MEDICINE SHOPPE Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a MEDICINE SHOPPE franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2025), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
MEDICINE SHOPPE discloses little or no owner-earnings data (Item 19) — the franchisor won't put real profit in writing.
What their own earnings claim actually says
No financial performance representations disclosed. Franchisor explicitly states it makes no representations about franchisee future performance or past outlet performance.
What a MEDICINE SHOPPE franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $0 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 3% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Total recurring fees | 3% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $513,050 – $895,653 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Royalty reduced to $599/month fixed if purchasing 95% pharma from Cardinal Health/affiliates. Extensive optional retail solutions fees $45-$1,015/month.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
MEDICINE SHOPPE system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 271 |
| Ceased operations | 6 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 21 |
| Transferred to new owners | 12 |
| Closure rate | 2.2% of outlets |
System declined 21 outlets in FY2025 (7.2% decline). Cumulative three-year decline: 39 outlets from 310 baseline.
From Item 20 of the FDD 2025. Terminations and ceased operations are the franchisor's own count of owners who stopped — the number the sales pitch leaves out.
Is MEDICINE SHOPPE worth it? — how it compares to 436 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 3% of sales | lower than most (median 8%) |
| Startup cost | from $513,050 | pricier than 80% of peers |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade F | less honest than most of the category |
| Closure rate | 2.2% of outlets | about average |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 4 | more litigious than 80% of peers |
Benchmarked against every other franchises franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a MEDICINE SHOPPE
The franchisor's framing: No financial performance representations disclosed. Franchisor explicitly states it makes … 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
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MEDICINE SHOPPE franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a MEDICINE SHOPPE franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $513,050–$895,653.
- How much do MEDICINE SHOPPE franchise owners make?
- MEDICINE SHOPPE discloses little or no earnings data (Item 19) — meaning the franchisor won't put real owner profit in writing. That's a red flag worth questioning.
- What are the MEDICINE SHOPPE franchise fees?
- MEDICINE SHOPPE's FDD discloses a $0 initial franchise fee, a 3% royalty on gross sales, for roughly 3% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. Royalty reduced to $599/month fixed if purchasing 95% pharma from Cardinal Health/affiliates. Extensive optional retail solutions fees $45-$1,015/month.
- What is the MEDICINE SHOPPE franchise profit margin?
- MEDICINE SHOPPE discloses no Item 19 earnings representation, so no profit margin can be derived from the FDD at all. Any margin figure quoted elsewhere is an estimate, not a disclosure.
- What is the MEDICINE SHOPPE franchise failure rate?
- System declined 21 outlets in FY2025 (7.2% decline). Cumulative three-year decline: 39 outlets from 310 baseline.
- How many MEDICINE SHOPPE locations are there?
- MEDICINE SHOPPE's FDD reports 271 total outlets, with 6 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 12 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does MEDICINE SHOPPE have complaints or lawsuits?
- MEDICINE SHOPPE discloses 4 legal matters in Item 3 of its FDD. Item 3 covers the franchisor's litigation history, which is the closest thing to a public record of how it treats franchisees — read the case descriptions, not just the count.
- Is a MEDICINE SHOPPE franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. MEDICINE SHOPPE scores F on disclosure honesty, carries about 3% of sales in ongoing fees, and discloses 4 legal matters. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare MEDICINE SHOPPE to similar franchises
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Source: MN CARDS 34800-202509-09 (Clean FDD 2025). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with MEDICINE SHOPPE or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.