Bella Bridesmaids Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $103K – $262K
- Disclosed sales
- $363K
- gross sales, not profit
- SBA charge-off
- Limited · 12 loans
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Bella Bridesmaids is a boutique retail franchise specializing in bridesmaid dresses and wedding party attire by appointment. Franchisees run the showrooms, managing styling consultations, designer inventory, and alterations coordination.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Bella Bridesmaids franchise requires a total initial investment of $103K – $262K, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 4.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2024 FDD, average unit revenue was $363K[2]. FranchiseVerdict grade: C (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: high - issued more than two years ago
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 scored6 of 7 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing; the rest are marked “Not cited” beside the figure.
Overview
- Investment
- $103K – $262K
- 38th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Avg gross sales
- $363K
- 8th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Royalty
- 4.0%
- 3rd pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Units
- 45
- 39th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Cleaning & Maintenance · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Cleaning & Maintenance 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 $103K – $262K including a $50K franchise fee, 4.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $363K/year (median $290K).
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 38/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHNegative: net -14 franchised outlets in the latest year (0 opened, 14 closed) (Item 20).
- DECLINESystem contracting at -28.1% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven (consolidation) or franchisee-driven (economics).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Bella Bridesmaids Franchise Group, LLC
- Predecessor
- Bella Bridesmaids Franchises, LLC
- Prior franchisor entity
- Incorporated in
- IL
- HQ
- 1 East Delaware, Suite 301, Chicago, Illinois 60611
- Auditor
- Callero & Callero LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $973K
- vs $1.1M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Kathleen Casey
- Headquarters
- IL
- Founded
- 2012
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 27
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 8% above the typical cleaning & maintenance franchise.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $50K | $50K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $20K | $40K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $33K | $172K |
| Total initial investment | $103K | $262K |
Source: Bella Bridesmaids 2024 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
- $103K – $262K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $20K – $40K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 4.0%
- Set by a formula · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- Tiered flat annual amounts based on prior year sales: $1,…
- Total fee load
- 4.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 4.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $125 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $6K |
| Inventory (initial) | $10K – $30K |
| Total fee load | 4.5% of rev |
A 4.5% total fee load is unusually lean. More of each revenue dollar stays with the franchisee.
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 32% below the cleaning & maintenance norm.
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 19
Single-unit · not modelled
Returns at a glance
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit, and the operating costs that turn one into the other are in no filing. We publish no modelled return for Bella Bridesmaids until someone supplies them — yours, in the models below.
—
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for ad fund 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.
Total invested capital · disclosed
$212K
Item 7 initial investment plus working capital, as filed — the one figure here that needs no assumption.
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
What one unit earns on your invested capital
Model A · Single-Unit Return
Computes unlevered return on invested capital (ROIC) for a single franchise unit, read against the 30–60% reference band · Yale SOM, Post-MBA Path Exhibit 2 (2023). Below that band a passive index fund likely outperforms; above it the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses, and it is the top line only — gross sales are not profit. No FDD discloses the operating costs that turn one into the other, so those fields start empty and nothing is modelled until you supply them from your own lease quote, labor market and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Bella Bridesmaids 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 ad fund 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.
What 25 units return when you use SBA financing
Model B · Return on Equity: Debt-Financed Acquisition
Models a 25-unit portfolio acquisition financed with an SBA 7(a) loan. Shows equity IRR (your return on cash invested), DSCR (how safely the cash flow covers debt service), and the capital stack (SBA + seller + equity breakdown).
This is the “search fund” or “entrepreneurship through acquisition” scenario: you buy an existing multi-unit operator, use leverage to amplify returns, and either operate or hire management. The 25-unit size is the typical minimum for an SBA-backed franchise portfolio acquisition to pencil as a full-time income.
What “return on equity” means here: if you put in $500K of your own cash and the business generates enough EBITDA to pay down debt and grow, your equity IRR is the annual return on that $500K, including the value created when you eventually sell. Target IRR for a search fund is typically 25–35%.
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for ad fund 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.
A 25-unit return is built on a per-unit EBITDA. Fill in the operating costs in Model A above and this model runs on that figure, or take the whole scenario to the full ROI workbench, where the portfolio and LBO models accept your own per-unit economics directly.
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: 2024 FDD
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $363K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $290K
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- gross revenue
- Sample size
- 41 outlets
- vs category median 32
- Range (low → high)
- $84K→$1.0MCited, not corroborated — printed on page 43 of the 2024 FDD. Nothing else in our record independently restates or re-derives it.
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2023
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2024
- Disclosed in the 2024 filing, covering 2023
- Transparency
- 4 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · typical
Compared against 191 Cleaning & Maintenance brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
Average unit generates $363K/year in gross sales. Median is $290K — top performers pull the average up, so a typical unit earns less. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 2.0x.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 4.5% — below the Cleaning & Maintenance median of 8.3%.
Disclosure
Transparency score 4/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
Operator retention
System contracting at -28.1% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven consolidation or franchisee exits.
