WINZER franchise: cost, fees & unit track record
Opening a WINZER franchise takes $5,950 – $16,153 all-in, per its franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05). The initial franchise fee is $3,500. Ongoing, franchisees pay a royalty of 14% on sales. To qualify, WINZER asks for $1,000 in liquid cash. Anything the filings do not state is marked "Not disclosed" below — never estimated.
WINZER franchise costs and fees
| Verification mark | Cost item | Low | High | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise feeOne-time, paid to the franchisor at signing | $3,500 | $3,500 | $3,500 | |
| Initial investment (all-in)FDD Item 7-derived range: build-out, equipment, opening costs | $5,950 | $16,153 | $5,950 to $16,153 | |
| Net worth requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | Not disclosed1 | Not disclosed1 | ||
| Liquid cash requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $1,000 | $1,000 | $1,000 | |
| Cash to open (all-in range) | $5,950 | $16,153 | $5,950 to $16,153 | |
- 1 "Not disclosed" means WINZER's filings do not state this figure. We publish the gap instead of estimating it.
| RoyaltyOngoing, % of sales | 14% |
|---|---|
| Ad fundOngoing, % of sales | Not disclosed |
| Initial termLength of the first franchise agreement | 5 years |
See the full WINZER cost breakdown — what's in that number and what isn't
How WINZER's cost compares
A dollar figure means more with a yardstick. Here is where WINZER's disclosed cost sits against the Retail category:
- Minimum startup cost of $5,950 — about 96% below the Retail median of $165,000.
- Initial franchise fee of $3,500 — about 90% 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 WINZER's units have held up
Openings and closures from FDD Item 20-style unit history, 2013–2021: began the window at 236 units; 146 units opened, 128 closed, ending at 301 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 WINZER 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 WINZER 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 WINZER 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 WINZER 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 WINZER 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 WINZER franchise
WINZER is a retail franchisor with 301 units at the end of 2021 (FDD Item 20-style unit history). Between 2013 and 2021, it began the window at 236 units; its filings record 146 unit openings and 128 closures, ending at 301 units (partial records: 2018 is not in the source data — totals span the reported years only). Its parent company is GradeEight Holdings, 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
As a WINZER franchisee, you already have a business supplying automotive, chemical and/or industrial products similar to our products. Based on your current customer base, you will sell some or all of the following Approved Winzer Products: quality packaged fasteners, nuts, bolts, clamps, adhesives, sealers, electrical components, cutting tools, fluid power fittings, chemicals, welding and shop supplies, janitorial supplies and other related products and
WINZER franchise: quick answers
- How much does a WINZER franchise cost?
- $5,950 – $16,153 all-in to open, per WINZER's franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05).
- How many WINZER units are there?
- 301 units at the end of 2021 (FDD Item 20-style unit history).
- How have WINZER's units held up?
- 83.3% 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).