Batteries Plus franchise
A franchisee operates a retail store of roughly 1,000 to 1,600 square feet that sells batteries, light bulbs, key fobs and related products and provides device repair, key fob and commercial delivery services to both retail walk-in customers and commercial accounts.
Manager-run permitted Disclosed
- Source
- 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document — Batteries Plus, L.L.C.
- Document
- FDD 2026, issued 2026-03-26
- Item
- Item 15
- Page
- PDF p. 47
- Obtained
- Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions — Franchise Registration Search, file 640529
The store must be under the direct supervision of the franchisee, a principal owner or an approved operating manager who has completed the designated training. If an operating manager supervises the store, the owner must either remain active in overseeing operations or complete a designated portion of the initial start-up training and keep at least two trained store managers on staff at all times. Whoever is responsible for day-to-day supervision must do so full time and may not take on other significant management commitments, so this is not an absentee model. Multiple-unit franchisees must devote full-time effort to the development agreement but need not work in any individual store.
What stands out
- Total initial investment of $284,786 to $536,636 for a leased single store; standard initial franchise fee $49,500, plus $43,986 for the Retail Management System and $10,000 for Omni-Channel access paid to the franchisor before opening.
- Item 7 requires a minimum of $100,000 in personal cash or liquid assets per store; no net worth requirement is disclosed in the reviewed source.
- Ongoing fees: 5% royalty and 1% national marketing on Net Revenues, digital plus cooperative marketing capped at a combined 4%, a minimum annual promotion requirement of the greater of 4% of prior-year Net Revenues or $20,000, and about $1,100 a month in technology fees.
7 more observations
- Item 19 shows average annual Net Revenue of $954,716 and median $833,660 across 490 franchised stores for 2025, with a range of $407,996 to $7,352,102 and 38% of stores at or above the average.
- No franchised-store profit data is disclosed; the only EBITDA figures (average $121,618, median $101,618) come from the affiliate's 133 company-owned stores and impute rather than incur royalty and marketing costs.
- Stores with a dedicated commercial sales focus averaged $1,053,373 in Net Revenue against $820,961 for the rest of the population.
- Franchised outlets declined from 609 to 601 across 2023 to 2025 with 30 openings a year; the affiliate's company-owned count rose from 112 to 133 entirely through reacquisitions from franchisees.
- Territory protection is the lesser of a three-mile radius or 150,000 people, contingent on minimum annual Net Revenue quotas rising to $600,000, and there is no territorial protection for commercial sales.
- The franchisor and its supply affiliate Ascent took in 51.5% of their combined fiscal 2025 gross revenue ($181,030,000 of $351,592,000) from franchisee purchases and supplier rebates.
- Ten-year term with one 10-year renewal, arbitration and litigation in Wisconsin, a personal guaranty from every 10% owner, and a two-year, 15-mile post-term non-compete.
Things to verify
- Ask the franchisor to reconcile Table A-2, which shows $833,660 as both the average and median Net Revenue for the 490 franchised stores, with Tables B-2 and C-2, which show $954,716 as the average for the same group.
- Request franchised-store expense data. Item 19 gives no franchised cost or profit information, and the company-store EBITDA table excludes rent-adjacent costs, repairs, Omni-Channel fees, professional fees, depreciation and any owner compensation.
- Ask why 32 franchised outlets ceased operations for other reasons in 2025 and what happened to the 21 outlets the franchisor reacquired in 2023 and 2024, and speak with operators in those states (Oregon, Florida, Washington).
5 more questions
- Model the ramp: Item 7 assumes no product sales in the first three months, quotas start at $300,000 in the first full calendar year, and the Item 19 population excludes stores open less than about a year.
- Price the full recurring load — 5% royalty, 1% national marketing, up to 4% combined digital and cooperative marketing, the $20,000 minimum promotion floor and roughly $1,100 a month of technology fees — against the median store's $833,660 of Net Revenue.
- Understand the Ascent supply relationship: sole-source products, rebates of up to 18% assigned to Ascent, and required purchases estimated at 65% to 85% of operating cost.
- Confirm what the Omni-Channel and Key Accounts programs mean in practice, since the franchisor may sell into the protected area and sets the rules for recognizing that revenue.
- Check current fee levels before signing: several technology and program fees may rise up to 10% per calendar year.
Category cost placeholders, not a forecast. This snapshot uses the default inputs; the calculator below updates when you edit them.
Evidence confidence: High. This describes source support, not investment quality. AI-extracted and machine-verified where stated; no human line-by-line review. Source and review record.
Read the full research overview
Batteries Plus franchisees run a 1,000 to 1,600 square foot retail store selling batteries, light bulbs, key fobs and related products and providing device repair, key fob and commercial delivery services. The model is deliberately two-sided: a franchisee begins with commercial sales after a week of training, then builds out the retail store. Batteries Plus, L.L.C. has franchised since 1996, the first store opened in 1988, and the brand sits under Batteries Plus Holding Corporation, controlled through affiliates by the private equity firm Freeman Spogli & Co.
The 2026 FDD, issued March 26, 2026, estimates the total initial investment for a single leased-premises store at $284,786 to $536,636, of which $179,786 to $215,486 goes to the franchisor or its affiliate. The standard initial franchise fee is $49,500; before opening, a franchisee also pays the franchisor $43,986 for the Retail Management System and $10,000 for Omni-Channel access, and $20,000 toward the first-year marketing requirement. Item 7 requires at least $100,000 of personal cash or liquid assets per store; no minimum net worth is stated. Ongoing fees are a 5% royalty and a 1% national marketing fee on Net Revenues, digital and cooperative marketing capped in combination at 4%, a minimum annual promotion requirement of the greater of 4% of prior-year Net Revenues or $20,000, and roughly $1,100 a month of software, security, CRM and other technology charges.
Item 19 reports sales, not franchisee profit. For calendar 2025 it shows average Net Revenue of $954,716 and median Net Revenue of $833,660 across 490 franchised stores that met the franchisor's inclusion criteria, with a range of $407,996 to $7,352,102 and 38% of stores at or above the average. It gives no expense or profit figures for franchised stores; the only profitability data — average EBITDA of $121,618 on average Net Revenue of $1,061,550 — comes from the affiliate's own 133 stores, which pay no real royalty or marketing fee (both are imputed at 5%), exclude a long list of other operating costs and assume the owner draws no salary. One internal inconsistency is worth noting: a quartile table prints $833,660 as both the average and the median for the same 490 stores, while two other tables report $954,716 as the average.
System trajectory has been flat to slightly down. Franchised outlets went 609 to 606 to 604 to 601 over 2023 to 2025, with 30 openings each year offset by 22, 11 and 32 outlets ceasing operations for other reasons plus terminations, non-renewals and 21 reacquisitions by the franchisor over the period; company-owned stores grew from 112 to 133 entirely through those reacquisitions. Transfers between franchisees ran 46, 25 and 27. As of December 31, 2025, 87 signed agreements had not yet opened and 23 new franchised openings were projected for the next fiscal year. On risk: Item 3 discloses two matters, including a franchisee's California claims that settled in September 2025 with the franchisor paying $590,000; Item 4 discloses no bankruptcies; disputes are mediated and arbitrated in Wisconsin; owners of 10% or more must personally guarantee; a two-year, 15-mile post-term non-compete applies; and 51.5% of the franchisor's and its supply affiliate's gross revenue in fiscal 2025 came from franchisee purchases and supplier rebates.
View ratings and their supporting evidence
Transparent ratings
How these are computedEach dimension is scored 1–5 from published formulas. Missing data yields “Not enough evidence to rate”, never a low score. There is no composite score by design.
How the system has performed, computed from the disclosed Items 7, 19 and 20. Figures a documented material source inconsistency puts in doubt are excluded, and the dimension shows “Not rated”.
Inputs
- Franchised outlets 609 → 601 (Item 20, Table 3)
- Thresholds: ≥15% → 5; 5–15% → 4; 0–5% → 3; −5–0% → 2; below −5% → 1
Inputs
- Attrition = (terminations + non-renewals + reacquisitions + ceased-other) ÷ start-of-year franchised units, averaged over 3 fiscal years
- Thresholds: <2% → 5; 2–4% → 4; 4–6% → 3; 6–10% → 2; >10% → 1
Inputs
- AUV $954,716 (disclosed) ÷ midpoint investment $410,711 = 2.32×
- Thresholds: ≥2.0 → 5; 1.5–2.0 → 4; 1.0–1.5 → 3; 0.7–1.0 → 2; <0.7 → 1
How much this brand’s FDD discloses, and how well-supported our data on it is. This measures transparency, not business performance — a strong business that discloses little scores low here and stays unrated above.
