Nature's Way, a chain of stores selling health food and other health-related products, is opening its next franchise in the town of Plainsville. The store should prove to be very successful: Nature's Way franchises tend to be most profitable in areas wher

The writer of the argument claims that Nature’s Way new franchise in the town of Plainsville tend to be most profitable since the residents in the area lead healthy lives. The author further cites some evidence regarding the high sales of running shoes and exercise clothing to support his or her claim. Close scrutiny of the presented evidences reveals that they lend little creditable support to the claim.

Firstly, that the people in the town of Plainsville lead healthy lives has nothing to do with the claim that the Nature’s Way new franchise would be most profitable in the town of Plainsville. Absent any evidence that leading healthy lives by the people who live in Plainsville would certainly result profitable business for the new franchise, the author’s claim is unwarranted. It is entirely possible that other stores selling health food and other health-related products in the area overshadow the new franchise’s business. More information regarding the new franchise’s rivals in the area is required. In short, the author’s claim is not convincing unless substantiating evidence are supplied.

Secondly, the fact that the local health club has more members than ever accomplishes nothing toward the new franchise’s business, let alone to prove its prosperity. No evidence is presented in the argument proving that the forgoing members would be potential customers for the new franchise. Perhaps these members go to club solely for spending some time with their friends or to meet new people. Alternatively, the members might buy health products and foods from other stores rather than the new franchise. Without ruling out these and other plausible scenarios, the author’s claim lacks any merit whatsoever.

Thirdly, the author assumes that not only the schoolchildren’s trend would remain the same in the coming years, but also the fitness-for-life program would certainly be successful in emphasizing the benefits of regular exercise at an early age. Absent any evidence that this is the case, the author’s claim is unpersuasive. Maybe the future trends would be exactly the opposite crediting little value to health issues. Or maybe the fitness-for-life program would not suffice by itself to encourage the schoolchildren in leading a healthy life, let alone to make them potential customers for the new franchise in the future. Unless the author offers convincing evidence regarding the above-mentioned facts, I remain unconvinced.

Finally, Plainsville merchants report that sales of running shoes and exercise clothing are all-time high merely support the author’s claim in that there is no information in the passage indicating that the new franchise sell high quality shoes and clothes. Maybe the new store’s shoes and clothes are too expensive, hence the people of might not afford to buy. Or maybe the people of Plainsville prefer not to buy their shoes and clothes from the new store. Any of these scenarios, if true, would undermine the author’s claim.

In conclusion, the argument is logically flawed, and therefore unpersuasive. To better assess the argument, the writer of the argument should supply evidence that the mere fact that the people of Plainsville lead healthy lifestyle would be enough for the new franchise store to be most profitable. The author should also provide evidence that members of the club would be potential customers of the new store. Finally, to persuade me that the new store would be most profitable, the editorial’s author must convince me that the schoolchildren’s trends toward regular exercise would remain unchanged with time.