Louisville Franchise Group to Develop 150 Buff City Soap Stores
Original Article: Louisville Business First - July 27, 2020
Justin Delaney, after making his mark with the online tuxedo rental company Menguin, wasn’t planning to leave Louisville anytime soon—not even when Buff City Soap, the fast-growing soap and skincare brand he now leads, chose Dallas as its headquarters. Delaney’s connection to Louisville runs deeper than just business; after moving to the city for Menguin, he and his wife fell in love with its charm, so much so that they decided to stay put even when the next chapter of his career began.
While Louisville didn’t offer the incentives Delaney had hoped for to lure Buff City Soap’s headquarters, Dallas won out with its vast labor pool and better connectivity, making it a no-brainer from a business standpoint. Yet, Delaney found a way to balance both worlds, opting to commute between Dallas and Louisville rather than uproot his family. His passion for the local entrepreneurial scene even led him to connect with Rick Kueber, co-founder of Sun Tan City and franchisee of Planet Fitness, who quickly became both a mentor and a friend.
What started as a casual meeting between Justin Delaney, CEO of Buff City Soap, and Rick Kueber, co-founder of Sun Tan City, has blossomed into a major business deal with franchise expansion potential. Kueber saw Buff City Soap as a “first-to-market” opportunity, highlighting its unique position in the natural products space, which is seeing rapid growth. After being impressed by the product and its potential, Kueber’s franchise group committed to a significant expansion.
The deal includes two development agreements covering Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, and neighboring regions, with plans to open 150 new Buff City Soap units over the next five years. Kueber, who has extensive experience in franchising through his work with Planet Fitness, saw this as a perfect project to leverage his team’s expertise and continue growing in the retail space.
Currently, there are 36 Buff City Soap locations, with eight stores already operating in Tennessee and a new one just opened in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. The vision for Buff City Soap is expansive, with Delaney aiming to build stores globally, from Tulsa to Tokyo. The partnership with Kueber, who shares a similarly ambitious mindset, is poised to accelerate the brand’s growth.
Construction is well underway for three new Buff City Soap locations in the Louisville area, with all expected to open by late fall. One store is planned for Jeffersonville, Indiana, in the new Kroger shopping center off 10th Street. Another will be located in St. Matthews at the Shelbyville Road Plaza, taking over the former F45 fitness studio, and the third is part of the NuLu Marketplace development.
According to Rick Kueber, all Buff City Soap stores will have a similar design, ranging between 2,000 and 3,000 square feet, and each will employ up to 20 staff members in preparation for the busy holiday season. Known as “Makeries,” these stores allow employees to handcraft soaps, bath bombs and laundry soap on-site. Guests can customize their products by choosing from more than 25 fragrances, ensuring a personalized shopping experience. Kueber emphasized that the brand’s versatility means it can thrive in both smaller communities like Bardstown and larger markets like Louisville.