Inputs
- Item 19 present (+1)
- Average plus median or a distribution (+1)
- Population 82% of franchised units, clearly described (+1)
- Cost or profit data disclosed (+1)
- Franchisor Track Record
- Franchising 30 years (since 1996) · 734 outlets · Item 3: 2 matter(s) disclosed · Item 4: none disclosed
- Multi-Unit Scalability
- A Multiple Unit Franchise Agreement grants the right to develop a set number of stores in a designated area under a development schedule, generally with a te… · Manager-run permitted
- Operational Intensity
- Manager-run permitted
Initial investment
FDD Items 5 and 7Format shown: Single Store under a Franchise Agreement, leased premises (the only Item 7 table with dollar estimates)
$284,786–$536,636 total initial investment. Excludes real estate purchase. Includes 3 months of additional funds.
View full investment breakdown — Items 5 & 7
| Initial franchise fee (the named Item 5 fee only) | $49,500 Disclosed
Standard fee for a single-unit new franchisee. The $10,000 veteran/first-responder discount and the $15,000 existing-franchisee expansion fee are discounts, not the standard rate, per instructions. |
|---|---|
| Other required initial payments to the franchisor (Item 5) |
|
| Total initial investment — low | $284,786 Disclosed
Includes the $15,000 discounted franchise fee in the low column. |
| Total initial investment — high | $536,636 Disclosed
The cover page states that $179,786 to $215,486 of the total is payable to the franchisor or its affiliates. |
| Midpoint of range | $410,711 Derived
|
| Real estate purchase included? | No — assumes a leased site |
| Additional funds assumed | 3 months |
| Required liquid capital | $100,000 Disclosed
Item 7 Note 19 states the initial investment must include a minimum of $100,000 of personal cash or other liquid assets for each store. |
| Required net worth | Not disclosed in the reviewed source Not disclosedNot disclosed in the reviewed source. We did not find this value in 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document — Batteries Plus, L.L.C.; we do not fill gaps with estimates or third-party figures. No minimum net worth requirement appears on the cover pages or in Items 1, 5, 7 or 15 of the reviewed document. |
The Item 7 table assumes a leased store of about 1,000 to 1,600 square feet. It excludes the purchase of land or construction of a building: the franchisor states it cannot estimate those costs because few franchisees buy real estate. Two separate three-month "additional funds" allowances are included, one for the commercial-sales phase before build-out and one for the first three months of store operations; both assume no product sales revenue and exclude owner compensation. The franchisor cannot estimate the initial investment under a Multiple Unit Franchise Agreement beyond the $15,000 per-store Multiple Unit Territory Fee. All line items footed to the disclosed subtotals and total.
Item 7 line items (23)
| Expenditure | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee — Low reflects the discounted fee for qualifying existing franchisees; standard fee is $49,500. | $15,000 | $49,500 |
| Travel and living expenses during training — Covers one attendee plus a second attendee for the device repair session. | $500 | $2,900 |
| New Store Commercial Support (3 months) | $0 | $3,450 |
| Retail Management System — Software, hardware and development fee paid to the franchisor and suppliers. | $43,986 | $43,986 |
| Omni-Channel access fee | $10,000 | $10,000 |
| Miscellaneous pre-opening expenses — Permits, licenses, legal and accounting. | $1,800 | $5,000 |
| Insurance premiums (3 months) | $1,200 | $5,000 |
| Commercial hardware kit | $1,100 | $1,900 |
| Delivery vehicle — One delivery vehicle per market area; low assumes lease or existing vehicle, high assumes purchase. | $4,500 | $24,000 |
| Additional funds — 3 months (pre-opening / commercial phase) | $11,000 | $17,000 |
| Subtotal prior to site acceptance | $89,086 | $162,736 |
| New store opening hardware kit | $7,100 | $10,100 |
| New Store Marketing Campaign contribution | $5,000 | $7,000 |
| Minimum Store Promotion Requirement — Paid to the franchisor at retail opening and applied to the Digital Marketing Contribution. | $20,000 | $20,000 |
| Rent — security deposit and 3 months' rent — Estimated rent of $20 to $45 per square foot including CAM and taxes. | $8,000 | $19,000 |
| Leasehold improvements | $13,000 | $131,000 |
| Equipment and fixtures | $35,000 | $43,000 |
| Signage | $5,800 | $17,000 |
| Inventory — Mostly purchased from the franchisor's affiliate Ascent. | $57,500 | $77,000 |
| Miscellaneous supplies | $4,300 | $4,800 |
| Additional funds — 3 months (store operations) | $40,000 | $45,000 |
| Store build out and opening subtotal | $195,700 | $373,900 |
| TOTAL | $284,786 | $536,636 |
Source for every row: the Item 7 estimated-initial-investment table of 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document — Batteries Plus, L.L.C. (table begins PDF p. 25) — rows inherit the table's citation rather than carrying fifteen identical ones.
Other formats disclosed in Item 7 (1)
| Format | Low | High | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple Unit Franchise Agreement (development rights) | — | — | $15,000 |
Ongoing fees
FDD Item 6Royalty
5% of net sales Disclosed
- Source
- 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document — Batteries Plus, L.L.C.
- Document
- FDD 2026, issued 2026-03-26
- Item
- Item 6
- Page
- PDF p. 17
- Obtained
- Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions — Franchise Registration Search, file 640529
5% of total Net Revenues on all products and services, paid monthly by electronic funds transfer. "Net Revenues" is defined as all sales of goods and services excluding taxes, so it is a sales measure rather than a profit measure. Item 6 Note 4 describes a discretionary rebate of royalties above 4% for certain franchisees who joined before April 2011 and meet high revenue thresholds, and Note 2 describes a waiver of up to $27,500 of royalties for franchisees who began commercial-only operations by December 30, 2025.
Brand advertising fund
1% of net sales Disclosed
- Source
- 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document — Batteries Plus, L.L.C.
- Document
- FDD 2026, issued 2026-03-26
- Item
- Item 6
- Page
- PDF p. 18
- Obtained
- Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions — Franchise Registration Search, file 640529
National Marketing and Promotional Fee of 1% of total Net Revenues, paid at the same time as the royalty.
Local marketing
4% of net sales Disclosed
- Source
- 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document — Batteries Plus, L.L.C.
- Document
- FDD 2026, issued 2026-03-26
- Item
- Item 6
- Page
- PDF p. 22
- Obtained
- Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions — Franchise Registration Search, file 640529
The "Minimum Store Promotion Requirement" is the greater of 4% of the store's prior calendar-year Net Revenues or $20,000 per calendar year; in the first partial year it is a pro-rata share of $20,000, and $20,000 is paid to the franchisor when the store opens for retail. Digital Marketing Contributions and cooperative contributions count toward the requirement; any shortfall must be paid to the franchisor and deposited in the national marketing fund.
Core requirements shown separately; caps, credits and conditions may overlap. Check the full schedule for technology, cooperative, transfer and other charges.
