How many DO IT BEST CORP. franchise locations are there?

As of the 2025 FDD, DO IT BEST CORP. has 3,555 franchise locations. The company has been franchising since 1945.

Is DO IT BEST CORP. a good franchise to buy?

DO IT BEST CORP. shows several positive indicators: established brand with 3,555+ locations. However, franchise success depends on many factors including location, local market conditions, and owner involvement. We recommend speaking with existing franchisees and consulting with a franchise attorney before making a decision.

Loading FDD preview...

Unlock FDD download

Download this + 1,700 other FDDs · One-time purchase

The only franchise database you can use inside ChatGPT, Claude & Cursor. Learn more →

1,700+ FDDs structured for franchise professionals

We extract fees, Item 19 financials, franchisee contacts, SBA default rates, litigation, and outlet data from every FDD — so you can compare brands in minutes, not months. Used by multi-unit operators, consultants, and franchise development teams.

DO IT BEST CORP.

Do it Best Corp. is a member-owned wholesale cooperative distributor of hardware, lumber, building materials, and related products, primarily serving independent retail hardware stores, home centers, and lumber yards throughout the United States and select foreign countries. Members purchase common shares via a Membership Agreement to access competitive pricing, annual patronage refunds based on purchases, advertising campaigns, training programs, and other support services. The business model emphasizes patronage dividends, optional pricing programs like Vision Pricing, and benefits such as shared merchandising information to help members compete with large national chains.

FDD Year:

3,555locations

$853K–$1581K

Since 1945

RetailFort Wayne, INwww.doitbest.comDisclaimer

Loading preview...

Unlock FDD download

Download this + 1,700 other FDDs · One-time purchase

Franchise Costs

Franchise Fee

$8,500

Initial Investment

$852,500 – $1,580,500

Royalty Rate

N/A

Brand Fund

N/A

Fixed Monthly Fees

$90 – $195

No royalty + no ad fund + $90/mo basic member services (enhanced $140/mo, advanced $195/mo)

Financial Performance

Item 19 Financial Performance

This franchise did not provide Item 19 financial performance data.

Be careful if you are interested in investing. The lack of financial performance representations may indicate limited data or varying results across franchises.

Extracted Item 19 Section

Unlock financial performance data with full access to 1,700+ franchise reports

Unlock financial performance data

DO IT BEST CORP. Franchise Analysis

What if a franchise promised no royalties, no ad fees, and patronage refunds in a hardware retail giant battling big-box chains? Do It Best Corp, a member-owned cooperative since 1945, hooks independents with wholesale access and shared profits—but skips Item 19 earnings disclosure entirely. Dive deeper: does this 3,500+ unit network deliver the edge to thrive, or hide pitfalls in its unique model?

Item 7 lays out a hefty entry: $852,500 to $1,580,500 total investment, including the $8,500 franchise fee for membership shares. Ongoing fees skip traditional royalties and ad funds, opting for low monthly services—$90 basic, $140 enhanced, or $195 advanced—plus Vision Pricing programs for competitive edges. No Item 19 means no disclosed revenues or profits, forcing investors to probe elsewhere; patronage refunds tie to purchases, but without benchmarks, estimating returns is guesswork amid high startup costs for inventory and store buildouts.

System metrics paint steady expansion: 3,295 locations in 2024 swelled to 3,438 in 2025 (+4%), with 105 projected new units signaling confidence. Yet 19 terminations and 108 transfers suggest some churn, possibly from operational pressures. Litigation in Item 3 flags suits by the co-op to collect for goods/services, hinting at member payment disputes. For hardware veterans eyeing co-op stability over franchise control, this scales big—but newcomers risk capital without earnings proof.

Unlock full analysis

Analysis based on the 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document. All figures should be independently verified before making investment decisions.

How DO IT BEST CORP. Compares

Key Insights

Higher investment than 86% of General Retail franchises
#2 largest franchise system in General Retail

Franchise	Investment	Fee	Royalty	Locations
DO IT BEST CORP. Current	$853K – $1.6M	$9K	N/A	3,555
ACE HARDWARE	$604K – $2.0M	$5K	N/A	4,885
WINDOW WORLD, WORLD OF WINDOWS	$123K – $363K	$45K	N/A	211
FLEET FEET, FLEET FEET TRIATHLETE	$352K – $652K	$45K	4.0%	197
PRETZELMAKER	$392K – $573K	$25K	7.0%	129
TECHY	$119K – $400K	$15K	7.0%	62
General Retail Average 14 franchises	$530K – $1.0M	$108K	5.7%	–

* Comparison based on latest FDD filings. Investment ranges from Item 7, fees from Item 5. Showing top 5 of 14 General Retail franchises by location count.