First, Largest & Fastest Growing Battery and Light Bulb Franchise Continues Ascent on Prestigious List.

Hartland, WI The nation's increased dependency on smart phones, tablets and other technologies, coupled with the greater demand for energy-efficient lighting, have paved the way for another banner year for the nation's largest and fastest-growing battery and light bulb franchise.

Fueled by a never ending demand for batteries and energy-efficient light bulbs, Batteries Plus Bulbs, the nation's largest and fastest growing battery and light bulb franchise, has once again placed in the Top 100 of Entrepreneur magazine's annual Franchise 500 list.

The undisputed leader in the expanding battery and light bulb replacement markets placed at No. 72, up seven spots from last year's ranking. The 2015 Franchise 500 ranking marks the 21st consecutive year that Batteries Plus Bulbs has been included on the list, helping to validate the steadiness and strength of this needs-based franchise. Batteries Plus Bulbs has also been ranked #1 in the battery franchise category for six straight years.

Batteries Plus Bulb's 2014 highlights include:

• Opening 40 new franchised stores, bringing its total number of locations to more than 640
• Adding smartphone and tablet repair services to its locations
• A 74 percent increase in overall light bulb sales and a 138 percent increase in LED sales
• Sales growth of 8.6%

"Our continued recognition on Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 list affirms the success of our brand and our franchise opportunity," said Russ Reynolds, CEO of Batteries Plus Bulbs. "In 2014, we continued to see strong sales across all battery categories and sales of LED and other energy-efficient light bulbs also soared. Existing franchise owners have reinvested to open additional stores, and we continue to see interest from new candidates wanting to join a system that's continuing to grow and evolve."

Noted as the world's first, best and most comprehensive franchise ranking, the 36th annual Franchise 500 recognizes Batteries Plus Bulbs for its exceptional performance in areas including financial strength and stability, growth rate, and size of the franchise system. The list is based on objective, quantifiable measures of success from financial and statistical data. Each franchise is given a cumulative score which is the ranking used to determine the top 500 franchises of each year.

Opening an average of one store per week over the last four years, Batteries Plus Bulbs is planning for continued expansion in 2015, with a goal of executing franchise agreements to open 55 future stores. Batteries Plus Bulbs has available franchise territories nationwide and is focusing its development efforts in Southern California, New York and the Mid-Atlantic.