BluCrate franchise: cost, fees & unit track record
Opening a BluCrate franchise takes $19,250 all-in, per its franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05). The initial franchise fee is $12,500. Ongoing, franchisees pay a royalty of 4% on sales plus an ad-fund contribution of up to 1%. To qualify, BluCrate asks for $15,000 in liquid cash. Anything the filings do not state is marked "Not disclosed" below — never estimated.
BluCrate franchise costs and fees
| Verification mark | Cost item | Low | High | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise feeOne-time, paid to the franchisor at signing | $12,500 | $12,500 | $12,500 | |
| Initial investment (all-in)FDD Item 7-derived range: build-out, equipment, opening costs | $19,250 | $19,250 | $19,250 | |
| Net worth requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | Not disclosed1 | Not disclosed1 | ||
| Liquid cash requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $15,000 | $15,000 | $15,000 | |
| Cash to open (all-in range) | $19,250 | $19,250 | $19,250 | |
- 1 "Not disclosed" means BluCrate's filings do not state this figure. We publish the gap instead of estimating it.
| RoyaltyOngoing, % of sales | 4% |
|---|---|
| Ad fundOngoing, % of sales | Up to 1% |
| Initial termLength of the first franchise agreement | 5 years |
See the full BluCrate cost breakdown — what's in that number and what isn't
How BluCrate's cost compares
A dollar figure means more with a yardstick. Here is where BluCrate's disclosed cost sits against the Professional Services category:
- Minimum startup cost of $19,250 — about 77% below the Professional Services median of $84,700.
- Initial franchise fee of $12,500 — about 69% below 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
Free info kit — costs, fees, and unit track record. You choose who may follow up.
Figures look outdated? Report outdated info.
How BluCrate's units have held up
Openings and closures from FDD Item 20-style unit history, 2012–2013: began the window at 0 units; 13 units opened, 0 closed, ending at 13 units.
Not enough history to compute a survival figure — we need at least three years of unit data, and we don't extrapolate.
What about earnings?
We don't publish per-brand earnings figures — for BluCrate 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 BluCrate 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 BluCrate 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 BluCrate 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 BluCrate 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 BluCrate franchise
BluCrate is a professional services franchisor with 13 units at the end of 2013 (FDD Item 20-style unit history). Between 2012 and 2013, it began the window at 0 units; its filings record 13 unit openings and 0 closures, ending at 13 units. Its parent company is BluCrate Franchise Systems, LLC.
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 BluCrate™ concept began in 1993 (under the name Promo-Pak) and has an 18-year history of success in providing local businesses with an advertising venue to reach every mailbox in their target market area at an affordable price.
BluCrate franchise: quick answers
- How much does a BluCrate franchise cost?
- $19,250 all-in to open, per BluCrate's franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05).
- How many BluCrate units are there?
- 13 units at the end of 2013 (FDD Item 20-style unit history).