View all recurring fees and conditions
| Royalty | 5% of net sales Disclosed
5% of total Net Revenues on all products and services, paid monthly by electronic funds transfer. "Net Revenues" is defined as all sales of goods and services excluding taxes, so it is a sales measure rather than a profit measure. Item 6 Note 4 describes a discretionary rebate of royalties above 4% for certain franchisees who joined before April 2011 and meet high revenue thresholds, and Note 2 describes a waiver of up to $27,500 of royalties for franchisees who began commercial-only operations by December 30, 2025. 5% of total Net Revenues on all products and services, paid monthly by electronic funds transfer. "Net Revenues" is defined as all sales of goods and services excluding taxes, so it is a sales measure rather than a profit measure. Item 6 Note 4 describes a discretionary rebate of royalties above 4% for certain franchisees who joined before April 2011 and meet high revenue thresholds, and Note 2 describes a waiver of up to $27,500 of royalties for franchisees who began commercial-only operations by December 30, 2025. |
|---|---|
| Advertising / brand fund | 1% of net sales Disclosed
National Marketing and Promotional Fee of 1% of total Net Revenues, paid at the same time as the royalty. National Marketing and Promotional Fee of 1% of total Net Revenues, paid at the same time as the royalty. |
| Required local marketing | 4% of net sales Disclosed
The "Minimum Store Promotion Requirement" is the greater of 4% of the store's prior calendar-year Net Revenues or $20,000 per calendar year; in the first partial year it is a pro-rata share of $20,000, and $20,000 is paid to the franchisor when the store opens for retail. Digital Marketing Contributions and cooperative contributions count toward the requirement; any shortfall must be paid to the franchisor and deposited in the national marketing fund. The "Minimum Store Promotion Requirement" is the greater of 4% of the store's prior calendar-year Net Revenues or $20,000 per calendar year; in the first partial year it is a pro-rata share of $20,000, and $20,000 is paid to the franchisor when the store opens for retail. Digital Marketing Contributions and cooperative contributions count toward the requirement; any shortfall must be paid to the franchisor and deposited in the national marketing fund. |
| Technology / software | $509/month Disclosed
Software Support fee, currently $509 per month and subject to increases of up to 10% per calendar year. Additional recurring technology-related fees disclosed in Item 6 are Omni-Channel maintenance ($200/month), managed security/PCI compliance ($200/month), Salesforce CRM ($80/month), RepairQ ($60/month), Avalara Avatax ($27/month) and payment gateway ($22/month). One-time technology charges before opening are the $43,986 Retail Management System fee and the $10,000 Omni-Channel access fee. Software Support fee, currently $509 per month and subject to increases of up to 10% per calendar year. Additional recurring technology-related fees disclosed in Item 6 are Omni-Channel maintenance ($200/month), managed security/PCI compliance ($200/month), Salesforce CRM ($80/month), RepairQ ($60/month), Avalara Avatax ($27/month) and payment gateway ($22/month). One-time technology charges before opening are the $43,986 Retail Management System fee and the $10,000 Omni-Channel access fee. |
| Advertising cooperative | 3% of net sales Disclosed
Advertising/marketing cooperative contributions are set by the franchisor and cannot exceed the greater of 3% of Net Revenues or the Minimum Store Promotion Requirement; combined with the Digital Marketing Contribution they cannot exceed 4% of Net Revenues. Advertising/marketing cooperative contributions are set by the franchisor and cannot exceed the greater of 3% of Net Revenues or the Minimum Store Promotion Requirement; combined with the Digital Marketing Contribution they cannot exceed 4% of Net Revenues. |
| Transfer fee | 50% (see basis) Disclosed
50% of the then-current standard Initial Franchise Fee, which at the current $49,500 fee equals $24,750. No transfer fee applies to a transfer to an immediate family member. The transferee also pays a resale training fee (currently $10,000) and a prorated Omni-Channel access fee. An optional resale marketing program costs $1,200 at launch plus $7,500 on sale. 50% of the then-current standard Initial Franchise Fee, which at the current $49,500 fee equals $24,750. No transfer fee applies to a transfer to an immediate family member. The transferee also pays a resale training fee (currently $10,000) and a prorated Omni-Channel access fee. An optional resale marketing program costs $1,200 at launch plus $7,500 on sale. |
| Renewal fee | 20% (see basis) Disclosed
20% of the then-current standard Initial Franchise Fee, which at the current $49,500 fee equals $9,900, due at least 30 days before renewal, plus an Omni-Channel access renewal fee (currently $10,000). 20% of the then-current standard Initial Franchise Fee, which at the current $49,500 fee equals $9,900, due at least 30 days before renewal, plus an Omni-Channel access renewal fee (currently $10,000). |
| Royalty + ad fund (% of sales) | 6% Derived
|
Fee schedule (37 fees; 29 verified against the source, 8 single-pass)
Every recurring, conditional and one-time fee found in this FDD's Item 6 table (plus mandatory recurring costs disclosed in Items 7/11), each cited to its page and carrying its verification status: verified means two independent readings agreed or a tie-break re-inspection of the page decided it; single-pass means one reading captured it and it has not been independently confirmed (permitted only for fees that cannot move modeled economics — see the materiality rule). Amounts marked “not stated” are charged at then-current rates the FDD does not quantify and are never modeled as $0.
| Fee | Amount | Frequency | Mandatory | Verification | Cite | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royalty and Service Fee | 5% of net sales | monthly | Yes | verified (2-pass) | Item 6, p. 17 | Item 6 Note 4: discretionary rebate of royalties above 4% of Net Revenues available to certain pre-April-2011 franchisees meeting minimum revenue thresholds. |
| Income and Sales Taxes | Not stated | monthly | Conditional | verified (tie-break) | Item 6, p. 18 | Only imposed if the state collects these taxes or assessments; collected by EFT at the same time as the royalty. Both passes read the row the same way; only the id pairing in conflicts.json was misaligned. |
| National Marketing and Promotional Fee (NMF) | 1% of net sales | monthly | Yes | verified (2-pass) | Item 6, p. 18 | |
| Digital Marketing Contribution (Digital Co-op Fund) | $3 (min $20,000/annual) | monthly | Yes | verified (tie-break) | Item 6, p. 18 | Payable monthly by EFT with the royalty once the opening $20,000 is drawn down. Item 11 (p.35) contains an internal contradiction: one sentence says the franchisee 'must contribute the greater of 4% of Store Net Revenues or the Minimum Store Promotion Requirement of $20,000' and the very next sentence says it 'may not exceed the greater of 3% of Net Revenues or the Minimum Store Promotion Requirement.' The Item 6 table row and Item 6 Note 5 (p.22) both state 3%, so 3% is the corroborated cap and range_high is not set to 4. |
| Advertising/Marketing Cooperative(s) | Not stated | varies | Yes | verified (tie-break) | Item 6, p. 18 | Applies only where the franchisor designates a regional or local cooperative for the franchisee's market; participation is then required (Item 11, p.35). Due date established by Batteries or the franchisees. Item 11 (p.35): 'You must participate in the Cooperative if we designate one for the geographic area in which your Store is located.' |
| Minimum Store Marketing Obligation | $4 (min $20,000/annual) | annual | Yes | verified (tie-break) | Item 6, p. 22 | Required spend on approved Store advertising and promotion each calendar year; Digital Marketing Contribution and local marketing count toward it, and any shortfall must be deposited with the franchisor and goes into the NMF fund. The Item 6 table row (p.18) only cross-references the defined term; the 4% / $20,000 formula is stated in Item 6 Note 6 on p.22, which is the page cited here. Franchisees may not create their own advertising materials (Item 11, p.35) — only franchisor-supplied materials qualify. |
| New Store Marketing Campaign (on relocation) | Not stated | per event | No | verified (tie-break) | Item 6, p. 18 | Only on Store relocation; due as the franchisor directs, beginning at relocation and continuing up to 90 days. Item 11 (p.35) and Item 6 Note 7 (p.23) confirm the up-to-$6,000 relocation campaign and state it cannot be credited toward the Minimum Store Promotion Requirement. Distinct from the pre-opening New Store Marketing Campaign contribution, which is an Item 5/Item 7 initial-investment item. |
| Store Relocation Fee | $5,500 | per event | Conditional | single-pass | Item 6, p. 18 | Only if the franchisee relocates the Store; not refundable. [Listed by one verification pass only (A); not independently confirmed.] Also referenced in Item 12 (p.42/43) as a $5,500 fee for services in assisting relocation. |
| Development Schedule Extension Fee | $2,500 | monthly | No | verified (tie-break) | Item 6, p. 18 | Payable only if the franchisor grants a requested extension of the development schedule under a Multiple Unit Franchise Agreement; waived for the first three months. Item 6 Note 8 (p.23) limits it to franchisees who have not previously received an extension for that Store. |
| Franchise Agreement Extension Fee | $2,500 | monthly | No | verified (tie-break) | Item 6, p. 18 | Payable only if the franchisee requests, and the franchisor grants, additional time to open the Store; waived for the first three months. Consistent with the flat $10,000 store-opening extension fee referenced in Item 12 (4 months x $2,500). |
