GNC Franchising

Vitamins and nutrition products

2023 Franchise 500 Rank: N/R Not ranked last year

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Initial investment: $150K - $389K

Units as of 2019: 6,019 10% over 3 years

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Company Overview

In 1935, David Shakarian started a health-food store in Pittsburgh called Lackzoom. It specialized in yogurt (which his father had helped introduce to the U.S.), but also carried health-food products such as honey and grains. Beginning with $35 in receipts his first day, Shakarian expanded to six Pittsburgh-area stores in five years.

As more people became interested in natural foods and better nutrition, Shakarian opened stores in other states and changed the company's name to General Nutrition Centers (GNC). GNC also began producing its own vitamin and mineral supplements, foods, drinks and cosmetics. They started franchising in 1988. With company and franchised stores throughout the U.S. and worldwide, GNC now focuses on vitamins and nutritional supplements.

About GNC Franchising

Industry	Retail
Related Categories	Vitamin Stores, Miscellaneous Health Products
Founded	1935
Parent Company	General Nutrition Inc.
Leadership	Ken Martindale, CEO
Corporate Address	300 6th Ave., 4th Fl. Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Social	Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

Business Overview

Franchising Since	1988 (35 years)
# of employees at HQ	600
Where seeking	This company is offering new franchisees in the following US states: This company is offering new franchisees in the following international regions:
# of Units	6,019 (as of 2019)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a GNC Franchising franchise.

Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees

Here's what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.

Initial Franchise Fee Definition: The initial fee paid to a franchisor to join their system What you need to know: Found in Item 5 of the FDD, this may be a flat fee, or may vary based on territory size, experience, or other factors.The franchise fee is an up-front (one-time) cost that a new franchisee pays to the franchisor. This fee is usually due at the signing of the franchise agreement and covers the right to use the franchisor's trademarks, name, and related business systems.	$40,000
Initial Investment Definition: The total amount necessary to begin operation of the franchise What you need to know: The initial investment includes the franchise fee, along with other startup expenses such as real estate, equipment, supplies, business licenses, and working capital. This is outlined in a chart in Item 7 of the FDD, showing a range of possible costs from low to high.	$149,722 - $388,630
Net Worth Requirement Definition: The minimum net worth you must have in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company What you need to know: Net worth is the value of a person's assets minus liabilities. Assets include cash, stocks, retirement accounts, and real estate. Liabilities include items like mortgages, car payments, and credit card debt.	$330,000 - $1,000,000
Cash Requirement Definition: The minimum liquid capital you must have available in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company.	$130,000 - $1,000,000
Veteran Incentives Definition: A discount or other incentive offered to military veterans who buy a franchise with this company.	50% off first-store franchise fee
Royalty Fee Definition: A ongoing fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis. What you need to know: Most franchisors require franchisees to pay an ongoing royalty fee, which is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD. This fee is typically a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales, but may also be a flat weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	6%
Ad Royalty Fee Definition: An going fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis to support advertising or marketing efforts. What you need to know: This may also be called advertising fee, marketing fee, brand fund fee, and more, but the basic purpose is the same-- to support promotion of the brand systemwide. As with the royalty fee, it is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD, and can be a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales or a weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	3%
Term of Agreement Definition: The length of time your franchise agreement will last. What you need to know: Franchise terms are typically anywhere from 5 to 20 years in length, but are sometimes instead dependent on factors such as the term of your lease. Once your term is up, you may have the option to renew your agreement, typically for a smaller fee than the original franchise fee.	10 years
Is franchise term renewable?	Yes

Financing Options

Some franchisors offer in-house financing, while others have relationships with third-party financing sources to which they refer qualified franchisees.

In-House Financing	GNC Franchising offers in-house financing to cover the following: accounts receivable
Third Party Financing	GNC Franchising has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: franchise fee, startup costs, equipment, inventory, payroll

Training & Support Offered

Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.

On-The-Job Training	80 hours
Classroom Training	40 hours
Ongoing Support	Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings & Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security & Safety Procedures Lease Negotiation Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Support	Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social Media SEO Website Development Email Marketing Loyalty Program/App

Operations

Additional details about running this franchise.

Is absentee ownership allowed?	No
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit? Definition: The business can be run from your home and/or a vehicle, and it is not necessary to have a retail facility, office space, or warehouse.	No
Can this franchise be run part time? Definition: This business can be run by the owner on a part-time basis (less than 40 hours per week) and/or as a side business; it is not necessary for the business to be open/run full-time.	No
# of employees required to run	3-4
Are exclusive territories available? Definition: An exclusive territory is a fixed area in which you are given the right to operate and in which no other units of the same franchise may be opened. What you need to know: Territory size may be based on factors such as radius, population size, zip codes, and more. Details can be found in Item 12 of the FDD.	Yes

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Franchise 500 Ranking History

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Updated: December 12th, 2022

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GNC Franchising

Company Overview

About GNC Franchising

Business Overview

Information for Franchisees

Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees

Financing Options

Training & Support Offered

Operations

Franchise 500 Ranking History

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