How much does a Cork & Candles franchise cost?
Opening a Cork & Candles franchise takes a total initial investment of $237,180 to $398,894, according to the brand's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document. That FDD's Item 19 publishes no median; it reports figures for gross sales - king of prussia: $844,659.
Cork and Candles franchises Cork and Candles Scent Bars. Category: Recreation.
Item 7
What it costs to open a Cork & Candles franchise
The franchisor's own estimated initial investment, as disclosed in its 2025 FDD. The total is $237,180 to $398,894. Each line below carries the FDD page it was read from.
Where the money goes
The largest costs are Furniture and Fixtures ($69,800 to $147,800), Additional Funds – 3 months ($31,147 to $47,913), and Leasehold Improvements, Construction and/or Remodeling ($27,000 to $45,000). Together they make up about 60% of the high-end estimate.
The initial franchise fee is $40,000, about 17% of the low-end total.
Our arithmetic from the Item 7 table below.
| Expenditure | Low | High | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 15 | $40,000 | $40,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 15 |
| Your Training Expenses2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 15 | $1,250 | $3,450 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 15 |
| Premises deposits2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 15 | $11,325 | $22,594 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 15 |
| Leasehold Improvements, Construction and/ | $27,000 | $45,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 15 |
| Furniture and Fixtures2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 15 | $69,800 | $147,800 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 15 |
| Exterior & Interior Signage2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 15 | $3,750 | $10,500 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 15 |
| Equipment2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 16-17 | $8,200 | $14,200 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 16-17 |
| Computer Systems2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 | $4,600 | $4,600 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 |
| Initial Inventory to Begin Operating2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 | $13,744 | $16,994 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 |
| Supplies2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 | $2,231 | $4,030 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 |
| Professional Fees2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 | $18,000 | $28,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 |
| Grand Opening Advertising2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 16-17 | $2,500 | $3,500 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 16-17 |
| Business Licenses and Permits2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 16-17 | $800 | $5,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 16-17 |
| Insurance2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 16-17 | $2,833 | $5,313 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 16-17 |
| Additional Funds – 3 months2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 16-17 | $31,147 | $47,913 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 16-17 |
| Total estimated initial investment2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 15-17 | $237,180 | $398,894 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 15-17 |
Source Cork & Candles, 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 15-17, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-21. Read from a scanned copy of this FDD; figures and page citations were transcribed from the page images.
Item 19
What Cork & Candles franchisees actually report earning
Cork & Candles' 2025 FDD publishes no median in its Item 19. What it publishes instead is set out below, in the document's own terms. An average is not a median: it is pulled upward by the strongest outlets, and it does not tell you what the middle outlet made. We do not calculate a median the document does not state.
Some outlets have earned this amount. Your individual results may differ. There is no assurance that you’ll earn as much.
What the FDD does publish
| Measure | Average | Low | High | Outlets | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Sales - King of PrussiaTable 1; the FDD states that the outlet is affiliate-owned. | – | $844,659 | $844,659 | 1 | 2025 FDD, Item 19, p. 42 |
| Gross Sales - Center City PhiladelphiaTable 1; the FDD states that the outlet is affiliate-owned. | – | $663,650 | $663,650 | 1 | 2025 FDD, Item 19, p. 43 |
| Gross Profit - King of Prussia | – | $581,222 | $581,222 | 1 | 2025 FDD, Item 19, p. 42 |
| Gross Profit - Center City Philadelphia | – | $478,150 | $478,150 | 1 | 2025 FDD, Item 19, p. 43 |
| Gross Profit Less Operating Expenses and Franchise Related Expenses - King of Prussia | – | $286,131 | $286,131 | 1 | 2025 FDD, Item 19, p. 42 |
| Gross Profit Less Operating Expenses and Franchise Related Expenses - Center City Philadelphia | – | $302,611 | $302,611 | 1 | 2025 FDD, Item 19, p. 43 |
| Total Cost of Services Provided - King of Prussia | – | $263,437 | $263,437 | 1 | 2025 FDD, Item 19, p. 42 |
| Total Cost of Services Provided - Center City Philadelphia | – | $185,500 | $185,500 | 1 | 2025 FDD, Item 19, p. 43 |
| Total Operating Expenses - King of Prussia | – | $219,031 | $219,031 | 1 | 2025 FDD, Item 19, p. 42 |
| Total Operating Expenses - Center City Philadelphia | – | $115,810 | $115,810 | 1 | 2025 FDD, Item 19, p. 43 |
| Total Franchise Related Expenses - King of Prussia | – | $76,060 | $76,060 | 1 | 2025 FDD, Item 19, p. 42 |
| Total Franchise Related Expenses - Center City Philadelphia | – | $59,728 | $59,728 | 1 | 2025 FDD, Item 19, p. 43 |
A dash means the FDD does not print that figure. Cork & Candles' Item 19 covers the July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024. Basis: Affiliate-owned outlets in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
What the franchisor excluded from these figures
- GM Salary and payroll taxes are excluded from Direct Labor to present earnings profile for a store run by an owner operator.
This is a disclosure of what some existing outlets reported, not a projection of what a new Cork & Candles outlet would earn. Your results will differ.
Source Cork & Candles, 2025 FDD, Item 19, p. 45, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-21. Read from a scanned copy of this FDD; figures and page citations were transcribed from the page images.
Item 20
How many Cork & Candles outlets there are, and how many closed
Cork & Candles had no franchised outlets open from 2022 through 2024, according to its FDD. At the end of 2024 it had 2 company-owned outlets.
| Year | Start | Opened | Terminated | Non-renewed | Reacquired | Ceased, other | End | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2025 FDD, Item 20, p. 47 |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2025 FDD, Item 20, p. 47 |
| 2022 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2025 FDD, Item 20, p. 47 |
Source Cork & Candles, 2025 FDD, Item 20, p. 47, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-21. Read from a scanned copy of this FDD; figures and page citations were transcribed from the page images.
Compare
How Cork & Candles compares with other Recreation franchises
Measured against the 21 Recreation franchises on this site, using each brand's own FDD.
- Cost to open. The middle of Cork & Candles' estimated range is $318,037. It costs less to open than 65% of Recreation franchises here.
- Earnings disclosure. 13 of the 21 Recreation franchises here publish earnings figures in Item 19. Cork & Candles is one of them.
Our arithmetic from each brand's Item 7 and Item 20. Growth and departure comparisons leave out brands with fewer than 10 outlets, where one opening or closure distorts the figures. See every Recreation franchise side by side.
Alert me when Cork & Candles files a new FDD
Franchisors reissue their FDD at least once a year, and the Item 7 and Item 19 figures move. Leave an email and we will send you Cork & Candles' updated numbers when the next document is published, plus the brand-comparison worksheet.
You get a confirmation email right away, then one email per new filing for the brands you ask about, and nothing else. No sharing, no selling, unsubscribe any time.