SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · TENNESSEE
MERLE NORMAN COSMETICS franchise in Tennessee: what the public record shows
Franchisees of MERLE NORMAN COSMETICS in Tennessee have taken 6 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $75,910). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. MERLE NORMAN COSMETICS's national ratio is 1.0× (not clearly different from 1.0×). Its latest FDD Item 20 state table reports 49 franchised outlets in Tennessee (fiscal 2025) — about 0.68 per 100k residents.
Loans in TN
6
Charged off (all years)
3 of 6
Loss ratio in TN
—
Loss ratio nationally (not clear)
1.0×
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = TN. 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.
Businesses in this industry
1,126
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
15.6
national 26.6
Versus the country
-41%
thinner
Every business in MERLE NORMAN COSMETICS's industry operating in Tennessee — 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.
Avg weekly wage, this industry
$794
Tennessee, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$698
same industry, all states
Versus the country
+14%
costlier to staff
What MERLE NORMAN COSMETICS's industry actually pays workers in Tennessee, 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.
| Fiscal year | Franchised | Company-owned |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 53 | 0 |
| 2024 | 52 | 0 |
| 2025 | 49 | 0 |
| System | Loans in TN | Charged off (all years) | Loss ratio in TN | Units in TN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sport Clips | 35 | 0 of 30 | 0× | 46 |
| GREAT CLIPS | 9 | 0 of 8 | — | — |
| Planet Beach | 6 | 3 of 6 | — | — |
Other systems in MERLE NORMAN COSMETICS's sector whose franchisees borrowed in Tennessee. 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 MERLE NORMAN COSMETICS’ numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.