Learning Express franchise: cost, fees & unit track record
Opening a Learning Express franchise takes $201,491 – $387,514 all-in, per its franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05). The initial franchise fee is $47,500. Ongoing, franchisees pay a royalty of 5% on sales plus an ad-fund contribution of up to 1%. To qualify, Learning Express asks for $125,000 in liquid cash and a $300,000 net worth. Anything the filings do not state is marked "Not disclosed" below — never estimated.
Learning Express franchise costs and fees
| Verification mark | Cost item | Low | High | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise feeOne-time, paid to the franchisor at signing | $47,500 | $47,500 | $47,500 | |
| Initial investment (all-in)FDD Item 7-derived range: build-out, equipment, opening costs | $201,491 | $387,514 | $201,491 to $387,514 | |
| Net worth requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $300,000 | $300,000 | $300,000 | |
| Liquid cash requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $125,000 | $125,000 | $125,000 | |
| Cash to open (all-in range) | $201,491 | $387,514 | $201,491 to $387,514 |
| RoyaltyOngoing, % of sales | 5% |
|---|---|
| Ad fundOngoing, % of sales | Up to 1% |
| Initial termLength of the first franchise agreement | 10 years |
See the full Learning Express cost breakdown — what's in that number and what isn't
How Learning Express's cost compares
A dollar figure means more with a yardstick. Here is where Learning Express's disclosed cost sits against the Retail category:
- Minimum startup cost of $201,491 — about 1.2× the Retail median of $165,000.
- Initial franchise fee of $47,500 — about 1.3× 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 Learning Express's units have held up
Openings and closures from FDD Item 20-style unit history, 2012–2022: began the window at 150 units; 47 units opened, 103 closed, ending at 89 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 Learning Express 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 Learning Express 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 Learning Express 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 Learning Express 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 Learning Express 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 Learning Express franchise
Learning Express is a retail franchisor with 89 units at the end of 2022 (FDD Item 20-style unit history). Between 2012 and 2022, it began the window at 150 units; its filings record 47 unit openings and 103 closures, ending at 89 units (partial records: 2018 is not in the source data — totals span the reported years only).
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
The franchised business being offered is Learning Express a retail store featuring toys, books, games, personalized gifts, children’s accessories and other related items.
Learning Express franchise: quick answers
- How much does a Learning Express franchise cost?
- $201,491 – $387,514 all-in to open, per Learning Express's franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05).
- How many Learning Express units are there?
- 89 units at the end of 2022 (FDD Item 20-style unit history).
- How have Learning Express's units held up?
- 82.4% of units at risk between 2020 and 2022 did not close, per our metric recomputed from FDD Item 20-style unit history (methodology published on our verification page).