| Transfer Fee | 50% of other | one time | Conditional | single-pass | Item 6, p. 19 | Due before completion of a Store transfer; waived for transfer to an immediate family member (Item 17 row m). [Listed by one verification pass only (A); not independently confirmed.] |
| Resale Training Fee | $10,000 | one time | Yes | single-pass | Item 6, p. 19 | Transferee must complete training upon a Store transfer. [Listed by one verification pass only (A); not independently confirmed.] |
| Renewal Fee | 20% of other | one time | Conditional | single-pass | Item 6, p. 19 | Due at least 30 days before renewal of the Franchise Agreement. [Listed by one verification pass only (A); not independently confirmed.] |
| Omni-Channel Access Fee (transfer/renewal) | $10,000 | one time | No | verified (tie-break) | Item 6, p. 19 | Due before completion of a transfer or at least 30 days before renewal of the Franchise Agreement. Item 6 Note 10 (p.23) waives it for certain franchisees who signed Franchise Agreements as of March 31, 2015. Distinct from the initial $10,000 Omni-Channel Access Fee paid before Store opening, which is an Item 5/Item 7 initial-investment item. Also distinct from the recurring Omni-Channel Maintenance Fee ($200/month) that Pass B's mispaired object described. |
| Remodeling Expenses | Not stated | varies | Yes | verified (2-pass) | Item 6, p. 19 | Required on notice from the franchisor; scope ranges from painting to a full refurbishment. |
| Costs and Attorneys' Fees | Not stated | varies | Conditional | single-pass | Item 6, p. 19 | Only if the franchisee loses a dispute with the franchisor. [Listed by one verification pass only (A); not independently confirmed.] |
| Audit | Not stated | varies | Conditional | single-pass | Item 6, p. 19 | Payable only if an audit shows an understatement of Net Revenues of at least 2% for any month. [Listed by one verification pass only (A); not independently confirmed.] |
| Interest Expenses | 18% of other | varies | No | verified (tie-break) | Item 6, p. 19 | Only on amounts not paid when due. |
| Management Fee | Not stated | varies | No | verified (tie-break) | Item 6, p. 19 | Payable only if the franchisee is in default and the franchisor elects to operate the Store until the default is cured. |
| Insurance | Not stated | varies | Yes | verified (tie-break) | Item 6, p. 19 | Payable before opening and maintained thereafter; if the franchisee fails to obtain or maintain required coverage the franchisor may place it and charge the cost back, including late charges. |
| Software Support | $509 | monthly | Yes | verified (2-pass) | Item 6, p. 19 | |
| Omni-Channel Maintenance Fees | $200 | monthly | Yes | verified (2-pass) | Item 6, p. 20 | |
| Omni-Channel Program Fees | Not stated | varies | Yes | verified (tie-break) | Item 6, p. 20 | Participation in the Omni-Channel Program is required; the due date 'will vary depending on fee.' |
| Avalara Avatax Service Fee | $27 | monthly | Yes | verified (2-pass) | Item 6, p. 20 | |
| Payment Gateway Fee | $22 | monthly | Yes | verified (2-pass) | Item 6, p. 20 | |
| Salesforce.com CRM Fee | $80 | monthly | Yes | verified (2-pass) | Item 6, p. 20 | |
| Managed Security Services (PCI Compliance) Program Fee | $200 | monthly | Yes | verified (tie-break) | Item 6, p. 20 | May increase if third-party costs increase; the portion attributable to franchisor overhead or administrative costs cannot exceed 10% of the total fee. |
| RepairQ Technology Fee | $60 | monthly | Yes | verified (tie-break) | Item 6, p. 20 | May increase if third-party costs increase; the portion attributable to franchisor overhead or administrative costs cannot exceed 10% of the total fee. Device-repair point-of-sale/workflow system. |
| Regional Workshops and Supplemental and Refresher Training | $0–$1,650 | per event | No | verified (tie-break) | Item 6, p. 20 | Charged when the franchisor requires or the franchisee requests supplemental or refresher training, including after a default; may increase up to 10% each calendar year. |
| Optional Commercial as a Service | $7,140 | monthly | No | verified (tie-break) | Item 6, p. 21 | Optional generally, but Item 6 Note 13 (p.23) requires New Franchisees entering through a Store transfer, and Stores underperforming in commercial sales, to participate for a minimum of 8 months unless waived. May increase up to 10% each calendar year. |
| New Store Commercial Support | $1,150 | monthly | Yes | verified (tie-break) | Item 6, p. 21 | Mandatory for New Franchisees opening their first Store for the 12 months following completion of commercial sales training; the first 3 months are covered by the Initial Franchise Fee (Item 6 Note 13, p.23). May increase up to 10% each calendar year. |
| Inventory Planning as a Service | $100 | monthly | Yes | verified (tie-break) | Item 6, p. 21 | All franchisees must participate during the first 12 months of Store operations on a new opening, renewal or transfer, unless waived; the fee is waived for the first 6 months (Item 6 Note 14, p.23). May increase up to 10% each calendar year. |
| Annual Conference or Regional Meeting Fee | $0–$1,650 | per event | Yes | verified (tie-break) | Item 6, p. 21 | Applies only if the franchisor schedules an annual conference or regional meeting, which the franchisee or Principal Owner must attend; registration is billed 6 months before the convention. May increase up to 10% each calendar year. |
| Annual Conference or Regional Meeting Non-Attendance Fee | $0–$2,200 | per event | No | verified (tie-break) | Item 6, p. 21 | Payable only if the franchisee fails to attend a required annual convention or regional meeting. May increase up to 10% each calendar year. The $2,200-per-agreement rate and the $11,000 owner-group cap are printed in the Remarks column of the same row. |
| Payments to Ascent Relating to Products Purchased Through Supply Chain Program | Not stated | varies | Conditional | single-pass | Item 6, p. 21 | [Listed by one verification pass only (A); not independently confirmed.] This is a product/inventory purchase cost from the franchisor's affiliated supplier (see Item 8), not a franchise fee per se; excluded from fee modeling as cost of goods. |
| Optional Resale Marketing Assistance Fee | Not stated | one time | No | single-pass | Item 6, p. 21 | Optional program franchisees may engage when listing a Store for sale. [Listed by one verification pass only (A); not independently confirmed.] |
| Secret Shopper Fee | $0–$550 | per event | No | verified (tie-break) | Item 6, p. 21 | Only where the franchisor determines there are documented performance issues (Item 6 Note 16, p.24). May increase up to 10% each calendar year. |
Fees are calculated on "Net Revenues" (all sales of goods and services excluding taxes). Recurring payments to the franchisor and its affiliate therefore include a 5% royalty, a 1% national marketing fee, digital/cooperative marketing subject to a combined 4% cap, and a Minimum Store Promotion Requirement of the greater of 4% of prior-year Net Revenues or $20,000. Item 6 also lists default-related charges (management fee up to $500 per day, 18% interest on late payments, audit costs where an understatement of at least 2% is found) and product purchases from the affiliate Ascent.
Financial performance (Item 19)
What the franchisor actually disclosedWho is represented: Five sections. Section I and II cover 490 franchisee-owned stores that were open as of November 2, 2025, had been open at least 308 days from January 1 to November 2, 2025, keep standard store hours, sell to both retail and commercial customers and/or meet minimum staffing and inventory levels; the document calls these both "All Stores" and "Same Stores" and states that 486 of the 490 had been in operation for 13 full months and that 8 stores that opened for retail during 2025 are excluded. The 490 stores are about 82% of the 601 franchised outlets open at December 31, 2025 (our calculation). Section II also reports 133 company-owned (franchisor affiliate) stores separately and combined with the franchised stores (623 outlets). Section III reports revenue, expenses and EBITDA only for the 133 company-owned stores, not for franchised stores. Sections IV and V report sales-award thresholds and category high/low figures.
Qualifications: All figures are unaudited. Franchised-store data were taken from franchisees' retail management systems; the franchisor states it did not audit or verify the reports, did not question franchisees about them and does not know whether they were prepared consistently with GAAP. The franchised-store figures are Net Revenue (sales less sales tax, discounts and refunds) and contain no franchised-store expense, cost or profit information. Cost, expense and EBITDA data are disclosed only for the 133 company-owned stores, which are owned by a franchisor affiliate, pay no actual royalty or marketing fee (imputed at 5% each in the table), exclude many operating costs the FDD lists separately, and exclude owner compensation because the FDD presumes the owner works as store manager or in commercial sales without a separate salary. The franchised population excludes 8 stores that opened during 2025 and any store not meeting the hours, staffing, inventory or customer-mix criteria, so weaker or newer outlets may be under-represented. The document describes 490 "All Stores" and 486 "Same Stores" but then labels tables covering all 490 as Same Stores. Table A-2 reports the average and median for the 490 franchised stores as the same $833,660, which conflicts with the $954,716 average shown for the same group in Tables B-2 and C-2. Section III's monthly table carries language referring to stores in operation as of December 31, 2024 and to 6 corporate stores closed in fiscal 2024.
