Start a Learning Express Toys & Gifts Franchise in 2025

Franchise 500 Rank: N/R Not ranked last year

Initial investment: $195K - $378K

Units as of 2024: 88 2.3% over 3 years

From fun, innovative toys to their personalized gifts, Learning Express Toys & Gifts provides children with activities and events to entertain them for days. The company was founded in 1987 and has been selling its trademark toys, books, games, and children’s accessories for several decades. From the company's birth to its present, the Learning Express Toys & Gifts franchise has grown to have many franchised stores in states all over the U.S.

The perfect franchisee of Learning Express Toys & Gifts store is persistent and hard-working. You should have the leadership skills to be a role model to your employees and be fully trained to support your team.

Why You May Want to Start a Learning Express Toys & Gifts Franchise

Learning Express Toys & Gifts has a mission of commitment to the team, product, and the "Wow!" experience for a quality customer experience (otherwise known as TPW!). This mission is key to bringing in consistent sales. Strong store support also strengthens the brand, as well as the team of franchisees.

The franchisor’s goal is to have the home office, vendors, and franchisees come together to form a global support community. To make this possible, Learning Express Toys & Gifts offers both clients and franchisees the help they need through phone calls, email, and text messaging.

What Might Make Learning Express Toys & Gifts a Good Choice?

There are several benefits offered to the customer through Learning Express Toys & Gifts, including product demonstrations, a birthday gift registry, free gift wrapping services, free personalization, and fundraising program projects at each of their stores. Each of these aspects offers you, as the franchisee, a broader spectrum of products to offer your clientele.

If you are wondering if opening a Learning Express Toys & Gifts franchise is for you, ask for a copy of the Franchise Disclosure Document. This document shares a wide variety of information that will assist you in making your decision regarding your opportunity with the company. Unfortunately, Learning Express Toys & Gifts does not offer in-house financing, but they are registered with the Small Business Administration. Through them, Learning Express Toys & Gifts might be able to help you secure a loan with third-party funding. These loans could help cover the franchise fee, equipment finance, startup costs, inventory finance, and payroll.

How Do You Open a Learning Express Toys & Gifts Franchise?

In order to own and operate a Learning Express Toys & Gifts franchise, you will want to be prepared with a substantial amount of liquid assets. You should be ready for an initial franchise fee, and you should expect extra costs in additional fees and working capital as well.

While starting a franchise is definitely an investment, you can access pretty much everything from software and inventory to furniture and insurance. In addition, you'll have the chance to chat with their current franchisors as you move forward in the process, which can give you a great idea of the day-to-day operations. You can share your business plan with them as well for additional feedback.

Before you know it, you will be bringing the joy of a Learning Express Toys & Gifts franchise into your community.

Company Overview

About Learning Express Toys & Gifts

Industry	Children's Businesses
Related Categories	Children's Retail, Miscellaneous Children's Businesses, Miscellaneous Retail Businesses
Founded	1987
Leadership	Lauren Derse, CEO
Corporate Address	P.O. Box 1370 Pepperell, MA 01463
Social	Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest

Business Overview

Franchising Since	1990 (35 years)
# of employees at HQ	26
Where seeking	This company is offering new franchises throughout the US.
# of Units	88 (as of 2024)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a Learning Express Toys & Gifts 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.	$195,275 - $378,251
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.	$300,000
Cash Requirement Definition: The minimum liquid capital you must have available in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company.	$125,000
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.	5%
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.

Third Party Financing	Learning Express Toys & Gifts has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: franchise fee, startup costs, equipment, inventory, accounts receivable, 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	228 hours
Classroom Training	28 hours
Ongoing Support	Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings & Conventions 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	8-12
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