Growth at Next Day Access is ‘slam dunk’ for Best Life Brands

TROY, Mich. – One year after acquiring Next Day Access, Best Life Brands has more than doubled its franchise locations, outpacing even the company’s own ambitious targets. 

Next Day now has more than 70 locations, up from 35. 

“We thought by now, we’d be closer to 50,” said CEO J.J. Sorrenti. “It’s just a complete slam dunk, home run for us.” 

Best Life Brands, which is owned by The Riverside Company, has a portfolio of franchise companies that includes Next Day and Blue Moon Estate Sales, an estate sales service, among others. 

While impressive, Next Day’s growth wasn’t purely planned. Much of it came from unexpected interest in markets the company hadn’t necessarily targeted. Sorrenti credited the company's willingness to follow organic demand rather than force expansion into predetermined regions. 

“What we do is we respond to the interest from franchise candidates,” he said. “Some of our best locations are in territories that none of us would have predicted.” 

Despite the growth, challenges remain, including labor shortages – the company relies on skilled installers and builders – and supply chain and import issues. 

"There’s external threats,” said Sorrenti. “There’s importation laws; there’s exchange rates; there’s raw material shortages; logistics. Those are things that you think about and worry about in the business." 

Doubling to 70 locations in a single year is no small feat, but Sorrenti says the goal was never just to rack up numbers. Internally, the pace has been governed by a simple filter: Can we sustain this and is the interest real? 

“We are being aggressive because we see the demand and we see the opportunity, but we’re also making sure we’re being thoughtful, mindful and responsible when we do it,” he said. “And because we have experience with that, we feel like the chances of making mistakes are limited.” 

• From a year ago: Best Life Brands has big plans for Next Day Access.