Franchisor surprised by shuttered retail club

With more than 1,000 client members, DirectBuy of the Ozarks abruptly shut down Nov. 26, a move that surprised the wholesaler’s franchise system.

“The franchise owner of DirectBuy of the Ozarks made the decision to close that location and unfortunately did not notify us at the corporate headquarters prior to the club’s closing,” said Dylan Astle, DirectBuy’s vice president of member experience, via email.

Mark and Nancy Yost owned the franchise rights in Springfield for the Indiana-based group that offers members wholesale prices on home furnishing brands such as Seally, Samsung, Lane and Moen. Phone numbers to the Yosts’ listed residence in Ozark and the DirectBuy office are disconnected, and the franchisees could not be reached for comment by press time.

The Springfield office, 1265 E. Lark St., was among more than 100 independently owned and operated DirectBuy locations in the U.S. and Canada.

Astle said local members still have access to benefits, including the ability to purchase merchandise through DirectBuy.com. The company’s St. Louis and Kansas City-area operations remain open, and local membership inquiries online send parties to DirectBuy of Johnson County in Lenexa, Kan.

Astle said the Springfield situation is not part of corporate efforts to downsize. In recent years, there have been spates of DirectBuy franchisees reportedly closing shop along the West Coast.

“The timing of this club’s closing is completely coincidental to any other closing that may have taken place recently, and we are hard at work exploring new and existing markets where we can expand our club footprint,” Astle said.

He said company representatives have spoken with members since the store’s closure.

“They have been understanding of the situation and are already working with our home shopping team to shop and place orders for the projects they are undertaking,” Astle said.