Ace Hardware vs Bricks & Minifigs: franchise research comparison

Investment by format

Format-specific estimates only. Do not combine one format's minimum with another format's maximum.

Franchise fees and ongoing costs

Franchise fee

$5,000 to $10,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review.

Royalty

No traditional royalty; Ace is a retailer-owned cooperative wholesaler. Members instead pay various recurring fees (see other_notable_recurring_fees).

Marketing contribution

Not captured

Technology fee

Computer hardware/software for POS: $35,000-$75,000 initial; ongoing maintenance estimated at $700/month, plus $7.50 per payment device/month if using Epicor POS for transactional security.

Other fees

Core Retail Services $315.25/mo (parent store) + $131.50/mo per branch store, +2.5%/yr; Annual Brand Assessment (2% of prior-year purchases after first year, $6,000 flat in first year); Ace Rewards Program $850 initial + $75/mo per store

Working capital (FDD Item 7)

$90,000 - $205,000 working capital for the first 90 days of operation (start-up table; covers inventory, payroll, and market expenses).

Working capital is drawn from Item 7. The Investment source below locates the investment section, not an independently verified working-capital scalar.

Financial performance: Item 19

Item 19 captured

Yes

Metric / basis

Average and median annual gross sales volume, by retail format, from the 2023 Retail Financial Report (RFR)

Reporting period

2023 (data as of December 31, 2023, prepared by Profit Planning Group)

Sample

689 Reporting Stores (14.3% of total domestic Ace-branded member stores as of 12/31/2023), voluntarily reporting single-store data; broken into 5 formats: Express (13 stores), Convenience (83), Core (343), Super (194), Home Center (56)

Reported average

Not captured

Reported median

Not captured

Owner income is not captured. Gross sales and EBITDA are not owner pay. Results depend on the disclosed metric, sample and period; consult the full filing.

Unit growth: Item 20

Reporting year

2024

Scope

franchised outlets

Starting outlets

4759

Year-end outlets

4885

Net change

+126

Derivation

ending minus starting outlets

Openings

210

Terminations

65

Non-renewals

0

Other closures

0

Reacquisitions

19

Transfers

112

Transfers are not closures. Net change is ending minus starting outlets for the stated scope and year, or complete openings less terminations, non-renewals, other closures and reacquisitions. Missing inputs stay unknown.

SBA loan history

Loan activity

273 approvals

Activity window

FY2021-FY2026 YTD; snapshot 2026-06-30

Median SBA loan

$685,000

Median loan window

FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30

Median loan sample

111 loans

Historical charge-off share

6.10%

Cohort

7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals

Numerator / denominator

18 / 295

Formula

CHGOFF / (PIF + CHGOFF + EXEMPT) × 100

This is a historical loan-level share, not a franchise failure probability or location survival rate. Loan size is not total investment. Other loan statuses are excluded from the seasoned denominator. Activity combines 7(a) and 504 approvals, excluding canceled and not-funded records; this is not a rolling five-year count. FY2024-25 franchise tags are sparse after directory suspension; fewer tagged loans do not establish brand decline. Recent charge-off cohorts are immature.

Median loan amounts are financing context, not startup cost. The median window is separate from the seasoned charge-off cohort.

Investment by format

Format-specific estimates only. Do not combine one format's minimum with another format's maximum.

Franchise fees and ongoing costs

Franchise fee

$40,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review.

Royalty

6% · 6% of monthly Gross Revenue or flat $500 per calendar month, whichever is greater

Marketing contribution

1% (basis not captured; see original filing)

Technology fee

$200 per month (POS, software, email); a separate Technology Fund of up to 1% of Gross Revenue may be instituted but is not currently in place

Other fees

Association dues and membership fees est. $500-$1,000 per year; interest/late charges 1.5% per month plus 10% of amount due, $50 per delinquent payment; additional training currently $300 per person per day (max $600)

Working capital (FDD Item 7)

Item 7 has an 'Additional Funds - 3 Months' row (working capital incl. 2 extra months' rent, added inventory, workers' comp, tax deposits, permits, legal/accounting). Column values are scrambled in the packet; the figures near that row are $20,000 / $45,000, not confirmed.

Working capital is drawn from Item 7. The Investment source below locates the investment section, not an independently verified working-capital scalar.

Financial performance: Item 19

Item 19 captured

Yes

Metric / basis

Total Revenue (gross revenue less adjustments, discounts, credits, returns and sales taxes) for franchised units, by quartile; gross margin for 104 stores; corporate-unit and combined-unit revenue; system-wide sales for 2023-2025

Reporting period

Calendar year 2025 (Jan 1 - Dec 31, 2025)

Sample

153 franchised units open the full 12 months (Table 1); 104 franchised stores for gross margin; 6 affiliate/company stores; 159 combined

Reported average

$507,684.25

Reported median

$467,539.08

Owner income is not captured. Gross sales and EBITDA are not owner pay. Results depend on the disclosed metric, sample and period; consult the full filing.

Unit growth: Item 20

Reporting year

2025

Scope

franchised outlets

Starting outlets

154

Year-end outlets

217

Net change

+63

Derivation

ending minus starting outlets

Openings

67

Terminations

Not captured

Non-renewals

Not captured

Other closures

Not captured

Reacquisitions

Not captured

Transfers

Not captured

Transfers are not closures. Net change is ending minus starting outlets for the stated scope and year, or complete openings less terminations, non-renewals, other closures and reacquisitions. Missing inputs stay unknown.

SBA loan history

Loan activity

112 approvals

Activity window

FY2021-FY2026 YTD; snapshot 2026-06-30

Median SBA loan

$215,000

Median loan window

FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30

Median loan sample

109 loans

Historical charge-off share

18.18%

Cohort

7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals

Numerator / denominator

2 / 11

Formula

CHGOFF / (PIF + CHGOFF + EXEMPT) × 100

This is a historical loan-level share, not a franchise failure probability or location survival rate. Loan size is not total investment. Other loan statuses are excluded from the seasoned denominator. Activity combines 7(a) and 504 approvals, excluding canceled and not-funded records; this is not a rolling five-year count. FY2024-25 franchise tags are sparse after directory suspension; fewer tagged loans do not establish brand decline. Recent charge-off cohorts are immature.

Median loan amounts are financing context, not startup cost. The median window is separate from the seasoned charge-off cohort.