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LAS VEGAS - Friendly Computers, the family-run PC sales and service franchise business, has begun re-branding the 58 Computer Renaissance stores it acquired last December.
Once completed, there will be some 70 Friendly Computer storefronts nationwide, up from the 13 locations it operated prior to the buyout.
The company, founded in a Brigham Young University dorm room in 1992 by operations VP Steve Ward, also maintains about 60 home-based computer repair franchises around the country, giving Friendly a presence in 39 states and online.
As part of its growth strategy, and fueled by the addition of the Computer Renaissance stores, Friendly Computers will eventually shift to a brick-and-mortar business model that emphasizes product sales as well as service. For the immediate future, however, the company will offer franchisees both options, allowing home-based franchise units to leverage the stores' greater inventory and resources.
Ultimately, president Bryan Ward (Steve's brother) believes the business can expand its nationwide...