Lifestyle Publications Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Formerly known as City Lifestyle
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Lifestyle Publications is a franchise publishing upscale, community-focused local magazines funded by local advertising. Franchisees run a local edition selling ad space, coordinating content, and managing distribution, typically home-based.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Lifestyle Publications franchise requires a total initial investment of $38K – $46K, including a $30K franchise fee and an ongoing 7.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $38K – $46K
- 1st pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Outlet subset
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 34th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 210
- 34th pct Service Resta…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Full-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Full-Service Restaurants avg · 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 $38K – $46K including a $30K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSThe figure shown was the BOTTOM QUARTILE of the single-magazine cohort — 29 of the 132 franchised businesses covered (Chart B, printed p.35). The FDD discloses only quartile averages: single-magazine runs $575,063 / $366,754 / $303,951 / $238,521 and multi-magazine $1,397,794 / $921,868 / $763,537 / $562,162. No system-wide average is printed.
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 79/100 (higher is better).
- FLAG16 units terminated last reporting year (7.6% of the system). Ask existing franchisees why.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Lifestyle Publications, LLC
- Parent company
- Lifestyle Media Holdings, LLC
- Predecessor
- Lifestyle Media Solutions, LLC (formerly Lifestyle Publications, LLC, formerly Kingdom Holdings, LLC)
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer and Manager
- Steven Schowengerdt
- Incorporated in
- MO
- HQ
- 514 W 26th St, Kansas City, MO 64108
- Auditor
- Emerick & Company, P.C.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $71.0M
- vs $60.1M prior year
Independent franchisee associations
- Franchise Advisory Council (FAC)
- Independent Franchisee Association
Franchisee-led councils or alliances disclosed in Item 20. Indicates operator voice.
Overview
About
- CEO
- Steven Schowengerdt
- Headquarters
- MO
- Founded
- 2019
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 39
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 96% below the typical full-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $30K | $30K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $3K | $4K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $5K | $13K |
| Total initial investment | $38K | $46K |
Source: Lifestyle Publications 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
- $38K – $46K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $3K – $4K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $30K – $30K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- -n/d
- Total fee load
- 7.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 7.0% of gross sales |
| Training fee | $1K |
| Transfer fee | $30K |
| Total fee load | 7.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Lifestyle Publications did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Lifestyle Publications unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
133%
Above the 30–60% band. Verify revenue is per-unit average
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: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
The figure shown was the BOTTOM QUARTILE of the single-magazine cohort — 29 of the 132 franchised businesses covered (Chart B, printed p.35). The FDD discloses only quartile averages: single-magazine runs $575,063 / $366,754 / $303,951 / $238,521 and multi-magazine $1,397,794 / $921,868 / $763,537 / $562,162. No system-wide average is printed.
Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system
- Item 19 type
- gross sales quartile by segment
- Sample size
- 132
- vs category median 18 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $195K→$965K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $239K→$575K
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- The FDD edition these figures were read from
- Transparency
- 0 / 10
- vs category median 3 / 10 · below
Compared against 805 Full-Service Restaurants brands
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 7.0% (near the Full-Service Restaurants average).
Disclosure
Item 19 reports gross sales quartile by segment rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
Operator retention
System expanding at 38.7% CAGR over 3 years across 210 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
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 Full-Service Restaurants averages
How Lifestyle Publications Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 210
- Opened
- 50
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 16
- Terminated
- 16
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 7.7%
- Company-owned
- 2
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 99%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +38.7%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +38.7%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 50
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 16
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 13
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 5
- Franchisor bought back
- Termination rate
- 50.0%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 39 states reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
39
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
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
Lifestyle Publications presents meaningful compliance and transparency risks, with regulatory consent orders, undisclosed financials, employment classification exposure, and franchisor financial concerns offsetting moderate growth metrics.
Litigation (Item 3)
5 consent orders by state regulators (Washington, Maryland, Minnesota, California - twice) against predecessor LMS for operating unlicensed franchise agreements; 1 federal civil action by 11 former publishers alleging misclassification as independent contractors (CA labor law), settled August 2020 for $659,000
Largest disclosed settlement: $659,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Emerick & Company, P.C.
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: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 79 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORFour consent orders from state securities divisions across multiple states indicate systemic franchise disclosure and registration compliance failures
- 02MINOR2020 class-action settlement regarding misclassification of publishers as independent contractors suggests potential employment law exposure and operational model vulnerability
- 03MEDFinancial performance metrics (average revenue and net income) not disclosed in FDD Item 19, making ROI assessment impossible and indicating potential weak unit economics
- 04MINORUnit growth of 14.9% YoY is modest for a franchise system and may mask higher churn rates not reflected in net unit count
- 05MINORRevenue model tied to 'Advertising Value' (7% royalty) is opaque—unclear how advertising value is calculated, audited, or enforced
- 06HIGHGoing concern status suggests potential financial instability at franchisor level, raising questions about support, training, and long-term viability
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 7.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory population | 6,500 |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 50 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | No |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 0 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 1 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 1 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Missouri |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | MO |
| Litigation count | 6 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
5 consent orders by state regulators (Washington, Maryland, Minnesota, California - twice) against predecessor LMS for operating unlicensed franchise agreements; 1 federal civil action by 11 former publishers alleging misclassification as independent contractors (CA labor law), settled August 2020 for $659,000
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 36 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 2 hrs
- Training location
- Online (virtual) and Kansas City, MO (in-person)
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Site selection
- Franchisee
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
219 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Lifestyle Publications · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Lifestyle Publications franchise?
The total investment to open a Lifestyle Publications franchise ranges from $38K – $46K, with an initial franchise fee of $30K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Lifestyle Publications franchise owners earn?
Lifestyle Publications 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 Item 19 in the Lifestyle Publications 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 Lifestyle Publications FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Lifestyle Publications's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Lifestyle Publications (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 Lifestyle Publications franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Lifestyle Publications has 210 total units in the United States, including 208 franchised units and 2 company-owned units. 50 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Lifestyle Publications a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Lifestyle Publications as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 79 out of 100 (higher is better), 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.
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.