Bath Fitter Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $226K – $516K
- Disclosed sales
- not disclosed
- SBA charge-off
- Under 10 loans (9)
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Bath Fitter is a home-services franchise that installs custom-fitted acrylic bathtubs, showers, and wall systems over existing fixtures, usually in a day. Franchisees run a measure-and-install operation handling consultations, custom manufacturing, and installation in a territory.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Bath Fitter franchise requires a total initial investment of $226K – $516K, including a $80K franchise fee. This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: low - issued within the last 12 months
Evidence: strong✓ Investment (Item 7)✓ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✗ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored4 of 4 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $226K – $516K
- 80th pct Home Services
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- Not extracted
- Units
- 143
- 67th pct Home Services
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Home Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Home Services median · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $226K – $516K including a $80K franchise fee.
- RETURNSThis franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that.
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 69/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHPositive: net +1 franchised outlets in the latest year (1 opened, 0 closed) (Item 20).
- DATAThis franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Bath Fitter Franchising, Inc.
- Parent company
- Bath Fitter Holdings Inc.
- FDD Item 1, page 6 of the 2026 FDD
- CEO title
- President and Member of the Board of Directors
- Glenn Cotton
- Incorporated in
- Delaware
- HQ
- 102 Evergreen Drive, Springfield, Tennessee 37172
- Auditor
- Gallagher, Flynn & Company (gfc.com), South Burlington, Vermont
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $108.6M
- vs $111.2M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Glenn Cotton
- Headquarters
- Tennessee
- Founded
- 1992
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 36
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 120% above the typical home services franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $80K | $80K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $30K | $50K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $116K | $386K |
| Total initial investment | $226K | $516K |
Source: Bath Fitter 2026 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
- $226K – $516K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $30K – $50K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $80K – $80K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Royalty
- Currently $0 royalty fee; we reserve the right to impose …
- Ad fund
- 3.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 5.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marketing / ad fund | 3.0% of gross sales |
| Training fee | $14K |
| Transfer fee | $80K |
| Renewal fee | $20K |
| Inventory (initial) | $20K – $50K |
| Total fee load | 5.5% of rev |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Bath Fitter makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no unit revenue figures are disclosed. The return models need a revenue figure to start from, and the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit are in no FDD. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions — nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Bath Fitter unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for annual revenue, royalty rate, COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2026 FDD
Financial Performance
No financial performance representation
This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that.
Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 5.5% — below the Home Services median of 8.0%.
Disclosure
This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Operator retention
System roughly stable (+2.1% 3-year CAGR) with 143 units.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Home Services medians
How Bath Fitter Compares
Category median of published Home Services brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 143
- Opened
- 1
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- N/A
- Company-owned
- 43
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 70%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +2.1%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +2.1%
- Compounded over last 3 years
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 0
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 0
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 1
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 29 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.
Where the owners are · Item 20 owner list
67 current owners across 29 states.
- OH 8
- NJ 6
- PA 6
- FL 5
- NY 5
- NC 4
- WA 3
- CA 2
- IN 2
- MA 2
- MD 2
- MI 2
- +17 more states
Counts only, from the list the franchisor prints in Item 20; 1 entries carry no state. Names and phone numbers are for your own due diligence and are not shown here.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 9 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 9
- Loan volume
- $5.3M
- Median loan
- $584K
- average
- Charge-off rate
- Under 10 loans (9)
- Insufficient SBA coverage: 9 loans, rate hidden below 10
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- Under 10 loans (9)
- 5-yr charge-off
- Under 10 loans (9)
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 1
- Defaults
- N/A
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Bath Fitter presents meaningful caution risk due to lack of financial transparency (no Item 19), undefined royalty structure, stagnant unit growth, and franchisor going concern issues, making it difficult to assess true profitability and franchise viability.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
No litigation information is required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Gallagher, Flynn & Company (gfc.com), South Burlington, Vermont
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Item 21 states audited financial statements for FYE Dec 31, 2025/2024/2023 are attached as Exhibit A, but in this text render Exhibit A is a set of scanned image pages (placeholder text only), so balance-sheet line items (total assets, total liabilities, member's/stockholders' equity, net income) and the auditor's name are not machine-readable and are left null. Total revenue is $108,598,084 is taken from the Item 8 franchisor-revenue disclosure: 'During our fiscal year ended December 31, 2025... $94,416,694 from franchisees' purchases of Products, which represented 86.9% of our total revenues of $108,598,084.' Franchisor is Bath Fitter Franchising, Inc. (parent: Bath Fitter Holdings Inc.).
ⓘ These are the parent company's consolidated financials (the parent guarantees the franchisor), not this brand's standalone results — the figure reflects the whole corporate group, not this brand alone.
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 69 / 100 verdict
- 01MEDNo Item 19 financial disclosure (Average Revenue and Net Income not disclosed) — impossible to validate ROI claims
- 02MINORRoyalty fee structure is undefined and discretionary — franchisor can impose up to 2.5% retroactively, creating unpredictable cost burden
- 03MEDStagnant unit growth (1.0% YoY) suggests market saturation, franchisee struggles, or brand decline in a mature bathroom remodeling sector
- 04MINOR5-year term is relatively short in franchise context — may indicate franchisor hesitancy or frequent renegotiation disputes
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 5.5% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 3 |
| Territory type | Protected territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory population | 600,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 10 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Arbitration location | JAMS location nearest to New York, New York (non-binding mediation before litigation) |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | New York |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation information is required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 416 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 3680 hrs
- Training location
- Virtual and/or onsite at a Bath Fitter Business we operate or at your location
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 9 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee selects, subject to franchisor written approval; franchisor provides site criteria and counseling
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
68 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Bath Fitter franchise?
The total investment to open a Bath Fitter franchise ranges from $226K – $516K, with an initial franchise fee of $80K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Bath Fitter franchise owners earn?
Bath Fitter makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no unit revenue figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Who owns Bath Fitter?
Bath Fitter is franchised by Bath Fitter Franchising, Inc.. Its parent company is Bath Fitter Holdings Inc.. Source: FDD Item 1, 2026 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Bath Fitter FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the Bath Fitter FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Bath Fitter's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Bath Fitter (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 Bath Fitter franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Bath Fitter has 143 total units in the United States, including 100 franchised units and 43 company-owned units. 1 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Bath Fitter a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Bath Fitter as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 69 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. 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.
For franchisors
Are you the franchisor?
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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.