Great Clips vs. Sport Clips
Two hair-care systems with similar unit sales and diverging Item 20 trajectories. Every figure below comes from each brand’s own Franchise Disclosure Document, with its evidence tier. Where a brand did not disclose something, the cell says so.
Great Clips (2026 FDD) lists a total initial investment of $187,800 to $419,900. Royalty plus ad fund total 11% of sales. Item 19 reports average unit sales of $410,783 across 4,158 units for CY2025. Franchised outlets moved from 4,427 to 4,441 between 2023 and 2025 (+14), with 323 openings, 309 exits and 546 transfers. Evidence confidence: High.
Sport Clips (2026 FDD) lists a total initial investment of $236,800 to $580,500. Royalty plus ad fund total 11% of sales. Item 19 reports average unit sales of $419,485 across 1,645 units for CY2025. Franchised outlets moved from 1,781 to 1,702 between 2023 and 2025 (-79), with 69 openings, 147 exits and 272 transfers. Evidence confidence: High.
| Metric | Great Clips | Sport Clips |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Category | Personal services FDD | Personal services FDD |
| FDD year | 2026 FDD | 2026 FDD |
| Total outlets (latest FY) | 4,441 FDD | 1,788 FDD |
| Investment | ||
| Total investment (Item 7) | $187,800 – $419,900 FDD | $236,800 – $580,500 FDD |
| Initial franchise fee (named Item 5 fee only) | $20,000 FDD | $30,000 FDD |
| Fees | ||
| Royalty | 6% FDD | 6% FDD |
| Ad / brand fund | 5% FDD | 5% FDD |
| Royalty + ad fund Sum where both are a percent of sales |
11% Derived | 11% Derived |
| Disclosed performance | ||
| Item 19 present | Yes FDD | Yes FDD |
| Average unit sales (annual) Populations differ by brand — read each profile |
$410,783 FDD | $419,485 FDD |
| Median unit sales | $390,685 FDD | $416,189 FDD |
| Cost / profit data in Item 19 | Yes (see profile for population) FDD | Yes (see profile for population) FDD |
| AUV ÷ midpoint investment | 1.35× Derived | 1.03× Derived |
| System health (Item 20) | ||
| Franchised unit change | +14 (+0.3%) 2023–2025 Derived | -79 (-4.4%) 2023–2025 Derived |
| Openings (period) | 323 FDD | 69 FDD |
| Exits (period) Terminations + non-renewals + reacquisitions + ceased-other |
309 Derived | 147 Derived |
| Avg. annual attrition | 2.3% Derived | 2.8% Derived |
| Transfers (period) | 546 FDD | 272 FDD |
| Operations | ||
| Owner involvement (Item 15) | Manager-run permitted FDD | Manager-run permitted FDD |
| Multi-unit program disclosed | Yes FDD | Yes FDD |
| Estimates | ||
| Economics model available | Yes — model estimate on profile | Yes — model estimate on profile |
| Ratings | ||
| Financial Disclosure Quality | 5 / 5 Derived | 5 / 5 Derived |
| System Growth | 3 / 5 Derived | 2 / 5 Derived |
| Unit Stability | 4 / 5 Derived | 4 / 5 Derived |
| Investment Efficiency | 3 / 5 Derived | 3 / 5 Derived |
| Evidence Confidence | High Derived | High Derived |
Populations behind AUV figures differ (mature units, all units, gross vs. net sales). Growth and attrition are our arithmetic on Item 20. Open each profile for citations, caveats and the full Item 19 and Item 20 tables. Edit this comparison to swap brands.