SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · ALABAMA
Ace Hardware franchise in Alabama: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Ace Hardware in Alabama have taken 17 SBA loans since 1991 (average $795,352), and of the 11 loans whose story has ended, 9.1% were charged off — versus 12.2% for Ace Hardware nationally and 14.8% across all rateable franchise brands.
Loans in AL
17
Resolved
11
Local charge-off
9.1%
National charge-off
12.2%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = AL. Charge-off rate = charged-off ÷ (charged-off + paid-in-full); open loans excluded. A local rate is published only when the resolved cohort clears our floor.
Businesses in this industry
975
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
18.9
national 39.6
Versus the country
-52%
thinner
Every business in Ace Hardware's industry operating in Alabama — franchised and independent — from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns (2023), against 2024 population estimates. Counter-intuitively, density is not a warning: across 198 brand-state cells in our loan data, the densest quartile charges off at 5.6% versus 18.1% in the thinnest. A crowded market is usually proven demand; an empty one is often empty for a reason.
A broker is paid by the franchisor to place you. An independent CPA is paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing Ace Hardware's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.
Talk to an independent CPA before you buy →