KILWINS
Kilwins Chocolates Franchise, Inc. franchises the right to operate 'Kilwins' Full Line Chocolates, Confectionery & Ice Cream Stores or smaller 'Kilwins' Ice Cream & Chocolate Shops specializing in hand-crafted chocolates, original recipe ice cream, fudge, and other confections made using approved recipes and ingredients. The business model involves franchisees adhering to the Kilwins System, including branding, trade dress, operating procedures, and sourcing from affiliates like Kilwins Quality Confections, LLC, with options for franchisor-built stores. Target market is persons over the age of two, including tourists in seasonal locations.
Franchise Costs
5% royalty + 3% marketing contribution + $805/mo technology, software, training, and network fees
Financial Performance
Item 19 Financial Performance
Data Based On: The results represent 128 franchised Kilwins Stores, in operation during the entire period of January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024, that reported Gross Sales. Excluded from these results were 11 seasonally operated stores, 3 stores without full cooking capacity, 15 franchised stores not open for the entire 12-month period (even seasonally), and 12 stores excluded due to closures from significant hurricane impact.
* The document provides 'Cost of Sales (2023)' as an average of 30% of Gross Sales and 'Non-Owner Payroll (2023)' as an average of 23% of Gross Sales, based on 106 franchised stores. However, Section 6 on page 4 explicitly states that franchisees will incur numerous other significant expenses not included in these percentages, such as royalty fees, local advertising expenditures, contributions to Marketing and Regional Funds, rent, occupancy costs, employee benefits, debt service, insurance, and various other operational and administrative costs. Due to the absence of comprehensive expense data, it is not possible to reliably calculate a best guess for net profit or net income range with the given information without making unsupported assumptions about these additional, significant costs.
Extracted Item 19 Section
How KILWINS Compares
Key Insights
- Higher investment than 93% of Desserts & Ice Cream franchises
- Top 10 largest franchise system in Desserts & Ice Cream
- One of the lowest SBA loan default rates in Desserts & Ice Cream
| Franchise | Investment | Fee | Royalty | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
KILWINS Current | $513K – $880K | $40K | 5.0% | 168 |
| RITA'S FRANCHISE COMPANY, LLC; RITA'S ICE-CUSTARD-HAPPINESS | $315K – $713K | $35K | 6.5% | 569 |
| MENCHIE'S | $165K – $425K | $40K | 6.0% | 296 |
| DIPPIN' DOTS | $139K – $399K | $35K | 6.0% | 260 |
| MARBLE SLAB CREAMERY | $355K – $477K | $25K | 6.0% | 249 |
| HAAGEN DAZS SHOP | $215K – $568K | $30K | 4.0% | 207 |
Desserts & Ice Cream Average 28 franchises | $327K – $657K | $36K | 7.0% | – |
* Comparison based on latest FDD filings. Investment ranges from Item 7, fees from Item 5. Showing top 5 of 28 Desserts & Ice Cream franchises by location count.
Locations & Growth
Outlet Growth Over Time
Total outlets at end of each year
Geographic Distribution (2024)
Outlets by state across the United States
+14 more states
SBA Loan History
Historical SBA 7(a) loan data for KILWINS franchisees (2010 – 2025)
Loans by Year
SBA 7(a) loan activity over time
* Data sourced from SBA 7(a) FOIA loan records. Default rate calculated from charged-off loans.
Due Diligence
Litigation (Item 3)
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
System Health (Item 20)
Franchise system changes reported in the most recent fiscal year
Frequently Asked Questions
The total initial investment to open a KILWINS franchise ranges from $513,484 to $880,343. This includes a franchise fee of $40,000. Ongoing royalty fees are 5.0% of gross sales.
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