The Medicine Shoppe, Medicine Shoppe Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a The Medicine Shoppe, Medicine Shoppe franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2025), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
The Medicine Shoppe, 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
MSI makes no representations about franchisee financial performance or past outlet performance. Only actual records of existing outlets being purchased may be provided.
What a The Medicine Shoppe, 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 |
Continuing license fee 3% gross sales or $599/month if purchase 95% pharma from Cardinal Health. Extensive optional Retail Solutions fees.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
The Medicine Shoppe, 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 (7.2%) in past year; 64 total closures in 3 years.
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 The Medicine Shoppe, 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 The Medicine Shoppe, Medicine Shoppe
The franchisor's framing: MSI makes no representations about franchisee financial performance or past outlet perform… 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
The Medicine Shoppe, Medicine Shoppe franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a The Medicine Shoppe, Medicine Shoppe franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $513,050–$895,653.
- How much do The Medicine Shoppe, Medicine Shoppe franchise owners make?
- The Medicine Shoppe, 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 The Medicine Shoppe, Medicine Shoppe franchise fees?
- The Medicine Shoppe, 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. Continuing license fee 3% gross sales or $599/month if purchase 95% pharma from Cardinal Health. Extensive optional Retail Solutions fees.
- What is the The Medicine Shoppe, Medicine Shoppe franchise profit margin?
- The Medicine Shoppe, 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 The Medicine Shoppe, Medicine Shoppe franchise failure rate?
- System declined 21 outlets (7.2%) in past year; 64 total closures in 3 years.
- How many The Medicine Shoppe, Medicine Shoppe locations are there?
- The Medicine Shoppe, 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 The Medicine Shoppe, Medicine Shoppe have complaints or lawsuits?
- The Medicine Shoppe, 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 The Medicine Shoppe, Medicine Shoppe franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. The Medicine Shoppe, 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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Source: WI DFI Franchise Registration (2025). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with The Medicine Shoppe, Medicine Shoppe or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.