Batteries Plus Bulbs franchise: cost, fees & unit track record
Opening a Batteries Plus Bulbs franchise takes $221,679 – $431,072 all-in, per its franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05). The initial franchise fee is $15,000 – $185,832. Ongoing, franchisees pay a royalty of 5% on sales plus an ad-fund contribution of up to 1%. To qualify, Batteries Plus Bulbs asks for $100,000 in liquid cash and a $250,000 net worth. Anything the filings do not state is marked "Not disclosed" below — never estimated.
Batteries Plus Bulbs franchise costs and fees
| Verification mark | Cost item | Low | High | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise feeOne-time, paid to the franchisor at signing | $15,000 | $185,832 | $15,000 to $185,832 | |
| Initial investment (all-in)FDD Item 7-derived range: build-out, equipment, opening costs | $221,679 | $431,072 | $221,679 to $431,072 | |
| Net worth requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $250,000 | $250,000 | $250,000 | |
| Liquid cash requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $100,000 | $100,000 | $100,000 | |
| Cash to open (all-in range) | $221,679 | $431,072 | $221,679 to $431,072 |
| RoyaltyOngoing, % of sales | 5% |
|---|---|
| Ad fundOngoing, % of sales | Up to 1% |
| Initial termLength of the first franchise agreement | 10 years |
See the full Batteries Plus Bulbs cost breakdown — what's in that number and what isn't
How Batteries Plus Bulbs's cost compares
A dollar figure means more with a yardstick. Here is where Batteries Plus Bulbs's disclosed cost sits against the Retail category:
- Minimum startup cost of $221,679 — about 1.3× the Retail median of $165,000.
- Initial franchise fee of $15,000 — about 59% below the Retail median of $36,750.
Category medians are computed from the Retail brands in our data that disclosed each figure — a benchmark for scale, not a quality judgment. See all Retail franchises
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How Batteries Plus Bulbs's units have held up
Openings and closures from FDD Item 20-style unit history, 2012–2021: began the window at 467 units; 272 units opened, 77 closed, ending at 590 units. (partial records: 2018 is not in the source data — totals span the reported years only.)
What about earnings?
We don't publish per-brand earnings figures — for Batteries Plus Bulbs or anyone else. The only primary source is Item 19 of the brand's own franchise disclosure document (FDD), and no law requires a franchisor to publish one, so the "average owner income" numbers circulating elsewhere are usually unsourced or survivorship-biased. Ask Batteries Plus Bulbs for its current FDD and read Item 19 yourself — and if there is no Item 19, that silence is information too.
What this data can't tell you
Everything on this page comes from disclosure filings — fees, ranges, and unit counts. Four questions that matter just as much are not in any filing we can source, so we say so instead of guessing:
- The hours and the labor
- No dataset field says whether Batteries Plus Bulbs is a manage-from-a-laptop business or a 60-hour week in disguise. Item 15 of the FDD states whether you're obligated to run the business personally, and Item 11 lists what the franchisor actually does for you — then ask current owners what their week looks like (validation calls), not the sales team.
- How hands-on the ownership really is
- "Semi-absentee" is a pitch, not a filing field. Treat any hands-off claim as unverified until it's consistent with Item 15 and with what multiple current franchisees tell you — what absentee ownership actually means.
- Your territory — whether it's protected, and whether it's open
- Two territory questions sit outside our data. Whether Batteries Plus Bulbs grants a protected or exclusive area is set in Item 12 of the FDD and varies brand to brand — some grant none, and the carve-outs (online sales, national accounts) matter as much as the map. And filing data can't say what's open in your market this month; only Batteries Plus Bulbs can confirm current availability. Ask both before you inquire, and get the answer in writing.
- What owners earn
- Covered honestly above: our dataset has no earnings fields, the only primary source is the brand's own Item 19, and here is how to read that evidence.
About the Batteries Plus Bulbs franchise
Batteries Plus Bulbs is a retail franchisor with 590 units at the end of 2021 (FDD Item 20-style unit history). Between 2012 and 2021, it began the window at 467 units; its filings record 272 unit openings and 77 closures, ending at 590 units (partial records: 2018 is not in the source data — totals span the reported years only). Its parent company is Batteries Plus, L.L.C..
No franchise-related lawsuits reported in the disclosure data we hold (FDD Item 3, as of 2026-05) — an absence in our sources, not a guarantee; confirm against the brand's current FDD.
From the franchisor's materials
Batteries Plus, L. L. C. offers individual and multiple unit franchises for the operation of Batteries Plus Bulbs stores ("Stores"), selling batteries, light bulbs, and related items, and offering device repair and related services, to the retail consumer and commercial accounts
Batteries Plus Bulbs franchise: quick answers
- How much does a Batteries Plus Bulbs franchise cost?
- $221,679 – $431,072 all-in to open, per Batteries Plus Bulbs's franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05).
- How many Batteries Plus Bulbs units are there?
- 590 units at the end of 2021 (FDD Item 20-style unit history).
- How have Batteries Plus Bulbs's units held up?
- 91.1% of units at risk between 2019 and 2021 did not close, per our metric recomputed from FDD Item 20-style unit history (methodology published on our verification page).
- Is Batteries Plus Bulbs SBA-eligible?
- Batteries Plus Bulbs is flagged SBA-eligible in our dataset (as of 2026-05). Confirm current status on the SBA Franchise Directory before relying on it for financing.