FRANCHISE·WATCH·DESK

SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · MINNESOTA

European Wax Center franchise in Minnesota: what the public record shows

Franchisees of European Wax Center in Minnesota have taken 10 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $355,960). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. European Wax Center's national ratio is 0.2×.

SBA loan outcomes · Minnesotavs same-year franchise loans

Loans in MN

10

Charged off (all years)

0 of 10

Loss ratio in MN

—

Loss ratio nationally

0.2×

Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = MN. 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.

Market density · Minnesota vs nationalTypical density

Businesses in this industry

1,569

statewide, all operators

Per 100k residents

27.1

national 26.6

Versus the country

+2%

denser

Every business in European Wax Center's industry operating in Minnesota — franchised and independent — from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns (2023), against 2024 population estimates. Counter-intuitively, density is not a warning: across the brand-state cells in the loan data, denser markets have historically charged off less often than the thinnest (see the research page). A crowded market is usually proven demand; an empty one is often empty for a reason.

Labor cost · Minnesota vs nationalTypical wages

Avg weekly wage, this industry

$753

Minnesota, BLS QCEW 2025

National average

$698

same industry, all states

Versus the country

+8%

costlier to staff

What European Wax Center's industry actually pays workers in Minnesota, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2025), employment-weighted across counties. This cost signal is independent of the FDD: a market can look demand-rich above and still carry a margin headwind here if local wages run hot for the sector.

Same-sector systems with SBA loan history in Minnesota8 systems
SystemLoans in MNCharged off (all years)Loss ratio in MNUnits in MN
Fantastic Sams663 of 500.3×—
Sport Clips221 of 19—46
GREAT CLIPS150 of 12——
Planet Beach114 of 10——
COST CUTTERS60 of 5—15
Amazing Lash Studio51 of 3—6
Deka Lash51 of 2——
The Woodhouse Day Spa5———

Other systems in European Wax Center's sector whose franchisees borrowed in Minnesota. A loss ratio appears only where at least 30 loans approved through FY2020 have resolved; “—” means too few.

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