Gymboree Play & Music franchise: cost, fees & unit track record
Opening a Gymboree Play & Music franchise takes $56,250 – $389,100 all-in, per its franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05). The initial franchise fee is $45,000. Ongoing, franchisees pay a royalty of 6% on sales plus an ad-fund contribution of up to 3%. To qualify, Gymboree Play & Music asks for $90,000 in liquid cash and a $270,000 net worth. Anything the filings do not state is marked "Not disclosed" below — never estimated.
Gymboree Play & Music franchise costs and fees
| Verification mark | Cost item | Low | High | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise feeOne-time, paid to the franchisor at signing | $45,000 | $45,000 | $45,000 | |
| Initial investment (all-in)FDD Item 7-derived range: build-out, equipment, opening costs | $56,250 | $389,100 | $56,250 to $389,100 | |
| Net worth requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $270,000 | $270,000 | $270,000 | |
| Liquid cash requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $90,000 | $90,000 | $90,000 | |
| Cash to open (all-in range) | $56,250 | $389,100 | $56,250 to $389,100 |
| RoyaltyOngoing, % of sales | 6% |
|---|---|
| Ad fundOngoing, % of sales | Up to 3% |
| Initial termLength of the first franchise agreement | 10 years |
See the full Gymboree Play & Music cost breakdown — what's in that number and what isn't
How Gymboree Play & Music's cost compares
A dollar figure means more with a yardstick. Here is where Gymboree Play & Music's disclosed cost sits against the Professional Services category:
- Minimum startup cost of $56,250 — about 34% below the Professional Services median of $84,700.
- Initial franchise fee of $45,000 — about in line with the Professional Services median of $39,700.
Category medians are computed from the Professional Services brands in our data that disclosed each figure — a benchmark for scale, not a quality judgment. See all Professional Services franchises
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How Gymboree Play & Music's units have held up
Openings and closures from FDD Item 20-style unit history, 2012–2016: began the window at 209 units; 14 units opened, 76 closed, ending at 144 units.
What about earnings?
We don't publish per-brand earnings figures — for Gymboree Play & Music 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 Gymboree Play & Music 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 Gymboree Play & Music 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 Gymboree Play & Music 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 Gymboree Play & Music 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 Gymboree Play & Music franchise
Gymboree Play & Music is a professional services franchisor with 144 units at the end of 2016 (FDD Item 20-style unit history). Between 2012 and 2016, it began the window at 209 units; its filings record 14 unit openings and 76 closures, ending at 144 units. Its parent company is Gymboree. The filings indicate financing options are available; terms come from the franchisor, not from us.
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
Gymboree Play & Music Centers offer non-therapeutic sensory-motor, child programs (with or without a parent), early childhood music and art programs, exercise programs, birthday parties, theme parties and story line parties for infants and children in specified ages, and programs for parents and parents-to-be, using specially designed equipment and program aids. Metro Play Centers offer a limited selection of the above programming. This Disclosure Document describes the offer of the right to establish and operate one or more Play & Music Centers or Metro Play Centers.
Gymboree Play & Music franchise: quick answers
- How much does a Gymboree Play & Music franchise cost?
- $56,250 – $389,100 all-in to open, per Gymboree Play & Music's franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05).
- How many Gymboree Play & Music units are there?
- 144 units at the end of 2016 (FDD Item 20-style unit history).
- How have Gymboree Play & Music's units held up?
- 76.2% of units at risk between 2014 and 2016 did not close, per our metric recomputed from FDD Item 20-style unit history (methodology published on our verification page).