Aaron'sFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Aaron's franchise requires a total initial investment of $307K – $838K, including a $35K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: D. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $307K – $838K
- 32nd pct Retail
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 21st pct Retail
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 17th pct Retail
- Units
- 1,183
- 40th pct Retail
- SBA default
- 0.0%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Retail · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Retail avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Franchising since 1992. Systems this mature have refined operations and brand recognition.
Franchised units fell from 229 to 224 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
20 legal cases disclosed in the FDD. Read Item 3 before signing.
Large franchise systems benefit from brand recognition, supply chain leverage, and proven operations.
Bottom line
- Total investment $307K – $838K including a $35K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict D (Below Average) with a risk score of 72/100.
- 20 litigation matters disclosed in Item 3, higher than typical. Review the summary for patterns (franchisor-initiated vs. franchisee-initiated).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Aaron’s, LLC
- Parent company
- KMJ, LLC
- Incorporated in
- GA
- HQ
- 400 Galleria Parkway SE, Suite 300, Atlanta, Georgia 30339
- Auditor
- Elliott Davis
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $2.1B
- vs $2.0B prior year
Affiliated brands
- Aaron Investment Company
- Retail RTO Solutions
- Woodhaven Furniture Industries
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
Aaron's franchisees operate rent-to-own retail locations offering furniture, appliances, electronics, and jewelry with flexible payment terms. Daily operations include customer acquisition and retention, lease agreement management, merchandise condition assessment, payment collection, and compliance with state rent-to-own regulations. Franchisees manage inventory, staff, point-of-sale systems, and customer service while remitting 6% of gross revenues to corporate headquarters.
- CEO
- Cory Miller
- Headquarters
- GA
- Founded
- 1962
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 34
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $35K | $35K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $100K | $240K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $172K | $563K |
| Total initial investment | $307K | $838K |
Source: Aaron's 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $307K – $838K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $100K – $240K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $14K – $35K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- Gross Revenues · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- lesser of $3,750 per year or 0.5% of Gross Revenues (Ad P…
- Total fee load
- 6.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Transfer fee | $6K |
| Renewal fee | $3K |
| Total fee load | 6.5% of rev |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Retail averages
How Aaron's Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 1,183
- Opened
- 9
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 4
- Turnover rate
- 0.3%
- Company-owned
- 959
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 19%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +1.8%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -2.2%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 4
- Closed (3yr)
- 9
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 18 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 6 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 6
- Loan volume
- $3.2M
- Median loan
- $377K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 0.0%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 100.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 4
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Aaron's's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 4 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 3 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 2-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Aaron's presents HIGH RISK due to stagnant unit growth, extensive litigation including FTC consent orders and data breaches, undisclosed financial performance preventing ROI validation, and regulatory concerns that may destabilize corporate support.
Litigation (Item 3)
10 case reference(s): 1 pending, 5 settled.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Elliott Davis
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 72 / 100 rating
- 01MEDStagnant unit growth (1.8% YoY) indicates mature/declining system with limited expansion support
- 02MEDNo disclosed average revenue or net income prevents ROI validation and suggests Item 19 absence in FDD
- 03HIGHExtensive litigation history including FTC consent orders, data security breaches, customer privacy violations, and ongoing securities class action creates legal/reputational risk
- 04MEDHigh initial investment ($307k-$838k) combined with 6% royalty and undisclosed profitability creates payback period uncertainty
- 05MINORMultiple FTC investigations and consent orders signal regulatory scrutiny over business practices (reciprocal purchase agreements, data security)
- 06MINORGoing-private transaction class action indicates shareholder disputes and potential corporate instability affecting franchisee support
- 07MINORCustomer privacy violations ('PC Rental Agent' software) and data security issues create operational liability risk for franchisees
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Territory sizeℹ | 8,000 households |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 4 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Georgia |
| Litigation count | 20 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
10 case reference(s): 1 pending, 5 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 87 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 472 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Aaron's proprietary POS software system
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Aaron's proprietary POS software system
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
29 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Aaron's · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Aaron's franchise?
The total investment to open a Aaron's franchise ranges from $307K – $838K, with an initial franchise fee of $35K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Aaron's franchise owners earn?
Aaron's does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Aaron's's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Aaron's (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many Aaron's franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Aaron's has 1,183 total units in the United States, including 229 franchised units and 959 company-owned units. 9 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Aaron's a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Aaron's as a D-grade franchise with a risk score of 72 out of 100, based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.