View full Item 19 disclosure and tables
The Item 19 tells a prospective buyer what franchised stores sold, not what they earned. For fiscal 2025 the franchisor reports average annual Net Revenue of $954,716 and median Net Revenue of $833,660 across 490 franchised stores that met its inclusion criteria, with a range from $407,996 to $7,352,102 and 38% of those stores at or above the average. Quartile tables show averages of about $1.61 million at the top and $520,881 at the bottom, and the FDD separately shows that stores with a dedicated commercial sales focus averaged $1,053,373 against $820,961 for the rest. Profitability is disclosed only for the franchisor affiliate's own 133 stores: average Net Revenue $1,061,550, average EBITDA $121,618 and median EBITDA $101,618, with individual results ranging from a loss of $98,635 to a profit of $769,031. Those company figures impute a 5% royalty and 5% marketing expense but exclude a long list of other costs and any pay for the owner, so they are not a forecast of franchisee profit. No projections of future performance are made.
| Metric | Subset | Value | Units | Period | Cite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average annual Net Revenue — all franchised stores in the Item 19 population 38% of units met or exceeded 187 of 490 stores (38%) met or exceeded the average. | System (490 franchised stores) Average | $954,716 | 490 | CY2025 | FDD p.59 |
| Median annual Net Revenue — all franchised stores in the Item 19 population | System (490 franchised stores) Median | $833,660 | 490 | CY2025 | FDD p.59 |
| Highest annual Net Revenue of any franchised store in the population | System (490 franchised stores) High | $7,352,102 | 490 | CY2025 | FDD p.59 |
| Lowest annual Net Revenue of any franchised store in the population | System (490 franchised stores) Low | $407,996 | 490 | CY2025 | FDD p.59 |
| Average annual Net Revenue — top quartile of franchised stores 33% of units met or exceeded Quartile range $1,125,793 to $7,352,102; quartile median $1,418,220. | Top quartile Quartile avg. | $1,614,404 | 122 | CY2025 | FDD p.58 |
| Average annual Net Revenue — second quartile of franchised stores 46% of units met or exceeded | Second quartile Quartile avg. | $972,577 | 123 | CY2025 | FDD p.58 |
| Average annual Net Revenue — third quartile of franchised stores 44% of units met or exceeded | Third quartile Quartile avg. | $712,840 | 123 | CY2025 | FDD p.58 |
| Average annual Net Revenue — bottom quartile of franchised stores 52% of units met or exceeded Quartile range $407,996 to $610,504; quartile median $524,436. | Bottom quartile Quartile avg. | $520,881 | 122 | CY2025 | FDD p.58 |
| Average annual Net Revenue — franchised stores classified as commercial sales focused 37% of units met or exceeded Qualifying stores employ a full-time dedicated commercial salesperson, participate in a commercial sales assistance program and derive at least 30% of Net Revenue from commercial services. | Commercial sales focused stores Average | $1,053,373 | 282 | CY2025 | FDD p.56 |
| Average annual Net Revenue — franchised stores not classified as commercial sales focused 37% of units met or exceeded | Remaining franchised stores Average | $820,961 | 208 | CY2025 | FDD p.57 |
| Average total sales ticket amount per transaction 40% of units met or exceeded Median total ticket $76.46; retail average $54.40 and commercial average $297.98. | System (490 franchised stores) Average | $83 | 490 | CY2025 | FDD p.55 |
| Average annual Net Revenue — company-owned (franchisor affiliate) stores A separate monthly table for the same 133 stores sums to $1,061,963 of annual average Net Revenue; the FDD explains that "Annual" there is the sum of the monthly averages. | Company-owned stores Average | $1,061,550 | 133 | CY2025 | FDD p.62 |
| Average annual Net Revenue — franchised and company-owned stores combined 39% of units met or exceeded Combined median $872,724. | Combined 490 franchised and 133 company-owned stores Average | $977,257 | 623 | CY2025 | FDD p.59 |
| Franchised stores with annual Net Revenue of $1 million or more (sales award recipients) The table reports 18 Diamond Club stores ($2M+), 30 Platinum Club ($1.5M–$1.9M) and 122 President's Club ($1M–$1.49M) for 2025, with 431 other franchised stores; 18 + 30 + 122 = 170. The 2025 club counts total 601 stores, matching the year-end franchised count. | Award recipients for fiscal 2025 Count | 170 | 601 | CY2025 | FDD p.66 |
Disclosed cost and profit figures
These figures are disclosed by the franchisor for the population stated in each row — often a subset (company-owned units, or franchisees who chose to report). They frequently exclude owner compensation, rent, debt service, taxes or royalties. They are not a prediction of your results.
| Metric | Subset | Value | Units | Period | Cite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average merchandise margin percentage — franchised stores, retail and commercial combined Merchandise margin is Net Revenue less product cost only; it excludes freight, warranty expense, shrinkage, labor, occupancy and all other operating costs, so it is not a profit margin for the business. | System (490 franchised stores) Average | 51% | 490 | CY2025 | FDD p.53 |
| Average merchandise margin percentage — retail customers | System (490 franchised stores), retail sales Average | 60% | 490 | CY2025 | FDD p.54 |
| Average merchandise margin percentage — commercial customers Retail accounted for 58% and commercial 42% of average Net Revenue. | System (490 franchised stores), commercial sales Average | 38% | 490 | CY2025 | FDD p.54 |
| Average annual EBITDA — company-owned (franchisor affiliate) stores EBITDA is gross profit margin less the listed expenses, with an imputed 5% royalty ($53,078) and 5% marketing ($53,078) added because company-owned stores do not actually pay them. It excludes many costs listed in the FDD's note G, including rent-related items outside "Facilities & Office", repairs, Omni-Channel fees, credit card fees, professional fees, depreciation and amortization, and any owner compensation. Range across stores: $(98,635) to $769,031; 50 of 133 stores (37.6%) met or exceeded the average. | Company-owned stores Average | $121,618 | 133 | CY2025 | FDD p.62 |
| Median annual EBITDA — company-owned (franchisor affiliate) stores | Company-owned stores Median | $101,618 | 133 | CY2025 | FDD p.62 |
| Average annual gross profit margin (dollars) — company-owned stores Average Net Revenue $1,061,550 less average cost of goods sold $516,051; average wages and compensation were $198,587. | Company-owned stores Average | $545,499 | 133 | CY2025 | FDD p.62 |
System health (Item 20)
Outlets, openings, exits and transfers by fiscal year · U.S. onlyView detailed Item 20 tables and source notes
| Fiscal year | Start | Opened | Terminated | Not renewed | Reacquired | Ceased — other | End | Transfers | Company-owned (end) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 609 | 30 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 22 | 606 | 46 | 116 |
| 2024 | 606 | 30 | 2 | 2 | 17 | 11 | 604 | 25 | 133 |
| 2025 | 604 | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 601 | 27 | 133 |
Disclosed 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document — Batteries Plus, L.L.C., Item 20, Tables 1–3 (PDF p. 71). Franchised outlets declined in each of the three years (609 to 601), while openings held steady at 30 per year. Closures shifted in character: 2024 was dominated by 17 outlets reacquired by the franchisor (Oregon 11, Florida 4, Washington 2, per Table No. 4), while 2025 had no reacquisitions or terminations but 32 outlets recorded as ceased operations for other reasons. Company-owned stores grew from 112 to 133 over the period entirely through reacquisitions from franchisees, and none were opened, closed or sold back to franchisees. Transfers between franchisees totalled 46, 25 and 27; the 2024 figure includes 16 in Arizona. All Table No. 3 rows foot exactly. Counts cover U.S. states plus Puerto Rico.
Source data notes (5) — inconsistencies found in the FDD itself during verification
Our verification re-reads every table. Where the FDD's own printed tables disagree, we document the discrepancy rather than silently "fixing" it. Classes: B = arithmetic error in the source's derived column; C = the printed tables genuinely disagree; D = a legitimate definitional difference (e.g., transfers netted, explained by a footnote); E = unresolved ambiguity. Figures a material C/E issue puts in doubt are excluded from our derived metrics, scores and rankings.
