Kilwins
Bottom line
- Total investment $295K – $880K including a $40K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $933K/year (median $802K).
- Rated STRONG with a risk score of 44/100. SBA loan default rate of 0.0% across 127 loans (below the industry average).
- System growing at 15.9% CAGR over 3 years with 172 total units — strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Yale framework · single-unit ROIC
Returns Analysis
Pulls Item 7 (investment) and Item 19 (revenue) from this brand's FDD into the Yale unlevered-ROIC formula. Override any input to stress-test it against your own assumptions.
The model · Yale framework
What would one Kilwins unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
15%
Below typical band (30–60%)
Levered LBO scenario · Yale Crease Capital framing
What would 25 Kilwins units return on equity?
Equity IRR · 5-yr
49.9%
7.57× MOIC
Year-1 DSCR
1.88×
EBITDA ÷ debt service
Equity required
$560K
on $2.8M purchase
Total debt
$2.2M
SBA $1.4M + senior + seller note
Overview
About
Kilwins franchisees operate premium confectionery and fudge retail locations, primarily selling hand-made chocolates, taffy, and specialty candies. Day-to-day operations include managing inventory, staffing the retail counter, fulfilling custom orders, and maintaining production of in-store made goods. Locations typically target high-traffic tourist areas and upscale shopping districts.
Item 7 · what it costs
The Vitals
Item 19
Financial Performance
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 17 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 phone area codes (Item 20). Approximate — ported numbers may show the original state, not the franchisee's current location.
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Kilwins presents moderate-to-caution risk due to lack of earnings transparency, slow growth trajectory, historical litigation over franchisee conduct, and wide investment variance without disclosed profitability data.
Score breakdown · what drove the 44 / 100 rating
- 01MEDNo Item 19 (Average Unit Volume) disclosed despite $933k average revenue claim — inability or unwillingness to substantiate earnings
- 02MEDSlow unit growth of 5.7% YoY with 172 units suggests mature/saturating market with limited expansion momentum
- 03HIGH2011 litigation over non-compete violations and fraud indicates franchisee disputes and enforcement challenges
- 04MINORHigh investment range ($295k–$880k) with wide variance suggests unpredictable startup costs and location-dependent performance
- 05MEDSeasonal business model (confectionery/chocolates) creates cash flow volatility not addressed in disclosed metrics
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
Item 11
Training & Operations
Item 20
Franchisee Contacts
Phone numbers extracted directly from this brand's FDD Item 20. After purchase, you'll also receive a list of validation questions tailored to this brand.
Franchisee contacts
21 numbers
One-time purchase · CSV download · Validation questions included
FDD download
Kilwins · FDD (2025) PDF