SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · WISCONSIN
Ace Hardware franchise in Wisconsin: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Ace Hardware in Wisconsin have taken 46 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $683,017). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. Ace Hardware's national ratio is 0.8×.
Loans in WI
46
Charged off (all years)
2 of 22
Loss ratio in WI
—
Loss ratio nationally
0.8×
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = WI. Loss ratio = charge-offs among loans approved through FY2020 ÷ the charge-offs expected if each had defaulted at the national rate for franchise loans approved the same year; 1.0× is the same. Only charged-off and paid-in-full loans count. A ratio is shown at 30+ such loans; “not clear” marks a ratio chance alone could produce. The all-years count mixes every era and is evidence, not a rate to compare. Borrowers are matched to the brand by name and SBA franchise code; some matches may be wrong or missing.
| System | Loans in WI | Charged off (all years) | Loss ratio in WI | Units in WI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Piggly Wiggly | 30 | 0 of 14 | — | — |
| Hardware Hank | 27 | 0 of 21 | — | — |
| Play It Again Sports | 14 | 3 of 11 | — | — |
| Radioshack | 10 | 1 of 7 | — | — |
| Once Upon a Child | 8 | 0 of 5 | — | — |
| True Value Hardware | 8 | 2 of 7 | — | — |
| Woodcraft | 8 | 0 of 8 | — | — |
| Ubreakifix | 7 | 0 of 5 | — | — |
| Metal Supermarkets | 6 | 3 of 4 | — | 1 |
| Music Go Round | 5 | 1 of 5 | — | — |
| Plato'S Closet | 5 | 0 of 3 | — | — |
| Sears Catalog Store | 5 | 0 of 5 | — | — |
Other systems in Ace Hardware's sector whose franchisees borrowed in Wisconsin. A loss ratio appears only where at least 30 loans approved through FY2020 have resolved; “—” means too few.
A broker is usually paid by the franchisor to place you. I'm paid only by you, never by a franchisor you're considering — and the job is pressure-testing Ace Hardware’s numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.