Minuteman Press vs The UPS Store: 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

$35,000 to $48,500 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review.

Royalty

6% · 6% of total gross revenue (excluding sales tax), payable monthly by the 10th of the following month via EFT; waived for first 2 months on a new franchise

Marketing contribution

Not captured

Technology fee

FLEX Management Software: $7,995 one-time license fee plus $405/year support & maintenance fee (renewal software license for existing centers ranges $3,995-$7,995)

Other fees

Website hosting $0-$395/month; Email $7.99-$12.99/month; Internet Marketing (SEO/SEM) Program $280-$3,000/month

Working capital (FDD Item 7)

$75,000-$100,000 for the initial 0-6 months of operation, covering employees, suppliers, and utilities

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 of franchised Centers; also Cost of Goods Sold and Labor Costs as a percentage of Gross Sales

Reporting period

2025 calendar year (Business Management Survey conducted February 2026)

Sample

609 of 775 U.S. Centers reporting (79%) for the sales study; 90 of 775 U.S. Centers (11%) for the cost/labor survey

Reported average

$769,858

Reported median

$559,528

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

1016

Year-end outlets

1039

Net change

+23

Derivation

ending minus starting outlets

Openings

33

Terminations

0

Non-renewals

0

Other closures

10

Reacquisitions

0

Transfers

44

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

76 approvals

Activity window

FY2021-FY2026 YTD; snapshot 2026-06-30

Median SBA loan

$404,000

Median loan window

FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30

Median loan sample

51 loans

Historical charge-off share

14.74%

Cohort

7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals

Numerator / denominator

14 / 95

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

$19,950 to $39,950 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review.

Royalty

5% · 5% of 'Subject to Royalty' (STR), payable via EFT monthly; STR = Gross Sales plus Gross Commissions less Allowable Exclusions

Marketing contribution

2.5% (basis not captured; see original filing)

Technology fee

$2,868/year (new Center franchise/transfers) or $2,748/year (Rural Center or 2nd+ franchise), billed monthly

Other fees

The UPS Store Marketing Fee 1% of STR; Collaborative Dues $100-$500/month; iShip Processing Fee $0.22/transaction

Working capital (FDD Item 7)

$40,000 to $70,000, covering operating losses/expenses during roughly the first 3 months; actual needs vary and may exceed this range depending on ramp-up time

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 annual adjusted gross sales (system-wide, and for top-performing and bottom-performing 10% of Traditional Centers); no profit/EBITDA data disclosed

Reporting period

Full calendar years 2023, 2024, and 2025

Sample

5,058 franchised Traditional Centers reporting for full-year 2025 (4,931 in 2024; 4,825 in 2023)

Reported average

$724,293

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

2025

Scope

franchised outlets

Starting outlets

5350

Year-end outlets

5487

Net change

+137

Derivation

ending minus starting outlets

Openings

187

Terminations

5

Non-renewals

0

Other closures

44

Reacquisitions

1

Transfers

237

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

878 approvals

Activity window

FY2021-FY2026 YTD; snapshot 2026-06-30

Median SBA loan

$349,600

Median loan window

FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30

Median loan sample

572 loans

Historical charge-off share

0.58%

Cohort

7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals

Numerator / denominator

3 / 519

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.