TRADEMARKS, TRADE NAMES, AND SERVICE MARKS
We use various trademarks, trade names and service marks in our business, including ABRA®, CARSTAR®, DrivenBrands®, Fix Auto USA®, IMO®, MAACO®, Meineke®, PH Vitres D’Autos®, Spire Supply®, Take 5 Oil Change®, Uniban® and 1-800-Radiator & A/C®. This prospectus contains references to our trademarks and service marks. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in, or incorporated by reference into, this prospectus may appear without the ® or TM symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the rights of the applicable licensor to these trademarks and trade names. We do not intend our use or display of other companies’ trade names, trademarks, or service marks to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by any other companies, including with respect to Fix Auto USA®.
INDUSTRY AND MARKET DATA
We include in, or incorporate by reference into, this prospectus statements regarding factors that have impacted our and our customers’ industries. Such statements are statements of belief and are based on industry data and forecasts that we have obtained from industry publications and surveys, such as the Auto Care Association’s 2022 and 2021 Auto Care Factbooks, CarWash.com, IBIS World Inc.’s Report, International Car Wash Association’s Total Conveyor Locations and National Oil and Lube News’ Industry Rankings as well as good faith estimates of our management which are based on such sources and internal company sources. Industry publications, surveys and forecasts generally state that the information contained therein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but there can be no assurance as to the accuracy or completeness of such information. In addition, while we believe that the industry information included herein is generally reliable, such information is inherently imprecise. While we are not aware of any misstatements regarding the industry data presented herein, our estimates involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change based on various factors, including those discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” in this prospectus.
BASIS OF PRESENTATION
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Driven Brands Holdings Inc. and its subsidiaries. On July 6, 2020, RC Driven Holdings LLC converted into a Delaware corporation pursuant to a statutory conversion, and changed its name to Driven Brands Holdings Inc. (the “Corporate Conversion”). As part of our Corporate Conversion, our direct parent, Driven Investor LLC, received all of our common stock in exchange for our equity interests. On January 14, 2021, in connection with and prior to the closing of our initial public offering, we effected a 88,990-for-one stock split and Driven Investor LLC was liquidated and all of our common stock was distributed to our Principal Stockholders, current and former employees and management and board members. In this prospectus, we refer to the foregoing Corporate Conversion, stock split and related transactions as the Reorganization.
In this prospectus, unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, references to the “Company,” “Driven Brands,” the “Issuer,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer, prior to the Corporate Conversion discussed herein, to RC Driven Holdings LLC and its subsidiaries, and after the Corporate Conversion, Driven Brands Holdings Inc. and its subsidiaries. On August 3, 2020, we completed the acquisition (the “ICWG Acquisition”) of International Car Wash Group (“ICWG”). References to “brands” refer to the brands under which we and our franchisees operate each store location or warehouse, as applicable (referred to as “locations,” “stores,” or “units”). References to the size of our business are based on store count. References to “franchise” or “franchisee” refer to third parties that operate locations under franchise or license agreements, references to “franchised locations” refer to locations operated by franchisees, references to “independent operator” refer to third parties that operate locations under independent operator agreements, references to “independently-operated locations” refer to international locations outside North America where independent operators are responsible for site-level labor and receive commissions based on a percent of site revenue from car washes and references to
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