Sola Salon Studios, the world's largest and fastest growing salon studios franchise, announced today the signing of 17 franchise development agreements that will expand its presence in 14 key states across the U.S., including Illinois, Arizona, Texas, New York, California and Florida. These new signings will bring 44 new Sola locations nationwide over the next several years and come on the heels of the eight development deals that Sola announced this August, emphasizing the brand's aggressive domestic franchise development plans. Year-to-date, Sola has opened 54 new locations across North America and signed more than 25 franchise development agreements with both new and existing franchisees.

"The growth we have experienced this year in spite of all the challenges the pandemic brought to our industry reflects the strength of our business model and the resilience of our franchise opportunity. All of our 2020 signings, with the exception of just one, have come after the mandated closures of salon businesses earlier this year, serving as a true testament to that," said Christina Russell, CEO of Sola Salon Studios. "As we gear up for a new year ahead, we feel proud to welcome so many new franchisees to the Sola brand and that many of our existing owners are continuing to grow with us following these unprecedented times."

The new and existing Sola franchise agreements signed include:

• Multi-unit European Wax Center franchisee, Tanner Holmes, will develop one Sola location in Highland Park, Illinois.
• Massage Envy and L.A. Bikini franchisee, Brian Penn, will develop three locations in the South suburbs of Chicago.
• Anthony and Cyndi Sanchez will develop three locations throughout North Phoenix in Arizona.
• Anthony Ferrara and his wife, Angela, will develop three units in the Tempe and Mesa areas of Arizona.
• Jason and Jennifer Thibodeaux will develop one unit in the Houston neighborhood of Cypress, Texas.
• Business partners Greg Sanders and Scott Durland will bring two Sola locations to Loveland and Lafayette in Colorado, as well as one to Laramie County, Wyoming.
• Ariel Walsh and Jack Jannett will develop three locations throughout Brooklyn, New York.
• Jeff Eichenberg and his wife, Johanna White, will develop three locations throughout Southern Connecticut.
• Planet Fitness multi-unit operators, John Landry and Steve Goguen will develop three Sola locations in Louisiana.
• Alicia Modjeska will develop three locations throughout the state of Wisconsin.
• Jerry Trousdale will open three locations in the North suburbs of Chicago.
• Business duo John Rapp and Mike Khaziri will bring three new Sola locations to Mountain View, California and Boise, Idaho.
• Existing Sola franchisee, Dan Hoeck will be opening two new locations in the Oshkosh area of Wisconsin.
• Heather Safrit, who has 10 Sola locations throughout Florida and Georgia, will develop three more locations in the Sunshine State.
• Existing multi-unit operators Adam Heard and Larry Oppenheimer will bring a new Sola location to Medford, Massachusetts.
• Multi-unit Sola franchisee Zac Lysen will open six more locations in Washington state.

Alongside these recent signings, Sola Salon Studios opened 16 new locations in Texas, Pennsylvania, Virginia, New York, Maryland, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey and Delaware over the past three months. The brand plans to open seven additional locations before the end of 2020, closing out the year with 548 salons open and operating.

Sola Salon Studios leads the largest segment within the $64 billion salon services market, more than doubling in size in the last five years, and was named the salon suites category leader on Entrepreneur magazine's prestigious and highly competitive 2020 Franchise 500 ranking of the top franchise opportunities. Each of Sola's salon studios features a collective of 20-40 boutique, move-in-ready salon suites all under one roof where hair stylists, estheticians, nail technicians and massage therapists can each individually operate their own businesses without the risk and hassle of traditional salon ownership. As the most dominant brand in the segment, Sola Salon Studios has created a turnkey solution for beauty professionals to explore a better life as an entrepreneur, and has led the way as the largest and fastest growing salon studios concept.

Sola is driven by its desire to use real estate to help aspiring business owners achieve their dreams and is looking for franchisees who feel the same way. The brand is actively seeking qualified candidates to help grow its brand footprint throughout the U.S., Canada and beyond. To learn more about franchise opportunities with Sola Salon Studios, contact Lori Merrall, director of franchise development, at [email protected] or visit www.solafranchising.com.

ABOUT SOLA SALON STUDIOS
In 2004, Sola Salon Studios was established with the opening of its first location in Denver, Colorado. Now with more than 540 locations open in the U.S., Canada and Brazil, Sola is proud to offer 15,000+ independent beauty professionals the freedom and benefits of salon ownership without the risk and overhead of opening a traditional salon. Its innovative salon model empowers hairdressers, estheticians, nail techs, massage therapists and other like-minded professionals to take control of their lives and their careers. Sola provides beauty professionals with beautiful, fully-equipped salon studios alongside the support and tools they need to launch their salon business in no time. For more information, please visit www.solasalonstudios.com.