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Relax The Back

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Retail chain store for back support products
Relax The Back
Company typeRetail
IndustryProvides education and products aiding in the relief and prevention of back pain
FoundedAustin, Texas, U.S. (1984 (1984))
HeadquartersLong Beach, California, U.S.
Number of locationsMore than 70 stores nationwide (2024) at 2024-09-05
Area servedUnited States
ProductsZero-Gravity Recliners, Tempur-Pedic Mattresses, Pillows, Office chairs, Massage chairs, Lumbar supports, Exercise balls, Inversion Tables

Relax The Back is a chain of retail stores of back pain relief and wellness products with more than 70 locations in the United States.

Relax the Back at Wayside Commons
in Burlington, Massachusetts

History

The first Relax The Back store opened in Austin, Texas in 1984. In 1987, an entrepreneur named Virginia Rogers purchased the original store and packaged the business into a franchise format. The first franchise was opened in San Antonio in 1989 by Coby Dietrick, a former professional basketball player with the San Antonio Spurs. In 1996, having grown the chain to 59 stores, Rogers sold the company to a franchisee, Dairl Johnson, for $6 million. Johnson continued to develop the company's independent franchising model. Relax The Back corporate offices are currently located in Long Beach, California.

As early as 1998, US News noted that the four major back-related stores, Healthy Back Store, Better Back Store, Relax the Back, and JoAnne's Bed & Back Shops, had a combined business of $75 million.

References

  1. ^ R. Michelle Breyer, "Largest Retail Franchise Devoted to Back Problems Sold for $6 Million." Austin American-Statesman, reprinted by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News, September 7, 1996
  2. Meena Thiruvengadam, "Former Texas basketball star sells furniture business after franchise dispute." San Antonio Express-News, March 10, 2005.
  3. Neil Cavuto, "Interview With the Relax The Back CEO", Cavuto Business Report, February 25, 1998.
  4. U.S. News & World Report. U.S. News Publishing Corporation. 1998. p. 194.
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