Tuffy
Formerly known as Gimex Properties
Bottom line
- Total investment $222K – $724K including a $30K franchise fee, 2.5% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $1.4M/year (median $1.3M).
- Rated STRONG with a risk score of 45/100. SBA loan default rate of 0.0% across 99 loans (below the industry average).
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 Tuffy unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
49%
In Yale's "attractive" band (30–60%)
Levered LBO scenario · Yale Crease Capital framing
What would 25 Tuffy units return on equity?
Equity IRR · 5-yr
34.4%
4.39× MOIC
Year-1 DSCR
2.36×
EBITDA ÷ debt service
Equity required
$5.4M
on $14.9M purchase
Total debt
$9.5M
SBA $5.0M + senior + seller note
Overview
About
Franchisees operate automotive service centers providing brake service, maintenance, batteries, and general repairs. Day-to-day operations include managing technicians, handling customer intake/scheduling, performing quality checks, and managing inventory of parts and supplies.
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 · 18 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
Tuffy presents moderate-to-cautious risk as a flat-growth automotive service franchise lacking transparent profitability disclosure and burdened by above-market royalties after an introductory period.
Score breakdown · what drove the 45 / 100 rating
- 01MINORStagnant unit growth (1.0% YoY) suggests mature/declining system despite 129 locations
- 02MEDNet income not disclosed in FDD — unable to verify profitability claims against $1.4M avg revenue
- 03MINORWide investment range ($222K–$723.5K) indicates inconsistent startup costs and unclear ROI pathways
- 04MINORTiered royalty structure (2.5% vs 5%) creates cash flow pressure after 6 months; lower tire/battery rate may mask true effective royalty
- 05MINOR15-year term is longer than industry standard (10 years typical), locking franchisees into aging brand with minimal growth trajectory
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
22 numbers
One-time purchase · CSV download · Validation questions included
FDD download
Tuffy · FDD (2025) PDF