- [C/minor] Table 2 2023: Table 2 (Transfers of Stores From Franchisee to New Owners) does not foot for 2023: the 28 state rows sum to 47 but the printed TOTAL row prints 46. 2024 (25) and 2025 (27) foot exactly. — Verified against the rendered images of PDF pp.71-73: the 2023 state rows read 3 (CA) + 1 (FL) + 5 (GA) + 1 (IL) + 4 (IA) + 1 (LA) + 1 (MA) + 3 (MI) + 1 (MO) + 3 (MT) + 1 (NV) + 2 (NJ) + 1 (NM) + 1 (NC) + 1 (ND) + 1 (OH) + 1 (PA) + 1 (SC) + 1 (SD) + 11 (TX) + 3 (VA) = 47, while p.73 prints 'TOTAL 2023 46'. The printed tables genuinely disagree; extraction is not the problem. Keep the disclosed TOTAL of 46. The gap is 1 outlet, 0.16% of the 609 franchised stores at the start of 2023, and cannot change the direction of any growth or attrition metric.
- [C/material] Table 5 2025: Table 5 (Projected Openings, as of December 31, 2025) does not foot: the 23 state rows in the 'Projected New Franchised Stores in the Next Fiscal Year' column sum to 18, but the printed TOTAL is 23. The 'Franchise Agreements Signed But Store Not Opened' column in the same table does foot to 87. — Confirmed on the rendered image of PDF p.80: the state rows print AZ 3, FL 4, GA 1, LA 1, MI 1, NJ 1, NM 1, NC 1, OH 1, SC 1, TX 2, VA 1 (all others 0) = 18, against a printed 'TOTAL ... 23'. Nothing else in the FDD corroborates either figure — Table 5 is standalone and Item 1 gives no projection — so the total the site uses (23) is itself in doubt. The 5-store gap is 0.83% of the 604 franchised stores at the start of 2025, above the 0.5% threshold. Keep the disclosed TOTAL of 23 as the franchisor's own projection, but flag it as uncorroborated and mis-footing by 5; the state-row sum of 18 is the more conservative reading.
- [C/minor] Table 3 2024: Table 3 (Status of Franchised Stores) mislabels Georgia's third row: Georgia shows rows for 2023, 2024 and 2024, and has no row labeled 2025. Every other state has exactly one row per year. — Confirmed on the rendered image of PDF p.74 (Georgia: 2023 31/3/2/0/0/0/32; 2024 32/1/0/0/0/0/33; 2024 33/2/0/0/0/6/29). The orphan row is plainly Georgia's 2025 row — it starts at 33, which is Georgia's 2024 ending count. Re-assigning it to 2025 makes the 2024 state rows sum exactly to the printed 2024 TOTAL row (606/30/2/2/17/11/604). Printed TOTAL rows are unaffected and are corroborated by Table 1 (franchised 606 to 604) for 2024.
- [C/minor] Table 3 2025: Table 3 carry-forward break: Alabama ends 2024 with 11 Stores but starts 2025 with 12. — Confirmed on the rendered image of PDF p.74 (Alabama 2024: 12/0/1/0/0/0/11; Alabama 2025: 12/1/0/0/0/4/9). Alabama's 2025 row foots internally on its own printed start (12 + 1 - 4 = 9), so one of the two printed Alabama figures is wrong and the FDD gives no basis for choosing. The 2025 TOTAL row's start of 604 matches both Table 1 and Table 3's own 2024 ending total, so the TOTAL figures the site uses are corroborated and unaffected; a 1-store state-level break is 0.17% of the 604 start-of-year franchised units.
- [C/minor] Table 3 2025: Table 3's 2025 TOTAL row (start 604, opened 30) does not equal the sum of the state rows (start 605, opened 29 once Georgia's mislabeled row is read as 2025). The two discrepancies offset, so both the TOTAL row and the state rows foot to an ending count of 601. — Verified on the rendered images of PDF p.74 (state rows) and p.78 (TOTAL rows: 2024 606/30/2/2/17/11/604; 2025 604/30/0/1/0/32/601). The 2025 start (604) and end (601) in the TOTAL row are corroborated by Table 1 and by Table 3's own 2024 ending total, and the reacquisition figures (4, 17, 0) agree with Table 4, so only the openings count is uncorroborated: printed TOTAL 30 versus a state-row sum of 29. The 1-store difference is 0.17% of the 604 start-of-year franchised units and does not change net change (-3) or the direction of growth. Keep the printed TOTAL of 30.
Company-owned outlets (Table 4)
| Year | Start | Opened | Reacquired from franchisee | Closed | Sold to franchisee | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 112 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 116 |
| 2024 | 116 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 133 |
| 2025 | 133 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 133 |
Read: How to read Item 20.
Ownership and operations
Items 11, 12, 15, 17Manager-run permitted Disclosed
- Source
- 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document — Batteries Plus, L.L.C.
- Document
- FDD 2026, issued 2026-03-26
- Item
- Item 15
- Page
- PDF p. 47
- Obtained
- Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions — Franchise Registration Search, file 640529
The store must be under the direct supervision of the franchisee, a principal owner or an approved operating manager who has completed the designated training. If an operating manager supervises the store, the owner must either remain active in overseeing operations or complete a designated portion of the initial start-up training and keep at least two trained store managers on staff at all times. Whoever is responsible for day-to-day supervision must do so full time and may not take on other significant management commitments, so this is not an absentee model. Multiple-unit franchisees must devote full-time effort to the development agreement but need not work in any individual store.
View operating requirements, territory and contract term
| Owner involvement (Item 15) | Manager-run permitted Disclosed
The store must be under the direct supervision of the franchisee, a principal owner or an approved operating manager who has completed the designated training. If an operating manager supervises the store, the owner must either remain active in overseeing operations or complete a designated portion of the initial start-up training and keep at least two trained store managers on staff at all times. Whoever is responsible for day-to-day supervision must do so full time and may not take on other significant management commitments, so this is not an absentee model. Multiple-unit franchisees must devote full-time effort to the development agreement but need not work in any individual store. The store must be under the direct supervision of the franchisee, a principal owner or an approved operating manager who has completed the designated training. If an operating manager supervises the store, the owner must either remain active in overseeing operations or complete a designated portion of the initial start-up training and keep at least two trained store managers on staff at all times. Whoever is responsible for day-to-day supervision must do so full time and may not take on other significant management commitments, so this is not an absentee model. Multiple-unit franchisees must devote full-time effort to the development agreement but need not work in any individual store. |
|---|---|
| Initial training | The initial start-up program runs primarily at the corporate training center in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, in a company store and online, and is offered 11 to 13 times a year. A franchisee attends one week of on-site commercial training within three months of signing, then one week of on-site retail training once a site is secured, then a further week of training in a designated store, plus online modules. The Item 11 table lists 8 hours of instructor-led virtual class and 20 hours of self-directed pre-work, 80 hours of classroom subjects (including 16 hours of device repair and 8 hours of key fob), 40 hours of in-store on-the-job training and 80 hours of post-classroom pre-opening coaching. Every proposed store manager must complete the program before the store may open, and a new franchisee must send two people to the three-day device repair session. A principal owner and the person responsible for commercial sales must also complete the Commercial Sales Effectiveness Program, which includes about 120 hours of in-market work with a commercial coach over the first 12 months plus weekly coaching calls. Training itself is provided at no separate charge for the required attendees, but travel and living costs are the franchisee's (estimated at $500 to $2,900 in Item 7). Disclosed
Hour figures are the individual rows of the Item 11 training table; the category totals stated here are sums of those rows. |
| Multi-unit / development options | A Multiple Unit Franchise Agreement grants the right to develop a set number of stores in a designated area under a development schedule, generally with a term of no more than three years, the first site secured within three months and the first and second stores open within 12 and 24 months. The territory fee is $15,000 per committed store, credited against the initial franchise fee for that store, and the initial franchise fee steps down to $44,500, $39,500 and $34,500 for the second, third and fourth-plus stores. Extensions of the development schedule cost $2,500 per month after a three-month grace period, for up to four additional months. Existing single-unit franchisees of at least 36 months in good standing may add one store for a discounted $15,000 initial fee if it opens within 12 months. A transferee may not end up owning more than 6% of all stores in the system. Disclosed
Drawn from Items 1, 5, 6, 12 and 17. |
