Franchise opportunities compared
Dealer Specialties vs Learning Express
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
- Dealer Specialties figures come from its 2025 FDD and Learning Express figures from its 2026 FDD, so the years differ.
- Learning Express discloses more than one business format, so the investment range spans formats; the full report breaks them out.
- Only Learning Express has reviewed Item 19 figures here.
| Disclosure | DSDealer Specialties | LELearning Express |
|---|---|---|
| Financial commitment | ||
| Estimated initial investment (Item 7) | $17,400 – $44,900 Total initial investment (range 17400–44900) 2025 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 12 | $25,375 – $387,514 2026 FDD · Item 7 |
| Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5) | $10,000 2025 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 9 | $7,500 2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 11 |
| Royalty (Item 6) | $100 Royalty and continuing service minimum per dealer lot 2025 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 9 | $1,500 Royalty minimum monthly 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 11 |
| Brand / advertising fund (Item 6) | $0.03 Advertising fee per unique VIN 2025 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 9 | $1.00 Advertising contribution 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 11 |
| System scale & health | ||
| Total outlets (Item 20) | 21 Outlets at end of 2024 2025 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 31 | 86 Outlets at end of 2024 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 36 |
| Net outlet change (Item 20) | −63 Calculated: 84 at end of 2022 → 21 at end of 2024 | −4 Calculated: 90 at end of 2022 → 86 at end of 2024 |
| 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) | Not available Not in reviewed records | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Franchisor founded (Item 1) | Not available Not in reviewed records | 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 — Learning Express stores open at least one full year and comparable in size/scop… 84 stores other Reported stores · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 34 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Learning Express stores open at least one full year and comparable in size/scop… $1,081,417 other Sales 2022 · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 35 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Learning Express stores open at least one full year and comparable in size/scop… 83 stores other Stores sample count 2023 · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 35 |
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.