FRANCHISE·WATCH·DESK

Verified — real FDD extraction

CREATIVE COLORS INTERNATIONAL

Other · independent · est. —

Creative Colors International is a mobile repair franchise restoring leather, vinyl, fabric, and plastic surfaces in vehicles, furniture, and commercial interiors. Franchisees run a van-based operation with technicians serving car dealerships, restaurants, and other commercial accounts.

CREATIVE COLORS INTERNATIONAL net unit count declined -4.1% from 20232025 per its FDD Item 20.

New to franchising? Start here

A franchise is a business where you (the franchisee) pay a company (the franchisor) for the right to open and run a location using their brand and system — think a local Anytime Fitness or Taco John's owned by a small-business owner, not the corporation.

Before you can buy in, U.S. law requires the franchisor to give you a Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) — a long legal filing covering its fees, finances, and history. The numbers on this page come straight from that document:

  • Franchise fee — the one-time cost to buy in.
  • Royalty — the ongoing cut of your sales you pay the franchisor.
  • Item 20 — how many locations opened and closed, the basis for our verdict (from Proven & strong down to Distressed — or Too new to judge).

The verdict

Proven & steady

Distress

0
STABLE

A real track record with an unremarkable region of the ledger: neither the growth nor the exits stand out, for better or worse. The standout in the record: owner turnover is low.

Exit rate · latest year

4.3%

fiscal 2025, per Item 20

Cost to open

$102K–$126K

Item 7 total investment range

SBA loan defaults

No loan record

no SBA 7(a)/504 loans found for this brand

Behind the verdict

the record, factor by factor · Item 20

hi-1.0.0
Net unit growth35%

3-yr trend · Item 20 Table 1

Weak
Exit quality25%

terminations + ceased-ops vs. all exits · Table 3

Strong
Transfer / churn15%

transfers vs. base · Table 3

Strong
Promise-keeping10%

actual vs. projected openings · Table 5

Weak
Transparency15%

Item 19 disclosure + completeness

Strong

Systemwide units

2023–2025

-4.1%
732023732024702025

Survival record

FDD Item 20 · outlet status by year

In fiscal 2025, 3 of 70 franchised outlets left the system — a 4.3% annualized exit rate. Not every exit is a failure — but this is the measurable floor.

Show the outlet tables
Status (FTC)202320242025
Outlets at start747373
Opened020
Transfers124
Terminations010
Non-renewals102
Reacquired by franchisor000
Ceased — other reasons011
Outlets at end737370
Net change-10-3

What it costs — and what it drags

FDD Items 5–7 · fees, investment, royalty

Buying in means a $60K franchise fee (Item 5) and a total investment of $102K–$126K (Item 7). The franchisor publishes an earnings claim (Item 19) — read its methodology closely.

To open (Item 7)

$102K–$126K

all-in investment range

Franchise fee (Item 5)

$60K

upfront, one-time

Royalty (Item 6)

7.5%

of sales, ongoing

If a unit does this in annual sales…$1M/yr

Your figure — cross-check against this brand's Item 19 and current-owner validation.

Royalty you'd pay / yr

$75K

7.5% of sales, before profit

Over a 10-yr term

$750K

royalties alone, excl. ad fund

This is not profit. It's the only money the FDD actually pins down — what you put in, and the royalty you owe on every dollar of sales. Your real take-home depends on labor, rent, food cost, and ramp-to-breakeven, none of which any FDD discloses.

Build a real pro-forma for CREATIVE COLORS INTERNATIONAL with an independent CPA

Distress signals

news-sourced · bankruptcies, closures, lawsuits

No recent closures, bankruptcies, or major lawsuits found in the news for CREATIVE COLORS INTERNATIONAL. That's a good sign — but it reflects news coverage, not a guarantee.

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A broker is paid by the franchisor to place you. An independent CPA is paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing CREATIVE COLORS INTERNATIONAL's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.

Talk to an independent CPA before you buy →

CREATIVE COLORS INTERNATIONAL franchise questions, answered from the filings

What percentage of CREATIVE COLORS INTERNATIONAL franchises closed last year?

In CREATIVE COLORS INTERNATIONAL's latest FDD Item 20 (fiscal 2025), 3 of 70 franchised outlets left the system — an annualized exit rate of 4.3%. That counts terminations, non-renewals, and "ceased operations — other reasons." There is no official failure rate, and not every exit is a failure, but this is the measurable floor.

How much does a CREATIVE COLORS INTERNATIONAL franchise cost?

Per CREATIVE COLORS INTERNATIONAL's 2026 FDD, buying in requires an initial franchise fee of $60K (Item 5) and a total initial investment of $102K–$126K (Item 7).

What royalty does CREATIVE COLORS INTERNATIONAL charge?

CREATIVE COLORS INTERNATIONAL charges an ongoing royalty of 7.5% of gross sales, per Item 6 of its 2026 FDD.

Does CREATIVE COLORS INTERNATIONAL disclose earnings (Item 19)?

Yes — CREATIVE COLORS INTERNATIONAL makes a financial performance representation in Item 19 of its 2026 FDD. Read it closely: franchisors choose which units and which metrics to include.

Is CREATIVE COLORS INTERNATIONAL a good franchise to buy? Health score, exit rate & costs (2026) · Franchise Watch Desk