Fleet Feet Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Fleet Feet franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Fleet Feet discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it B.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Average gross sales 2025: $1.67M (combined 248 stores). First-year single-unit: $700K; multi-unit: $790K. Excludes costs, operating expenses, royalties. Historical data only.
What a Fleet Feet franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $45,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 4% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 0.25% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 4.25% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $352,000 – $651,500 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Royalty 4% gross sales. Marketing fund 0.25% (up to 2% max). E-commerce $100/mo. Multiple optional/conditional fees.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Fleet Feet system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 283 |
| Ceased operations | 4 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 1 |
| Transferred to new owners | 4 |
| Closure rate | 1.4% of outlets |
4 ceased operations (other reasons) in 2025; 1 termination in Ohio 2025.
From Item 20 of the FDD 2026. Terminations and ceased operations are the franchisor's own count of owners who stopped — the number the sales pitch leaves out.
Is Fleet Feet worth it? — how it compares to 59 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 4.25% of sales | lower than most (median 7%) |
| Startup cost | from $352,000 | pricier than 85% of peers |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade B | more honest than 80% of retail & business services franchises |
| Closure rate | 1.4% of outlets | better than most (median 2.4%) |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 0 | fewer than most |
Benchmarked against every retail & business services franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a Fleet Feet
The franchisor's framing: Average gross sales 2025: $1.67M (combined 248 stores). First-year single-unit: $700K; mul… We reconstruct what an owner actually keeps, from their own FDD.
- Reconstructed owner P&L — net take-home after royalty, ad fund, rent, labor & debt
- Break-even timeline + cash-on-cash ROI
- Full fee stack + required-purchase markups
- Decoded real failure / closure rate
- How it ranks vs comparable franchises
- Validation-call playbook — the exact questions to ask
See a full sample report → · 30-day guarantee
Fleet Feet franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Fleet Feet franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $352,000–$651,500, including a $45,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Fleet Feet franchise owners make?
- Average gross sales 2025: $1.67M (combined 248 stores). First-year single-unit: $700K; multi-unit: $790K. Excludes costs, operating expenses, royalties. Historical data only. We grade this disclosure B for honesty.
- What are the Fleet Feet franchise fees?
- Fleet Feet's FDD discloses a $45,000 initial franchise fee, a 4% royalty on gross sales, a 0.25% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 4.25% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. Royalty 4% gross sales. Marketing fund 0.25% (up to 2% max). E-commerce $100/mo. Multiple optional/conditional fees.
- What is the Fleet Feet franchise profit margin?
- Fleet Feet does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: Average gross sales 2025: $1.67M (combined 248 stores). First-year single-unit: $700K; multi-unit: $790K. Excludes costs, operating expenses, royalties. Historical data only. Recurring fees alone take about 4.25% of gross sales, before rent, labor, food or debt service. Margin has to be reconstructed from the disclosure, not read off it.
- What is the Fleet Feet franchise failure rate?
- 4 ceased operations (other reasons) in 2025; 1 termination in Ohio 2025.
- How many Fleet Feet locations are there?
- Fleet Feet's FDD reports 283 total outlets, with 4 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 4 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Fleet Feet have complaints or lawsuits?
- Fleet Feet discloses no material litigation in Item 3 of the filing we reviewed. That's a positive signal, though it covers only what the franchisor is required to report.
- Is a Fleet Feet franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Fleet Feet scores B on disclosure honesty, carries about 4.25% of sales in ongoing fees. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare Fleet Feet to similar franchises
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Source: MN CARDS 35804-202604-13 (Clean FDD 2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Fleet Feet or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.