| Territory (Item 12) | A single-unit franchisee receives a "Protected Area" equal to the lesser of a three-mile radius or 150,000 people around the store. While the franchisee complies with the agreement, the franchisor will not place another franchised or company-owned full-service store in that area, and it assigns qualifying e-commerce transactions within the lesser of a 20-mile radius or about 250,000 people. Protection is limited: the franchisor reserves the right to sell inside the area through other channels including the internet, under other brands, and to serve customers who live in the area, and other franchisees may advertise into it and may sell to commercial customers there — there are no territorial protections for commercial sales. Keeping the Protected Area depends on meeting minimum annual Net Revenue quotas of $300,000, $400,000, $500,000 and $600,000 in the first through fourth-plus full calendar years; if they are missed the franchisor may modify or eliminate the area. Relocation requires consent and a $5,500 fee. Disclosed
Minimum revenue quota table appears at Item 12, PDF page 44. |
| Initial term | 10 years Disclosed
Franchise Agreement term is 10 years; a Multiple Unit Franchise Agreement ends on the last day of its development schedule. |
| Renewal | One additional 10-year term if the franchisee is in good standing. Conditions include advance notice, compliance with the current agreement, completion of new or refresher training by the franchisee and store manager, meeting then-current managerial, financial and business standards, remodelling, signing the then-current form of agreement (which may contain materially different terms), signing a general release, and paying a renewal fee of 20% of the then-current standard initial franchise fee plus an Omni-Channel access renewal fee. Disclosed
|
| Staffing | A store of about 1,000 to 1,600 square feet. If the owner or a principal owner does not manage the store day to day, two approved and trained store managers must be on staff at all times. The franchisor expects a WISE-certified device repair technician on staff during all hours of operation, and the device repair technician must train additional employees within 30 days of opening. Commercial-sales-focused stores, as defined in Item 19, employ a full-time employee dedicated to commercial sales. The Item 19 company-store expense table assumes the owner-operator is either the store manager or the person doing external commercial sales and takes no separate salary or draw. Disclosed
Store size from Item 7 Note 12; owner-compensation assumption from Item 19 Section III note D. |
Risk and legal observations
Items 3, 4, 8, 15, 17 — summarized neutrallyLitigation: 2 matter(s) disclosed Disclosed · Bankruptcy: None disclosed Disclosed
View legal disclosures, restrictions and guarantees
| Litigation (Item 3) | 2 matter(s) disclosed Disclosed Two matters are disclosed. The franchisor sued a former franchisee in a Florida county court in August 2025 to collect amounts it says it is owed. In a prior action, a former California franchisee sued the franchisor in December 2023 alleging breach of the franchise agreement and of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, violation of the California Franchise Investment Law, and fraud and misrepresentation; the franchisor filed a demand for arbitration seeking lost future franchise fees, removed the case to federal court, and obtained an order compelling arbitration and dismissing the court action in May 2024. In September 2025 the parties settled confidentially, with the franchisor agreeing to pay the former franchisee $590,000 and both sides ending the arbitration and jointly asking that the interim arbitration award be vacated. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy (Item 4) | None disclosed Disclosed Item 4 states that no bankruptcies are required to be disclosed. |
| Personal guaranty | Required Disclosed
Every individual owning 10% or more of a franchisee entity is a "Principal Owner" and must sign the Guaranty and Assumption of Obligations attached to the franchise agreement, agreeing to discharge all of the entity's obligations and to be bound by the confidentiality and non-compete provisions. |
| Non-compete | During the term the franchisee may not be involved in any wholesale or retail battery or light bulb business, any business offering device repair or other services offered at a Batteries Plus store, or any other competing business, including e-commerce. After termination or expiry the restriction runs for two years within 15 miles of the franchisee's location and within 15 miles of any other Batteries Plus store, and also bars e-commerce that solicits customers within 15 miles of any store. On termination or non-renewal the franchisee must also agree not to divert store customers to a competing business for two years. Disclosed
|
| Transfer restrictions | The franchisor must approve any transfer of the agreement, the store or its assets, or a controlling ownership interest, but says it will not unreasonably withhold approval. Conditions include the buyer qualifying financially and operationally, signing the then-current agreement, completing training and paying a transfer store marketing campaign and prorated Omni-Channel access fee; the buyer may not end up owning more than 6% of all stores in the system. The seller must be in good standing, have paid all amounts owed, pay the transfer fee (50% of the then-current standard initial franchise fee, waived for transfers to an immediate family member), sign a non-compete and a general release, and assign the lease. The franchisor holds a right of first refusal to match any offer, and on expiry or termination it may buy the assets it designates at book value. An estate must assign the franchise to an approved buyer within 12 months. Disclosed
|
| Termination / non-renewal | The franchisee has no right to terminate the franchise agreement. The franchisor may terminate only on default. Curable defaults carry 30 days to cure (failure to open on time, failure to complete training, failure to comply with system standards, lease problems, breach of a related agreement, violation of a material provision) or 10 days for failures to pay the franchisor or creditors. Non-curable defaults include three or more failures to comply in any 12 months, abandonment, insolvency, felony conviction or conduct harming the brand's reputation, unauthorized assignment and falsifying information. If the franchisor terminates for the franchisee's breach, the franchisee must pay all amounts due, including future lost royalties, service fees and national marketing fund fees, within 10 days, and must de-identify and redecorate the premises. Disclosed
|
| Supplier restrictions (Item 8) | Franchisees must buy batteries, light bulbs, repair components and related products and services from the franchisor, its designees or approved suppliers, and its wholly-owned affiliate Ascent is the sole source for certain items; devices needing repairs the store cannot perform must be sent to Ascent. Proprietary software must be bought from the franchisor, Retail Management System hardware from a designated vendor, and credit card processing from a designated processor. The franchisor estimates that required purchases represent about 45% to 65% of the cost to develop a store and 65% to 85% of the cost to operate one. In fiscal 2025 the franchisor received about $19,083,000 and Ascent about $161,947,000 in gross revenue from franchisee purchases and supplier rebates — $181,030,000 combined, or 51.5% of total gross revenues of $351,592,000. Supplier rebates ranged from under 1% to 18% of the price franchisees paid, and all rebates are currently assigned to Ascent. The FDD states that no material benefit is provided to franchisees for using designated sources, and that one or more officers hold an indirect interest in Ascent. Disclosed
|
| Dispute resolution | Except for franchisor claims for money owed, injunctive or extraordinary relief and indemnification, disputes go first to internal dispute resolution, then to mediation and then to binding arbitration at the franchisor's headquarters city, currently Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Litigation not subject to mediation or arbitration must be brought where the headquarters is located, currently Waukesha County, Wisconsin, and Wisconsin law governs, subject to state law overrides. The FDD's own risk-factor page highlights that out-of-state dispute resolution may raise a franchisee's cost and weaken its position. Disclosed
|
- Keeping the Protected Area requires meeting minimum annual Net Revenue quotas of $300,000 rising to $600,000 by the fourth full calendar year; the franchisor may modify or eliminate the protected area if they are missed (Item 12).
- Franchised outlets fell in each of the last three fiscal years (609 to 601) while the affiliate's company-owned fleet grew from 112 to 133 entirely by reacquiring franchised stores (Item 20).
- In fiscal 2025, 32 franchised outlets are recorded as having ceased operations for reasons other than termination, non-renewal or reacquisition — the largest closure figure of the three years (Item 20 Table No. 3).
- 51.5% of the franchisor's and Ascent's combined gross revenue in fiscal 2025 came from franchisee purchases and supplier rebates, and Ascent is the sole source for certain products (Item 8).
- Item 19 discloses no cost, expense or profit data for franchised stores; profitability figures cover only the 133 affiliate-owned stores (Item 19).
- Franchisees must participate in the Omni-Channel and Key Accounts programs, under which the franchisor may sell to customers inside the protected area under program rules it sets and may change (Item 12).
- The franchisor may require remodelling on notice and cannot estimate the cost (Item 6 Note 11).
- There is no franchisee right to terminate, and termination for franchisee breach triggers payment of future lost royalties and fees (Item 17).
Summaries are neutral paraphrases of the cited document and are not legal advice. Read the full Items in the current FDD and consult a franchise attorney.
