Seeking to capitalize on businesses' and consumers' frustration with the high cost of OEM ink jet and toner cartridges, retail cartridge-refilling franchises have multiplied in North America over the past two years. The proliferation of these franchises has generated concern among printer OEMs and aftermarket cartridge vendors that retail refilling franchises could cut into their lucrative supplies margins. But can cartridge-refilling franchises such as Caboodle Cartridge, Cartridge World, Island Ink-Jet and Rapid Refill Ink continue their growth while facing a new breed of competition?
Now that some large chain stores such as Office Depot, OfficeMax, and Walgreens have jumped onto the cartridge-refilling bandwagon, retail refilling franchises could be left in the dust. Lyra projects that chain stores will dominate the retail refilling landscape by 2009 as the total refilling market grows from 1,103 stores in 2005 to a projected 7,190 locations in 2009 (see figure). Large chain stores' marketing capacity and customer convenience will make them much more of a threat to OEM and aftermarket vendors than retail refilling franchises.
What's in Store for Retail Refillers in North America consists of six chapters and 20 data-packed charts and tables. This report contains highlights of 40 in-depth interviews of independent refill store owners, executives at several major franchisors, ink and toner cartridge remanufacturers, suppliers, and other industry experts.
| 
