Unishippers Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Unishippers is a B2B franchise reselling discounted shipping and freight to small and mid-size businesses using national carrier contracts. Franchisees run a sales operation acquiring shippers and managing logistics, typically without warehousing.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Unishippers franchise requires a total initial investment of $30K – $233K, including a $30K franchise fee. The 2026 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). SBA 7(a) loans show a 0.0% charge-off rate across 28 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $30K – $233K
- 7th pct Business Serv…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Outlet subset
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 285
- 59th pct Business Serv…
- SBA charge-off
- 0.0%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Business Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Business Services 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 $30K – $233K including a $30K franchise fee.
- RETURNSItem 19 reports outlet revenue, but not in a form that yields a per-outlet average we can compare across brands.
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 96/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 0.0% across 28 loans (well below the franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- GROWTHSystem growing at 31.9% CAGR over 3 years with 285 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Unishippers Global Logistics, LLC
- Parent company
- Worldwide Express, LLC (WWE)
- Ultimate parent
- WWEX UNI Topco Holdings, LLC (Topco), owned by Accord JV Corp
- Predecessor
- WWEX UNI Topco Holdings, LLC
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Thomas Madine
- Incorporated in
- Delaware
- HQ
- 2700 Commerce Street, Suite 1500, Dallas, TX 75226
- Auditor
- PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $3.5B
- vs $3.8B prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Thomas Madine
- Headquarters
- TX
- Founded
- 2007
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 38
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 53% below the typical business services franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $30K | $30K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $9K | $150K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $0 | $53K |
| Total initial investment | $30K | $233K |
Source: Unishippers 2026 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
- $30K – $233K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $9K – $150K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $30K – $30K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- Greater of (i) 18.5% of Gross Profit Margin (shipments <=…
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 19.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $65 |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Total fee load | 19.5% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Unishippers 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 Unishippers unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
57%
Within 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: 2026 FDD
Financial Performance
Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system
- Item 19 type
- gross sales
- Sample size
- 154 outlets
- vs category median 35 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $148→$17.7M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Source filing
- FDD 2026
- The FDD edition these figures were read from
- Transparency
- 3 / 10
- vs category median 3 / 10 · typical
Compared against 296 Business Services 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 19.5% — above the Business Services average of 11.9%.
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 31.9% CAGR over 3 years across 285 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 Business Services averages
How Unishippers Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 285
- Opened
- 34
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 3
- Terminated
- 2
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 2.4%
- Company-owned
- 74
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 74%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +31.9%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +31.9%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 34
- Closed (3yr)
- 3
- Terminated (3yr)
- 2
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 3
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 16
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 4 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.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 28
- Loan volume
- $7.0M
- Median loan
- $216K
- 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
- 19
- Defaults
- 0
- Typical loan rate
- 8.3%
- avg rate to borrowers
- vs industry
- 6.5%
- brand is below its industry ↓
- Jobs supported
- 124
- 1.8 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 14%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 50% went to startups / new businesses, 50% to established operators
Top lenders financing Unishippers franchisees
Showing 3 of 19 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 Unishippers'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 14 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 18-year lending trend
- SBA 504 real estate/equipment data
Instant access. No subscription.
With a 0.0% charge-off rate across 28 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
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
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.
Score breakdown · what drove the 96 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORParent-level net loss: -$41,061,000 (parent financials only)
- 02HIGHAll 3 litigation matters concluded, no current litigation
- 03MEDItem 19 disclosed, strong parent net worth $1.89B
- 04MINORLow turnover 2.4%
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 19.5% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2026 · 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 | 1 |
| Territory type | non_exclusive |
| Protected territory | No |
| Online sales rights | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Texas |
| Litigation count | 3 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 63 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- POS system
- myUnishippers
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: myUnishippers
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
24 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Unishippers · FDD (2026) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Unishippers franchise?
The total investment to open a Unishippers franchise ranges from $30K – $233K, 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 Unishippers franchise owners earn?
Unishippers 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 Unishippers 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 Unishippers FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Unishippers's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Unishippers has a charge-off rate of 0.0% across 28 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 Unishippers franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Unishippers has 285 total units in the United States, including 211 franchised units and 74 company-owned units. 34 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Unishippers a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Unishippers as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 96 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.
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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.