Illustrative unit economics
Model estimateModel estimate — not disclosed by the franchisor, not a forecast. Fee lines below come from this brand's verified FDD fee schedule and are computed exactly as disclosed (each line shows its arithmetic). Operating-cost ratios are category placeholders we chose — every one is editable and labeled assumption. Results are illustrative arithmetic, not expected returns. Every figure here belongs to one of five labeled categories — disclosed inputs, model assumptions, unmodeled mandatory fees, user-editable assumptions, and exclusions — defined in our methodology. This brand's Item 19 also discloses some cost or profit data — see the Item 19 section, which takes precedence over any assumption here.
| Line (annual) | Downside | Base | Upside |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue (AUV basis) | $520,881 | $954,716 | $1,097,923 |
| − Cost of goods / supplies assumption | $234,396 | $429,622 | $494,066 |
| − Payroll (excl. owner) assumption | $93,759 | $171,849 | $197,626 |
| − Occupancy assumption | $46,879 | $85,924 | $98,813 |
| − Other operating expenses assumption | $46,879 | $85,924 | $98,813 |
| − Royalty and Service Fee disclosed 5% of net sales = $47,736 |
$26,044 | $47,736 | $54,896 |
| − National Marketing and Promotional Fee (NMF) disclosed 1% of net sales = $9,547 |
$5,209 | $9,547 | $10,979 |
| − Minimum Store Marketing Obligation disclosed 4% of net sales = $38,189 |
$20,835 | $38,189 | $43,917 |
| − Software Support disclosed $509/month × 12 = $6,108 |
$6,108 | $6,108 | $6,108 |
| − Omni-Channel Maintenance Fees disclosed $200/month × 12 = $2,400 |
$2,400 | $2,400 | $2,400 |
| − Avalara Avatax Service Fee disclosed $27/month × 12 = $324 |
$324 | $324 | $324 |
| − Payment Gateway Fee disclosed $22/month × 12 = $264 |
$264 | $264 | $264 |
| − Salesforce.com CRM Fee disclosed $80/month × 12 = $960 |
$960 | $960 | $960 |
| − Managed Security Services (PCI Compliance) Program Fee disclosed $200/month × 12 = $2,400 |
$2,400 | $2,400 | $2,400 |
| − RepairQ Technology Fee disclosed $60/month × 12 = $720 |
$720 | $720 | $720 |
| − New Store Commercial Support disclosed $1,150/month × 12 = $13,800 |
$13,800 | $13,800 | $13,800 |
| = Modeled operating result before the items below (EBITDA-style) | $19,903 | $58,948 | $71,837 |
| − Manager compensation assumption | $60,000 | $60,000 | $60,000 |
| = Modeled result after manager compensation | −$40,097 | −$1,052 | $11,837 |
| − Illustrative debt service assumption | $46,552 | $46,552 | $46,552 |
| = Illustrative pre-tax cash flow — before taxes, capital expenditures and unmodeled fees | −$86,649 | −$47,604 | −$34,715 |
| Modeled operating margin | 3.8% | 6.2% | 6.5% |
This modeled result is not owner income. It excludes: income taxes; capital expenditures and equipment-replacement reserves; working-capital needs; ramp-up losses; owner-specific costs; one-time and per-event fees (transfer, renewal, audit); and 6 mandatory fee(s) whose amounts the FDD does not state (listed below — real outflows are higher by these amounts). It is illustrative arithmetic on stated assumptions, not a promise or forecast of what a franchisee earns.
Mandatory fees disclosed but not quantified — not included in the modeled result: the FDD requires these but states no amount (e.g. billed at "then-current" rates). They are never modeled as $0. If you have a quote or estimate, enter an annual amount to include it as your own assumption:
- Income and Sales Taxes (Item 6, p. 18) — No amount or rate is disclosed, so no dollar figure can be modeled.
- Advertising/Marketing Cooperative(s) (Item 6, p. 18) — No rate is fixed, and any contribution counts toward the 4% combined marketing ceiling already modeled through the Minimum Store Marketing Obligation.
- Remodeling Expenses (Item 6, p. 19) — amount not stated in the FDD (e.g. “then-current fee”)
- Insurance (Item 6, p. 19) — Item 7 estimates $1,200-$5,000 for the first 3 months of premiums, i.e. roughly $400-$1,667 per month; ongoing premiums are not separately quantified in Item 6.
- Omni-Channel Program Fees (Item 6, p. 20) — No rate or dollar amount is disclosed.
- Annual Conference or Regional Meeting Fee (Item 6, p. 21) — Attendance is effectively required (a non-attendance fee applies); travel and lodging are on top of the registration fee and are not quantified.
Counted inside the operating-cost assumptions, not as separate fees:
- Inventory Planning as a Service (Item 6, p. 21): $100/month × 12 = $1,200 — this is a required purchase that is cost of goods, covered by the COGS % assumption; make sure that assumption is at least this large
Overlap control: Digital Marketing Contribution (Digital Co-op Fund) is counted within “minimum-store-marketing-obligation” — excluded to avoid double counting.
Every figure in this table is a model estimate built on the disclosed fee schedule plus labeled assumptions. Excluded: income taxes, owner draw, working-capital swings, capital expenditures, ramp-up losses in year one, one-time and per-event fees (transfer, renewal, audit), and the undisclosed-amount fees listed above. Read AUV vs. EBITDA vs. owner income before using this.
Sources and provenance
Primary source: 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document — Batteries Plus, L.L.C. · issued 2026-03-26. Find the FDD at Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions — Franchise Registration Search. We cite source pages and do not redistribute PDFs.
View all sources, provenance and verification notes
| Document | Obtained from | Dates | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document — Batteries Plus, L.L.C. Registry file 640529 · 289 pages Registered in Wisconsin with a registration effective date of March 28, 2026; this is the most recent document available at the time of extraction. Financial and outlet data cover fiscal year 2025 (calendar year ended December 31, 2025). | Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions — Franchise Registration Search | Issued 2026-03-26 Retrieved 2026-08-29 | Newest available at retrieval |
AI-assisted extraction from the archived FDD text, independently machine-verified against the cited source (two passes plus tie-break); not human-reviewed. Extracted 2026-08-29. Last updated 2026-09-05. AI-assisted extraction independently machine-verified against the cited source document (2026-09-02): two independent AI reading passes plus tie-break re-inspection of every disagreement; 75 of 77 material fields confirmed (70 with the exact page citation re-confirmed), 0 corrected, 0 unresolved, 2 confirmed not disclosed. No human has reviewed this profile. Fiscal year covered: FY2025 (Dec 31, 2025). See how we use AI and verify data.
Fields flagged as uncertain (5)
- item19.headline_auv — the FDD reports two different averages for the same 490 franchised stores: $833,660 in Table A-2 (identical to the median in the same row) and $954,716 in Tables B-2 and C-2. We used $954,716 because it is the figure that reconciles with the store-group averages disclosed in Sections I.D and I.F, which weight to $954,716 across the same 490 stores.
- item19.population_count — the FDD describes 490 stores meeting its inclusion criteria and 486 of those as in operation for 13 full months, but then labels tables covering all 490 as "Same Stores". We recorded 490, the number printed in every table.
- investment.franchise_fee_low — set to the standard $49,500 rather than the $15,000 low shown in the Item 7 table, which is the discounted fee for qualifying existing franchisees adding a store.
- fees.royalty and other percentage fees — the base is the FDD's defined "Net Revenues" (all sales excluding taxes), recorded as pct_net_sales; it is closer to gross sales than to an accounting net-sales figure.
- investment.net_worth_required — no minimum net worth is stated anywhere in the reviewed document, so it is recorded as not disclosed.
Extraction notes (7)
- All Item 7 line items foot to the disclosed subtotals ($89,086/$162,736 and $195,700/$373,900) and to the total of $284,786/$536,636.
- All three years of Item 20 Table No. 3 foot exactly (start + opened - terminations - non-renewals - reacquisitions - ceased other = end), and Table No. 1 and Table No. 3 franchised end-of-year counts agree.
- Item 19 Section III's monthly company-store table carries language referring to stores in operation as of December 31, 2024 and to 6 corporate stores that closed in fiscal 2024, which appears to be carried over from the prior year's document; its annual column ($1,061,963) is the sum of monthly averages and differs slightly from the $1,061,550 in the annual table.
- item19.population_share_of_system (81.5%) is our calculation of 490 Item 19 stores against the 601 franchised outlets open at December 31, 2025.
- The 2025 sales-award club counts (18 + 30 + 122 + 431) total 601, matching the year-end franchised outlet count, which is a different population from the 490 stores used in the revenue tables.
- Item 20 counts cover U.S. states plus Puerto Rico; no international outlets are reported, so us_only is set true.
- Verification 2026-09-02: fix_page /fees/local_marketing 18 → 22
We do not host or redistribute FDD PDFs. Search the registry linked above by franchisor name to obtain the document. Found an error? Report a correction with the field and the primary source.
Compare Batteries Plus
Other retail franchises: 7-Eleven, Once Upon A Child. See all →