Franchise opportunities compared

    Great Clips, Inc. vs Sola Salon

    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.

    Initial investment · Item 7

    Great Clips, Inc.

    $14,000 – $187,800

    2026 FDD · Item 7

    Sola Salon

    $950,214 – $3,856,592

    2026 FDD · Item 7

    Initial franchise fee · Item 5

    Great Clips, Inc.

    $20,000

    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 17

    Sola Salon

    Not available

    Royalty · Item 6

    Great Clips, Inc.

    6%

    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 20

    Sola Salon

    5.5%

    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 15

    Before you compare

    • Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
    • Great Clips, Inc. and Sola Salon disclose more than one business format, so the investment range spans formats; the full report breaks them out.
    • Item 19 figures cover the location groups each FDD names (Great Clips, Inc.: 11, Sola Salon: 16). Different groups are not directly comparable.

    Financial commitment

    Estimated initial investment (Item 7)

    Great Clips, Inc.

    $14,000 – $187,800
    2026 FDD · Item 7

    Sola Salon

    $950,214 – $3,856,592
    2026 FDD · Item 7
    Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)

    Great Clips, Inc.

    $20,000
    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 17

    Sola Salon

    Not available
    No single standard fee identified
    Royalty (Item 6)

    Great Clips, Inc.

    6%
    OTHER FEES Type of Fee 1 Amount Due Date Remarks Continuing Franchise Fee 2 — 6%
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 20

    Sola Salon

    5.5%
    Royalty Fee: 5.5% of Gross Revenue, with a minimum of $500 per month; franchisees who signed franchise or development agreements before 2020 may pay a lower monthly Royalty Fee.
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 15
    Brand / advertising fund (Item 6)

    Great Clips, Inc.

    $40,000
    lus a non - refundable Initial Advertising Contribution to the MDAF of $5,000 (i.e., — 40000
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 18

    Sola Salon

    1.5% of “mam”) program up to 2% of gross revenue per month, currently — 1.5
    i-Area Marketing
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 15

    System scale & health

    Total outlets (Item 20)

    Great Clips, Inc.

    4,439
    Outlets at end of 2024
    2025 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 69

    Sola Salon

    744
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 57
    Net outlet change (Item 20)

    Great Clips, Inc.

    +12
    Calculated: 4,427 at end of 2022 → 4,439 at end of 2024

    Sola Salon

    +47
    Calculated: 697 at end of 2023 → 744 at end of 2025
    Outlet exits (Item 20)

    Great Clips, Inc.

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year

    Sola Salon

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year
    Franchising since (Item 1)

    Great Clips, Inc.

    1983
    From a verified franchisor listing

    Sola Salon

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records
    Franchisor founded (Item 1)

    Great Clips, Inc.

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Sola Salon

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Financial performance (Item 19), by location group

    Great Clips, Inc.
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — All2025eligible-to-open salons
    $8,484
    other Table1 Product Sales
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 61
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — $350 - $400thousand annualsales
    $68,492
    other Table3 $350 - $400 thousand annualsales
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 63
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — $450 - $500thousand annualsales
    22.54 percent
    other Table3 $450 - $500 thousand annualsales
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 63
    +8 more groups in the full report
    Sola Salon
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Company-ownedcostadjustments
    $3,600
    other manager perform marketing services. Franchisees are required to spend a minimum
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 55
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — 7. Total 2025. Of the 62 locations that
    66.1 percent
    other 5. Of the 62 locations that met or exceeded the Company Reporting Criteria, 41
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 56
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — 2025 company-owned locations achieving the 95–100% occupancy band
    $419,777
    other 95.6%; the highest Gross Revenue was $938,915 and the lowest Gross Revenue was
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 56
    +13 more groups in the full report

    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.

    Great Clips, Inc. vs Sola Salon: common questions

    Which costs less to open, Great Clips, Inc. or Sola Salon?
    Great Clips, Inc.: $14,000 – $187,800 (2026 FDD · Item 7); Sola Salon: $950,214 – $3,856,592 (2026 FDD · Item 7). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for Great Clips, Inc.. At least one range spans several business formats. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.
    How do Great Clips, Inc. and Sola Salon royalties compare?
    Great Clips, Inc.: 6% (2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 20); Sola Salon: 5.5% (2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 15). Royalties as disclosed in Item 6; other recurring fees are listed separately.
    Which has more locations, Great Clips, Inc. or Sola Salon?
    Great Clips, Inc.: 4,439 (2025 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 69); Sola Salon: 744 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 57). Total outlets from Item 20. Outlet counts do not indicate territory availability or franchisee results.
    Do Great Clips, Inc. and Sola Salon disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
    Great Clips, Inc. has reviewed Item 19 figures for 11 location groups; Sola Salon has reviewed Item 19 figures for 16 location groups. Different location groups are not directly comparable, and revenue is not profit.

    Answers restate the reviewed figures above. Not a ranking or recommendation.

    How Franopolis reviews FDD figures

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