its regular business.