FRANCHISE·WATCH·DESK

ITEMS 5–7 · 2025 FDD

How much is a Fleet Feet franchise?

Per Fleet Feet's 2025 FDD, the initial franchise fee is $45,000 (Item 5) and the total initial investment runs $229K–$545K (Item 7); once open, you pay an ongoing royalty of 4.0% of gross sales (Item 6).

Franchise fee · Item 5

$45,000

one-time, to buy in

Royalty · Item 6

4.0%

of gross sales, ongoing

Total investment · Item 7

$229K–$545K

franchisor's own estimate

Fleet Feet vs retail & products medians28 systems benchmarked
Cost lineFleet FeetSector median
Initial franchise fee ITEM 5$45,000$40,000
Ongoing royalty ITEM 64.0%6.0%
Total initial investment ITEM 7$229K–$545K$176K–$388K

MEDIANS: LATEST FDD FILINGS (≤24 MONTHS OLD) OF 28 RETAIL & PRODUCTS SYSTEMS · FULL RETAIL & PRODUCTS BENCHMARK →

Breakeven framingwhat it costs · what it drags

The buy-in is the smaller number. The larger one is the drag: 4.0% of every sale leaves before rent, labor, or your salary — so breakeven depends on volume you cannot know from the FDD; use the Item 19 figures as a starting point, not a promise.

To open (Item 7)

$229K–$545K

all-in investment range

Franchise fee (Item 5)

$45,000

upfront, one-time

Royalty (Item 6)

4%

of sales, ongoing

If a unit does this in annual sales…$500K/yr

Starts at a placeholder of $500K — a round figure for the sector, not from Fleet Feet’s filings. Set your own figure and check it against this brand's Item 19 and what owners tell you.

Royalty you'd pay / yr

$20K

4% of sales, before profit

Over a 10-yr term

$200K

royalties alone, excl. ad fund

This estimate is computed by software from the brand's public filings and any inputs you enter. No CPA prepared it for you and no assurance is provided on it. Actual results will differ, and the differences may be material.

This is not profit. It covers what the FDD fixes: what you put in, and the royalty you owe on sales. Your take-home depends on labor, rent, supplies, and the months to breakeven, none of which the FDD fixes for your unit (some Item 19s include cost data — read it).

Build a real pro-forma for Fleet Feet with a buyer-paid CPA

Fleet Feet cost questions, answered from the filing

How much is a Fleet Feet franchise?

Per Fleet Feet's 2025 FDD, opening a franchise requires an initial franchise fee of $45,000 (Item 5) and a total initial investment of $229K–$545K (Item 7). Item 7 is the franchisor's own estimate — treat the low end as a floor, not a budget.

What royalty does Fleet Feet charge?

Fleet Feet charges an ongoing royalty of 4.0% of gross sales, per Item 6 of its 2025 FDD. The median across 28 retail & products systems tracked here is 6.0%.

Does Fleet Feet tell you what franchisees earn?

Partly — Fleet Feet makes a financial performance representation in Item 19 of its 2025 FDD. Unit revenue is not owner profit: subtract royalties, ad fund, rent, labor, and debt service.

The Fleet Feet validation checklist

questions built from this brand's own filings · read them all on the profile

Want this as a checklist you can take to the calls?

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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 Fleet Feet’s numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.

Don Drummond, CPA — Virginia #43775 · what I charge

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