Ace Hardware vs The UPS Store: franchise cost side by side

The UPS Store is the cheaper of the two to open, from $114,026; Ace Hardware starts at $603,850.

Every figure comes from the brand's FDD, the disclosure file it must hand you before you sign.

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The UPS Store is the cheaper to open, from $114,026.

Ace Hardware starts at $603,850, the lowest cost to open given in each FDD.

From each FDD	Ace Hardware	The UPS Store
Total cost to open	$603,850 to $2,001,550	$114,026 to $413,260
Upfront fee	$5,000	$14,950 to $39,950
Royalty (ongoing fee)	None, because the store owners own Ace together as a co-op	5% of sales
Marketing fund	$6,000 in the first year, then 2% of the prior year's purchases	2.5% of sales, plus 1% for local marketing
Published sales	$2,997,732 a year (average of 343 locations, 2023)	None published
Outlets	4,885 franchised, 259 company	5,487 franchised, 16 company
Year filed	2025	2026

More comparisons with Ace Hardware and The UPS Store

Every brand's fee, royalty and Item 7 range is also in one table you can download: the franchise fee comparison.

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