How long does it take to open a flooring showroom?

If you're thinking about opening a flooring showroom, you'll want to know how long it takes. You may need to give notice at work, arrange finance or plan a move.

The honest answer: a few parts of the timeline are fixed, and most aren't. The Franchising Code sets two 14-day periods, and our training runs for three months before you open. The rest depends on your site, lease, finance, local approvals, the trades who build your showroom and when you can start training.

The short version. There are five steps: apply online, a discovery call, numbers and territory, due diligence, then sign and launch. The Franchising Code fixes two periods: you get the documents at least 14 days before you sign, and you can cool off for 14 days after. Opening day also needs a site, a lease, approvals, a fit-out, opening stock, systems and three months of training. Most of the uncertainty sits with the site, so an opening date only firms up once the site, lease and approvals are settled.

What are the steps to opening a flooring franchise?

Our process has five steps, the same ones on our franchise page:

Apply online. A short form, mostly taps: the territory you want, when you'd like to open and a bit about you.
Discovery call. We talk about your goals, your budget and your preferred territory.
Numbers and territory. We share the profit and loss model and the data for your area.
Due diligence. You visit our stores, meet the leadership team and check everything with your own lawyer, accountant and business adviser.
Sign and launch. You sign the franchise agreement. Then come training, the showroom build and your grand opening.

Nothing in law fixes how long steps 1 to 4 take: they move at the pace of your questions, your advisers and your finance. Step 5 is different, because the Franchising Code sets rules around signing.

How do the Franchising Code's 14-day rules affect the timeline?

The Franchising Code of Conduct builds two 14-day periods into buying a new franchise, and the ACCC explains both.

At least 14 days with the documents before you sign. The franchisor must give you the disclosure document, the franchise agreement and a copy of the Code at least 14 days before you enter the agreement. Once you have the documents in their final form, neither side can enter the agreement for 14 days.

14 days to cool off after you sign. You can end a new franchise agreement in writing within 14 days of entering into it. The franchisor must return your money within 14 days of being told. It can keep money for reasonable expenses of ending the agreement only if the agreement sets out those expenses, or how they're calculated.

The 14 days before signing is a minimum, not a target, so take the time you need. And know what cooling off doesn't cover: it ends the franchise agreement, not a lease or other agreements. The ACCC warns that if you've already signed a lease, you may be stuck with it, so talk to your lawyer about what you sign, and when.

At National Floors, you receive our Disclosure Document and franchise agreement before you sign, and a 14-day cooling-off period applies after you do. Our guide to the Franchising Code covers the rest, with a checklist for comparing franchises. This is general information, not legal or financial advice.

What has to happen before a flooring showroom opens?

Seven things need to come together. Some can overlap, and the order depends on your site and circumstances.

The site

We find the site with you, inside an exclusive territory of roughly a 60-minute drive. A flooring showroom needs room to display every category, customer parking and easy access for deliveries. Our guide to a showroom or a van covers what to look for in a site, and the territory pages show which areas are open.

The lease

Victoria's Retail Leases Act 2003 covers most shop leases. The Victorian Small Business Commission (VSBC) explains that as soon as negotiations start, the landlord must give the tenant the proposed lease and the VSBC's information brochure. A disclosure statement, which can cover the term, options, rent, outgoings and the tenant's fit-out requirements, must arrive with the proposed lease at least 14 days before the lease is entered into. Have a lawyer review the lease before anyone signs it.

Approvals

Business Victoria says you usually need a planning or building permit to set up a store, change a shopfront, attach signage to the building or update the internal fit-out. On a leased site, you'll also need the landlord's written approval in most cases, and the lease may require you to use a tradesperson the landlord chooses.

The fit-out

We fit out the showroom to our tested design, so you aren't designing one from scratch. The pace is set by the building work: approvals, the condition of the premises and when the trades can start.

Opening stock and systems

Opening stock is part of the investment and goes in before you open. The systems our own showrooms use are set up before you open too: point of sale, CRM and job management, a field app for measuring and quoting on site, and live dashboards.

Training

You train for three months on the floor of our trading stores, alongside experienced managers, covering product, sales, operations and the money side. You keep more than 10 hours of video training and 100+ pages of written procedures. No flooring background is needed: 70% of our successful managers came from other industries.

The grand opening

The grand-opening campaign is planned and run with you, with Google Ads, SEO and local ads switched on for your territory, automatic follow-ups so no enquiry goes cold, and $500K a year in national marketing behind the brand. You can watch the grand opening of Warragul, our newest franchise showroom, on our franchise page.

Who does what at each stage, and what affects the timing?

Stage	What happens	Who leads it	What affects timing
Steps 1 to 3	Application, discovery call, the numbers and your area's data	You and National Floors	Your accountant's review of the numbers
Due diligence	Store visits, meeting the leadership team, independent advice	You	Your advisers and your finance
Signing	You sign, then cooling off	You and National Floors	Fixed by the Code: documents at least 14 days before, 14 days' cooling-off after
Site	Finding and assessing the site	National Floors, with you	What's available in your territory
Lease	Negotiating and signing	Tenant and landlord	Negotiation, legal review and the 14-day disclosure statement
Approvals	Permits and landlord consent	Council, building surveyor and landlord	The zone, overlays, signage and the scope of works
Fit-out	Building to our tested design	National Floors	Approvals, the building's condition and trades
Stock and systems	Opening stock in, systems set up	National Floors	Planned around the fit-out
Training	Three months in our trading stores	You, with our managers	When you can start, and time away from home
Grand opening	Launch campaign and opening day	National Floors, with you	Planned around the finished showroom

What makes the timeline longer or shorter?

Finding the right site. The right site isn't always on the market when you're ready. A lease runs for years, so it's worth waiting for one that works rather than settling.
Lease negotiation. Rent, term, options, any landlord contribution to the fit-out and any make-good clause all take time to agree.
Finance approval. Lenders work to their own timelines. business.gov.au says they usually want to see a business plan and may ask for lease agreements, so finance and the lease can depend on each other. Finance is available to approved applicants through lenders who know our model, and our guide to what a flooring franchise costs covers the basics.
Council and landlord approvals. Business Victoria notes that a heritage listing may mean extra planning and approvals, and suggests checking zones and overlays before you sign a lease. It says an early discussion with a council planner can help you avoid both cost and delay.
Trades availability. Builders, electricians and signwriters have to be booked, and work can't start until any approvals are in place.
When you can start training. The three months of training come before opening day, so your notice period and family plans shape the date. Our trading showrooms are in Dandenong, Werribee, Thomastown and Warragul, so if your territory is further afield, such as Mildura, plan for time away from home.

Three things you can start now: talk to a lender and an accountant, find a franchise lawyer before the 14-day disclosure period begins, and work out when you could start training. If you're changing careers, our career change guide covers the skills that carry over and what to ask yourself first.

Questions

How long does it take to open a franchise in Australia?

There's no single answer, because the site, lease, finance and approvals vary. What's fixed is the Franchising Code's two 14-day periods and, for a National Floors showroom, three months of training before you open.

Can I sign a franchise agreement straight away?

No. The franchisor must give you the disclosure document, the franchise agreement and a copy of the Code at least 14 days before you enter the agreement, and neither side can sign during that period.

Do I have to find the showroom site myself?

No. We find the site with you and fit it out to our tested design, inside an exclusive territory of roughly a 60-minute drive.

What if I change my mind after signing?

You can end a new franchise agreement in writing within 14 days of entering into it, and get some or all of your money back. To start with step 1, check whether your area is open.