KILWINS

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.

168
Locations
$513K–$880K
Investment
Since 1981
Franchising
Food & BeveragePetoskey, MILevine Leichtman Capital Partners, LLCwww.kilwins.comDisclaimer

Franchise Costs


Franchise Fee
$40,000
Item 5 of FDD
Initial Investment Range
$513,484 $880,343
Low: $513,484High: $880,343
Item 7 of FDD
Royalty Rate
5.00%
of gross sales
Brand Fund
3.00%
Item 6 of FDD
Fixed Monthly Fees
$805 – $805
Item 6 of FDD

5% royalty + 3% marketing contribution + $805/mo technology, software, training, and network fees

Financial Performance


Item 19 Financial Performance

Average Gross Revenue
$0
Median Gross Revenue
$0

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
FranchiseInvestmentFeeRoyaltyLocations
KILWINS
Current
$513K – $880K$40K5.0%168
RITA'S FRANCHISE COMPANY, LLC; RITA'S ICE-CUSTARD-HAPPINESS$315K – $713K$35K6.5%569
MENCHIE'S$165K – $425K$40K6.0%296
DIPPIN' DOTS$139K – $399K$35K6.0%260
MARBLE SLAB CREAMERY$355K – $477K$25K6.0%249
HAAGEN DAZS SHOP$215K – $568K$30K4.0%207
Desserts & Ice Cream Average
28 franchises
$327K – $657K$36K7.0%

* 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

Top States
1FL
36
2MI
20
3NC
17
4GA
12
5IL
12
6TX
8
7SC
7
8NY
5
9VA
5
10PA
5
11TN
4
12CO
4
13AL
4
14WI
3
15IN
3

+14 more states

SBA Loan History


Historical SBA 7(a) loan data for KILWINS franchisees (20102025)

Total Loans
96
Average Loan
$437,202
Total Volume
$42.0M
Default Rate
0.0%

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)

Franchisee Cases0
No litigation involving franchisees reported

Bankruptcy (Item 4)

Bankruptcy HistoryNo
No bankruptcy history reported

System Health (Item 20)

Franchise system changes reported in the most recent fiscal year

Terminations
0
Non-Renewals
0
Reacquired
1
Ceased Ops
5
Transfers
4
Sold to Franchisees
0
Projected New
17

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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