Poolwerx Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Poolwerx is a franchise providing pool and spa cleaning, maintenance, repairs, and retail supplies for residential and commercial pools. Franchisees run a route-based service, often with a retail store, managing technicians and recurring accounts in a territory.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Poolwerx franchise requires a total initial investment of $105K – $143K, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 7.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). SBA 7(a) loans show a 0.0% charge-off rate across 19 loans[1]. 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
- $105K – $143K
- 8th pct Retail
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Outlet subset
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 26th pct Retail
- Units
- 95
- 28th pct Retail
- SBA charge-off
- 0.0%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Retail · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Retail 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 $105K – $143K including a $50K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSFigures from the audited consolidated financial statements of Poolwerx Franchise Management, LLC (the franchisor) for the year ended December 31, 2024, audited by BDO USA, P.C. (single entity; assets 924,167 = liabilities 5,870,374 + members' deficit (4,946,207)). Reported in whole US dollars. Net worth is a members' deficit (negative equity). Total revenues 2024 4,179,032; 2023 4,359,246.
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 93/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 0.0% across 19 loans (well below the franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- GROWTHSystem growing at 53.2% CAGR over 3 years with 95 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- POOLWERX FRANCHISE MANAGEMENT LLC
- Parent company
- Poolwerx USA, LLC
- Ultimate parent
- Wells Fargo & Company (via Norwest Venture Partners / Poolwerx Holdings LLC)
- Predecessor
- Cactus Valley Pool Supply
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer – North America
- Andrew Kidd
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 4801 Spring Valley Road, Suite 103A, Farmers Branch TX 75244
- Auditor
- BDO USA, P.C.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $4.2M
- vs $4.4M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Andrew Kidd
- Headquarters
- TX
- Founded
- 2015
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 17
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 70% below the typical retail franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown16 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $50K | $50K | |
| Vehicle Brandingnot refundable | $2K | $3K | |
| Office Equipment and Suppliesnot refundable | $0 | $3K | |
| Computer Hardware & Softwarenot refundable | $2K | $4K | |
| Business Licenses & Permitsnot refundable | $500 | $2K | |
| Professional Feesnot refundable | $1K | $5K | |
| Opening Inventorynot refundable | $13K | $15K | |
| Business Insurancenot refundable | $3K | $4K | |
| Initial Training Feenot refundable | $2K | $2K | |
| Cost and Living Expenses while Trainingnot refundable | $0 | $3K | |
| Grand Opening Advertisingnot refundable | $12K | $15K | |
| Convention Feenot refundable | $4K | $4K | |
| Equipment used in Businessnot refundable | $7K | $7K | |
| Uniformsnot refundable | $500 | $500 | |
| Vehicle Costnot refundable | $5K | $7K | |
| Additional Fundsnot refundable | $5K | $20K | |
| Total initial investment | $105K | $143K |
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.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $105K – $143K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $5K – $20K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 3.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 10.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 7.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 3.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $250 |
| Training fee | $2K |
| Transfer fee | $12K |
| Renewal fee | $12K |
| Inventory (initial) | $13K – $15K |
| Total fee load | 10.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Poolwerx 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 Poolwerx unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
28%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
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
Figures from the audited consolidated financial statements of Poolwerx Franchise Management, LLC (the franchisor) for the year ended December 31, 2024, audited by BDO USA, P.C. (single entity; assets 924,167 = liabilities 5,870,374 + members' deficit (4,946,207)). Reported in whole US dollars. Net worth is a members' deficit (negative equity). Total revenues 2024 4,179,032; 2023 4,359,246.
Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system
- Item 19 type
- gross revenue
- Sample size
- 16 franchisees
- vs category median 47 · small
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
- Transparency
- 4 / 10
- vs category median 3 / 10 · above
Compared against 278 Retail 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 10.0% (near the Retail average).
Disclosure
Item 19 reports outlet revenue, but not in a form that yields a per-outlet average we can compare across brands.
Operator retention
System expanding at 53.2% CAGR over 3 years across 95 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 Retail averages
How Poolwerx Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 95
- Opened
- 42
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 2
- Terminated
- 2
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 2.1%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +53.2%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +53.2%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 42
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 2
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 9
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Termination rate
- 2.1%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 2.1%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 13 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.
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 19
- Loan volume
- $4.9M
- Median loan
- $206K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 0.0%
- 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)
- 100.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 10
- Defaults
- 0
- Typical loan rate
- 8.3%
- avg rate to borrowers
- Franchised industry avg
- 11.6%
- brand beats franchise avg ↓
- Jobs supported
- 154
- 3.7 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 28%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 78% went to startups / new businesses, 22% to established operators
Franchise vs independent — in other services to buildings and dwellings, franchised businesses charge off at 11.6% vs 20.7% for independents — franchising is associated with 44% lower SBA default risk in this category.
Top lenders financing Poolwerx franchisees
Showing 3 of 10 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.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Poolwerx'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 7 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 7-year lending trend
- SBA 504 real estate/equipment data
Instant access. No subscription.
With a 0.0% charge-off rate across 19 loans, banks have historically viewed this brand favorably for lending.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 0.0% — 100% below the 16.0% national norm, i.e. lower lender-observed risk.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Poolwerx presents meaningful risk due to undisclosed profitability, unprotected territories, and lack of financial transparency despite strong average revenues.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation is required to be disclosed in Item 3
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · BDO USA, P.C.
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
ⓘ 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: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 93 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORNo net income disclosure (Item 19) prevents ROI verification and profitability assessment
- 02MINORUnprotected territory creates direct competition risk and customer poaching by other franchisees
- 03MINOR72.7% unit growth YoY is anomalously high — suggests aggressive expansion, possible unsustainable recruitment, or prior contraction baseline
- 04MINORHigh initial investment range ($104K–$350K) with 7% royalty on $1.24M average revenue = $86,940 annual royalty before operating expenses
- 05MED10-year term locks franchisee into relationship with limited escape; no going concern flag but financial health opacity is concerning
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 10.0% 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 | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 3 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 30 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Franchisor's principal office (Farmers Branch, TX) |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | TX |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation is required to be disclosed in Item 3
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 84 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 80 hrs
- Training location
- Poolwerx headquarters, Farmers Branch, Texas, or other designated location in the United States
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 24 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee selects site subject to franchisor approval
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Xero-Skimmer-Lightspeed-Stripe
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Xero-Skimmer-Lightspeed-Stripe
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
46 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Poolwerx · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Poolwerx franchise?
The total investment to open a Poolwerx franchise ranges from $105K – $143K, 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 Poolwerx franchise owners earn?
Poolwerx 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 Poolwerx 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 Poolwerx FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Poolwerx's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Poolwerx has a charge-off rate of 0.0% across 19 loans, meaning 0.0% 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 Poolwerx franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Poolwerx has 95 total units in the United States, including 95 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 42 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Poolwerx a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Poolwerx as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 93 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
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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.