Female Founders
BY KERRY PIPES
TOY STORY
It all began at nursery school…
S
haron DiMinico had a “Eureka”
moment following the birth of
her second child in 1987. She
recognized something was missing for
the parents and children in her local community. “I saw there was a real need for a
unique store that could offer high-quality
toys, books, and games for little children
through preteens,” she recalls.
DiMinico already had some retail and
business experience and knew firsthand
what parents were looking for when it
came to raising their children. She wrote
a business plan for a special kind of toy
store and presented it to her children’s
nursery school in Acton, Mass., where
she was a board member. Her idea was
not only to provide needed resources to
the children, but also to supplement the
school’s revenue. It worked, and then some.
In March 1987, the school opened the
first Learning Express store. Six months
later, DiMinico opened a second store
with her sister and two friends in nearby
NAME: Sharon DiMinico
TITLE: Founder, CEO
COMPANY: Learning Express Toys
SYSTEM-WIDE REVENUE: $95 million
NO. OF UNITS: 126 stores in 35 states
INTERNATIONAL UNITS: 0
GROWTH PLANS: 5 to 10 stores per year
PUBLIC OR PRIVATE? Private
YEAR COMPANY FOUNDED: 1987
YEAR STARTED FRANCHISING: 1990
YOUR YEARS IN FRANCHISING: 25
Franchiseupdate I S S U E I , 2016
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