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 Cleaning & Maintenance medians
How Bella Bridesmaids Compares
Category median of published Cleaning & Maintenance 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 2024 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 45
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 14
- Terminated
- 1
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 31.1%
- Company-owned
- 4
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 91%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -28.1%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -28.1%
- Compounded over last 3 years
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 1
- Reacquired
- 2
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 0
- 0.00 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 1
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 23 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
68 current owners across 23 states.
- IL 25
- AL 4
- MD 4
- TX 4
- AZ 3
- CO 3
- TN 3
- FL 2
- GA 2
- MI 2
- NY 2
- OH 2
- +11 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 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 12
- Loan volume
- $1.9M
- Median loan
- $129K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- Limited · 12 loans
- Limited SBA coverage: 12 loans, rate hidden until 10 have resolved and loans reach 2% of franchised units
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- Limited · 12 loans
- 5-yr charge-off
- Limited · 12 loans
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 6
- Defaults
- 1
- Typical loan rate
- 8.6%
- avg rate to borrowers
- vs industry
- 11.1%
- NAICS 458110
- Jobs supported
- 32
- 2.0 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 40%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 50% went to startups / new businesses, 50% to established operators
Top lenders financing Bella Bridesmaids franchisees
Showing 3 of 6 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Lender network · 7(a) + 504
SBA Lending Report
Full lending analysis for Bella Bridesmaids from SBA 7(a) FOIA data.
- Principal loss rate
- 2.2%
- Avg SBA guarantee
- 60%
- Avg interest rate
- 8.57%
- Avg chargeoff amount
- $35K
- Lender concentration
- 40.0%
- Job velocity
- 2.0 per $100K
- NAICS benchmark
- 11.1%
- NAICS 458110
- Jobs supported
- 32
Top SBA lendersTop lender holds 40% of loans
| # | Lender | Loans | Volume | Default % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company | 4 | $300K | 33.3% |
| 2 | Penn Community Bank | 2 | $157K | N/A |
| 3 | Choice Financial Group | 1 | $246K | 0.0% |
| 4 | Cadence Bank | 1 | $160K | N/A |
| 5 | Hancock Whitney Bank | 1 | $210K | N/A |
| 6 | Central State Bank | 1 | $510K | N/A |
Geographic failure vector
| State | Loans | Defaults | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| PAPennsylvania | 5 | 1 | 33.3% |
| ALAlabama | 2 | 0 | -- |
| CTConnecticut | 1 | 0 | -- |
| GAGeorgia | 1 | 0 | -- |
| MNMinnesota | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
SBA 7(a) lending trend
Borrower profile
Source: SBA 7(a) + 504 FOIA loan-level data, matched by FranchiseVerdict
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
Declining unit base, hidden profitability metrics, and high capital requirements relative to average revenue create significant risk despite protected territories and absence of litigation.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Callero & Callero LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
FY2023 audited franchisor income: Royalty Income $741,295, Technology Fee $130,290, Advertising Income $85,507, Franchise Fee $13,984, Renewal Fees $1,772 (total $972,848). These are franchisor revenues, not franchisee gross sales. Audited by Callero & Callero LLP for years ended Dec 31, 2023 and 2022.
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 38 / 100 verdict
- 01MEDUnit count declined 25.5% year-over-year (45 units down from ~60), indicating systemic franchisee struggles or exits
- 02MEDNet income not disclosed in FDD Item 19, preventing ROI assessment and hiding profitability reality
- 03MINORRoyalty structure with $600 minimum means franchisees at lower revenue ($363K avg) pay ~2% effective rate, but struggling locations may hit the floor — masking true cost burden
- 04MINORHigh investment-to-revenue ratio: $102.9K-$262K startup against $363K average revenue = 28-72% of first-year gross, creating extended breakeven periods
- 05MED5-year term is relatively short in franchise context; combined with unit decline, suggests confidence issues
- 06MINORWedding/bridesmaids market is seasonal, event-dependent, and highly sensitive to economic downturns affecting discretionary spending
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 4.5% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2024 · 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 | 2 |
| Territory type | Protected territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 50 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 10 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Chicago, Illinois |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | IL |
| Litigation count | 0 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 15 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 11 hrs
- Training location
- Chicago, Illinois (existing Bella Bridesmaids showroom) or other location designated by franchisor
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 3 mo
- From signing to launch
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- QuickBooks Online
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: QuickBooks Online
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
69 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 Bella Bridesmaids franchise?
The total investment to open a Bella Bridesmaids franchise ranges from $103K – $262K, with an initial franchise fee of $50K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Bella Bridesmaids franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Bella Bridesmaids FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $363K. The median is $290K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
Who owns Bella Bridesmaids?
Bella Bridesmaids is franchised by Bella Bridesmaids Franchise Group, LLC. Source: FDD Item 1, 2024 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Bella Bridesmaids 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 Bella Bridesmaids FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Bella Bridesmaids's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Bella Bridesmaids (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 Bella Bridesmaids franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Bella Bridesmaids has 45 total units in the United States, including 41 franchised units and 4 company-owned units.
Is Bella Bridesmaids a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Bella Bridesmaids as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 38 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.