Batteries PlusFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Batteries Plus franchise requires a total initial investment of $252K – $494K, including a $45K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2024 FDD, average unit revenue was $4.0M[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 15.2% charge-off rate across 208 loans[1]. Verdict grade: B. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $252K – $494K
- 26th pct Retail
- Avg gross sales
- $4.0M
- 21st pct Retail
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 6th pct Retail
- Units
- 722
- 39th pct Retail
- SBA default
- 15.2%
- 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
Each dollar invested generates 10.7x in gross revenue, well above the typical 1.5-2.5x range.
Franchising since 1996. Systems this mature have refined operations and brand recognition.
Franchised units fell from 606 to 590 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
28% cash-on-cash return (based on EBITDA). Within the 15-30% range most franchise investors consider acceptable.
Bottom line
- Total investment $252K – $494K including a $45K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $4.0M/year, with an estimated 28% cash-on-cash return (based on EBITDA).
- Verdict B (Above Average) with a risk score of 55/100. SBA loan charge-off rate of 15.2% across 208 loans (above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2024).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Batteries Plus, L.L.C.
- Parent company
- Square Brands International, LLC
- Ultimate parent
- BPB Acquisition Corp. (controlled by Freeman Spogli & Co.)
- Predecessor
- has ever offered franchises for any other type of
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer and Manager
- Scott K. Williams
- CEO experience
- 5 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Incorporated in
- WI
- HQ
- 1325 Walnut Ridge Drive, Hartland, WI 53029
- Auditor
- Grant Thornton LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $330.7M
- vs $343.5M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Independent franchisee associations
- Franchise Advisory Council (FAC)
Franchisee-led councils or alliances disclosed in Item 20. Indicates operator voice.
Affiliated brands
- that acquires batteries
- or predecessor
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
Batteries Plus franchisees operate retail locations selling batteries, car batteries, and related power products, along with automotive maintenance services (bulbs, wiper blades, basic installation). Daily operations involve inventory management, point-of-sale transactions, customer service, and installation service delivery across a protected territory.
- CEO
- Scott K. Williams
- Headquarters
- WI
- Founded
- 1996
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 47
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing · 19 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $15K | $45K | |
| Travel and Living Expenses during Training | $500 | $3K | |
| New Store Commercial Support - 3 monthsnot refundable | $0 | $3K | |
| Retail Management System | $39K | $39K | |
| Omni-Channel Access Feenot refundable | $10K | $10K | |
| Miscellaneous Pre-opening Expenses | $2K | $5K | |
| Insurance Premiums (3 months) | $1K | $5K | |
| Delivery Vehicle | $1K | $19K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 months (Prior to Site Build Out) | $11K | $17K | |
| New Store Opening Hardware Kit | $6K | $9K | |
| New Store Marketing Campaign Contribution | $5K | $7K | |
| Minimum Store Promotion Requirement | $20K | $20K | |
| Rent - Security Deposit and 3 months rent | $5K | $24K | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $0 | $109K | |
| Equipment and Fixtures | $30K | $40K | |
| Signage | $7K | $16K | |
| Inventory | $58K | $74K | |
| Miscellaneous Supplies | $3K | $4K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 months (During and After Site Build Out) | $40K | $45K | |
| Total initial investment | $252K | $493K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$358K
9.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
83%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
14 mo
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $252K – $494K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $51K – $62K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $15K – $45K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 6.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
- Payback period
- 3.5 yrs
- From FDD / Item 19
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $458 |
| Transfer fee | $22K |
| Renewal fee | $9K |
| Total fee load | 6.0% of rev |
A 6.0% total fee load is unusually lean. More of each revenue dollar stays with the franchisee.
