The Franchise Group, originally known Liberty Tax, has ballooned through purchases in the last year.  Those acquired companies include Buddy’s Home Furnishing Stores  Sears Outlet Stores and the Vitamin Shoppe.  And on January 16, the group announced its purchase of  the American Freight Group for $450 million.

The former Liberty Tax parent changed its name last yea under new owenrship following turmoil set about by the firing for founder, John Hewitt, in September 2017. The new owners have quickly set about buying operations so that the tax chain is dwarfed by other units.

The Franchise Group did not disclose the revenue of the new acquisition. However, pro forma revenue for the company before the AFG deal was $1.56 billion for the year ended April 30, 2019. Besides the historical Liberty sales of $132.5 million, the reported sales for the others were as follows: Buddy’s, $2.6 million for the year ended March 31; Sears Outlet Stores, $448.6 million for the year ended May 4; and the Vitamin Shoppe, $1.1 billion for the year the ended Dec. 29, 2018. 

Bob Scott

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Bob Scott has provided information to the tax and accounting community since 1991, first as technology editor of Accounting Today, and from 1997 through 2009 as editor of its sister publication, Accounting Technology. He is known throughout the industry for his depth of knowledge and for his high journalistic standards.  Scott has made frequent appearances as a speaker, moderator and panelist and events serving tax and accounting professionals. He  has a strong background in computer journalism as an editor with two former trade publications, Computer+Software News and MIS Week and spent several years with weekly and daily newspapers in Morris County New Jersey prior to that.  A graduate of Indiana University with a degree in journalism, Bob is a native of Madison, Ind