Franchise opportunities compared
Aerus vs Scout Mollys
Reviewed figures from each brand's Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), side by side. Each figure carries its FDD year and page. This is not a ranking or recommendation, and the two FDDs may cover different years and location groups.
Before you compare
- Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
- Aerus discloses more than one business format, so the investment range spans formats; the full report breaks them out.
- Only Scout Mollys has reviewed Item 19 figures here.
| Disclosure |  Aerus | SMScout Mollys |
|---|---|---|
| Financial commitment | ||
| Estimated initial investment (Item 7) | $16,000 – $417,890 2026 FDD · Item 7 | $319,000 – $388,000 Single-unit Total 2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 15 |
| Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5) | $3,000 Item 5 lists separate fees for Standard and Associate Programs. 2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 18 | $60,000 2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 9 |
| Royalty (Item 6) | 8% · percent of Gross Sales Royalty 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 22 | $7.00 Royalty rate 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 10 |
| Brand / advertising fund (Item 6) | Not available No reviewed brand or advertising fund fee | $1.00 Brand Development Fund contribution 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 10 |
| System scale & health | ||
| Total outlets (Item 20) | 151 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 62 | 19 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 41 |
| Net outlet change (Item 20) | −49 Calculated: 200 at end of 2023 → 151 at end of 2025 | −3 Calculated: 22 at end of 2023 → 19 at end of 2025 |
| Outlet exits (Item 20) | Not available No complete exit records for a year | Not available No complete exit records for a year |
| Franchising since (Item 1) | 2002 2026 FDD · Item 1 · PDF p. 10 | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Franchisor founded (Item 1) | 2001 2026 FDD · Item 1 · PDF p. 10 | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Performance (Item 19) | ||
| Financial performance (Item 19), by location group | Not disclosed — no Item 19 financial performance representation | Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Scout & Molly's Top third gross-sales group $1,198,371 other Top third average Gross Sales · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 39 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Scout & Molly's Middle third gross-sales group $844,427 other Middle third average Gross Sales · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 39 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Scout & Molly's Bottom third gross-sales group $266,177 other Bottom third average Gross Profit · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 39 |
Item 19 groups are shown separately and never combined. Revenue or sales figures are not profit. Net outlet change and turnover are Franopolis calculations from the disclosed counts; turnover is a count-based rate, not a measure of owner earnings.