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $4.0M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- N/A
- Avg ebitda
- $106K
- Reported as EBITDA in FDD Item 19
- Cash-on-cash
- 28.3%
- Based on EBITDA / investment midpoint
- Item 19 type
- net_sales
- Sample size
- 520 units
- vs category median 49 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $176K→$7.8M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 10 / 5
- vs category median 2 / 5 · above
Compared against 304 Retail brands
Revenue is 10.7x the investment midpoint. At typical franchise margins, this suggests a payback under 3 years.
vs Retail averages
How Batteries Plus Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 722
- Opened
- 30
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 29
- Turnover rate
- 4.0%
- Company-owned
- 116
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 84%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- -0.5%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +2.7%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Closed (3yr)
- 65
- Terminated (3yr)
- 25
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 2,025
- Transfers (3yr)
- 46
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 27
- Franchisor bought back
- Transfer rate
- 6.4%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Ceased ops
- 9.0%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 9 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.
Available to sell in · Item 12
- Indiana
- Michigan
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 208
- Loan volume
- $68.6M
- Median loan
- $245K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 15.2%
- 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)
- 86.5%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 14.3%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 84
- Defaults
- 19
Vintage analysis
Batteries Plus charge-off rate by loan vintage
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Batteries Plus's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 10 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 15 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 25-year lending trend
- SBA 504 real estate/equipment data
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Batteries Plus presents caution-level risk: a declining franchise system with active litigation, unverified financial claims, and margins that may not justify capital deployment for many franchisees.
Litigation (Item 3)
Batteries Plus, LLC v. Paul Bienvenu et al (AAA Arbitration Case No. 01-23-0003-6727, commenced August 21, 2023) - Franchisor seeking approximately $987,000 plus interest from former franchisees for unpaid amounts; respondents counterclaimed alleging forced purchase of expired/near-expired products. Ashwant Singh et al v. Batteries Plus, LLC et al (U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California Case No. 2:24-cv-00223; AAA Case No. 01-23-0005-9286, commenced December 14, 2023) - Former franchisee alleging breach of franchise agreement, violation of California Franchise Investment Law, fraud and misrepresentation regarding protected territory.
Largest disclosed settlement: $590,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Grant Thornton LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 55 / 100 rating
- 01MINORDeclining unit count (-0.5% YoY) suggests system contraction despite mature brand presence
- 02HIGHDual litigation with both franchisor suing franchisees and franchisees suing franchisor indicates relationship friction and potential operational/contractual disputes
- 03MINORNet income of $105,544 on average revenue of $887,757 yields only 11.9% net margin — tight profitability relative to $252K-$493K initial investment and 5% ongoing royalties
- 04MEDNo Item 19 (Financial Performance Representations) disclosed — unable to verify franchisor's revenue/income claims or validate unit-level economics independently
- 05MINORHigh initial investment range ($252K-$493K) combined with modest net returns creates 2.4-4.7 year breakeven window with execution risk
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 or Population |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory radius | 3 mi |
| Territory population | 150,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 15 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 1 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Governing law | Wisconsin |
| Litigation count | 2 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Batteries Plus, LLC v. Paul Bienvenu et al (AAA Arbitration Case No. 01-23-0003-6727, commenced August 21, 2023) - Franchisor seeking approximately $987,000 plus interest from former franchisees for unpaid amounts; respondents counterclaimed alleging forced purchase of expired/near-expired products. Ashwant Singh et al v. Batteries Plus, LLC et al (U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California Case No. 2:24-cv-00223; AAA Case No. 01-23-0005-9286, commenced December 14, 2023) - Former franchisee alleging breach of franchise agreement, violation of California Franchise Investment Law, fraud and misrepresentation regarding protected territory.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 108 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 87 hrs
- Training location
- On-site at restaurant location
- Ongoing training
- Required
- POS system
- Retail Management System
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Retail Management System
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
99 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Batteries Plus · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Batteries Plus franchise?
The total investment to open a Batteries Plus franchise ranges from $252K – $494K, with an initial franchise fee of $45K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Batteries Plus franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Batteries Plus FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $4.0M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Batteries Plus's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Batteries Plus has a charge-off rate of 15.2% across 208 loans, meaning 15.2% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many Batteries Plus franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Batteries Plus has 722 total units in the United States, including 606 franchised units and 116 company-owned units. 30 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Batteries Plus a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Batteries Plus as a B-grade franchise with a risk score of 55 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.