Kevin Foisy, owner of Carribbean Exposure. (Darren Brown, OBJ)

When Kevin Foisy opened his tanning salon 10 years ago, the prospect of franchising his operation wasn't a consideration.

"The store grew from a basic idea because I was just really tired of paying for my own tanning," says the owner of Caribbean Exposure, located in the Merivale Mall. "I started the business in July 1995 and I never could have anticipated how large it would become. With a clientele base of more than 16,000, it's far beyond my expectations."

Now, thanks to this continuing success, Mr. Foisy has been approached about franchising rights and currently has two deals pending.

"If everything goes well, we're hopefully looking at opening a new store in the Gloucester Centre soon," he says. "And just last week someone else came to me about opening a location in the east end."

While it took an interested franchisee to get the ball rolling, Mr. Foisy says he is now prepared for expansion with a business plan and the necessary information about the cash equity, costs and fees required.

He says Caribbean Exposure has the potential to become a successful franchise operation because of the strong profit margin and loyal customer base the salon has found in its current location.

"We're a bit different than some of the other salons in town because we try to appeal to the general public," he says. "We do operate high-end equipment to appeal to what we call the tan connoisseur who searches the city for the best results they can find, but we also keep our prices reasonable to appeal to everyone."

Along with offering the new 20,000-watt high-pressure stand up booth, and 10,400 watt beds, the salon features the first facial tanner of its kind in Eastern Ontario, separate stereos in each room and an extensive line of tanning lotion and swimwear. Mr. Foisy is also proud of his awards for business excellence as the winner of the 2003, 2004 and 2005 Consumer Choice Award in Ottawa.

This new role as a franchisor comes with significant responsibilities and he says some of the key aspects will be offering support and properly preparing his new business partners.

"With the possible franchise at the Gloucester Centre, I'm going to guide him through the whole process and train him here to get him up to speed on the bed maintenance and beyond the basics of tanning," he says, adding that all employees are Smart Tan certified to provide educated information regarding tanning procedures and policies. Although Health Canada continues to issue warnings about the dangers of UV exposure and how it can contribute to premature aging and skin cancer, Mr. Foisy says he hasn't noticed any downsizing of his customer base. In fact, he says the salon is averaging 1,300 new clients a year.

"Tanning is more popular now than it's ever been," he says. "We do get our share of bad publicity, but the technology has come such a long way that the risks of indoor tanning are now so minimal."

While Mr. Foisy says he doesn't want his business to grow too fast, he does see Caribbean Exposure expanding throughout the city. However, the process of franchising his business is a new experience and he says he's been surprised by the complexities.

"Although I've thought about doing it for a while, it has been much harder than I ever thought it would be," he says. "But once we get these two stores open and running smoothly, I'll be looking to open another in maybe six months or so."