How much does a Flip Flop Shops franchise cost?
Opening a Flip Flop Shops franchise takes a total initial investment of $182,900 to $349,000, according to the brand's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document. The FDD's Item 19 reports median annual sales volume of $333,235 across 36 outlets.
Flip Flop Shops franchises shops. Category: Retail.
Item 7
What it costs to open a Flip Flop Shops franchise
The franchisor's own estimated initial investment, as disclosed in its 2025 FDD. The total is $182,900 to $349,000. Each line below carries the FDD page it was read from.
Where the money goes
The largest costs are Initial Inventory/Supplies ($80,000 to $120,000), Additional Funds – 3 Months ($0 to $55,000), and Leasehold Improvements ($20,000 to $50,000). Together they make up about 64% of the high-end estimate.
Our arithmetic from the Item 7 table below.
| Expenditure | Low | High | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Fee2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 8 | $30,000 | $30,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 8 |
| On-site Opening Assistance and Evaluation2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 8 | $1,000 | $5,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 8 |
| Rent for First 3 Months2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 8 | $12,900 | $18,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 8 |
| Security Deposit2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 8 | $5,000 | $15,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 8 |
| Leasehold Improvements2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 8 | $20,000 | $50,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 8 |
| Signage2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 8 | $8,000 | $8,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 8 |
| Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 8 | $15,000 | $22,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 8 |
| Initial Training Expenses2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 8 | $1,500 | $3,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 8 |
| Point of Sale and Computer Hardware and Software2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 9 | $3,500 | $7,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 9 |
| Initial Inventory/ | $80,000 | $120,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 9 |
| Professional Services2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 9 | $2,500 | $5,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 9 |
| Promotional Expenses2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 9 | $2,500 | $5,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 9 |
| Insurance2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 9 | $1,000 | $6,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 9 |
| Additional Funds – 3 Months2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 9 | $0 | $55,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 9 |
| Total estimated initial investment2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 8-9 | $182,900 | $349,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 8-9 |
Source Flip Flop Shops, 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 8-9, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-15.
Item 19
What Flip Flop Shops franchisees actually report earning
median annual sales volume
$333,235
Flip Flop Shops' 2025 FDD, Item 19, for the 2024. Basis: Franchised shops located within the United States and its territories that were open for at least one full calendar year.
Sample size: 36 outlets. The FDD also reports average annual sales volume of $473,319. We lead with the median because an average is pulled upward by the strongest outlets; the median is the middle outlet.
What the franchisor excluded from this figure
- Information for Stores outside of the 50 United States, territories, territories, and Canada is not included in this Item 19.
- This financial performance representation reflects only revenue of the Franchise Shops and does not reflect any costs of sales, operating expenses, and other costs or expenses that you will incur in operating the Store, including the royalty fees and advertising contribution that you must pay under the terms of the Franchise Agreement.
- This financial performance representation also does not include debt service or equipment lease costs that may be incurred in the operation of a Flip Flop Shops Store.
- This financial performance representation does not include any information about the federal income taxes payable on any net income derived from the operation of the Store or state or local net income or gross profits taxes that may be applicable in the jurisdiction in which your Store is located.
This is a disclosure of what some existing outlets reported, not a projection of what a new Flip Flop Shops outlet would earn. Your results will differ.
Source Flip Flop Shops, 2025 FDD, Item 19, p. 33-35, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-15.
Item 20
How many Flip Flop Shops outlets there are, and how many closed
Flip Flop Shops ended 2024 with 47 franchised outlets and no company-owned outlets. In that year 10 franchised outlets opened and 12 left the system.
Three years at a glance
From 2022 through 2024, Flip Flop Shops opened 33 franchised outlets and 35 outlets left the system. That is a net loss of 2, from 49 to 47 franchised outlets. Of the outlets that left, 2 were terminated, 2 were not renewed, and 31 closed for other reasons.
On average, about 23% of franchised outlets left the system each year, roughly 1 in 4.
Our arithmetic from the FDD's Item 20 table below. "Left the system" counts every outlet the franchisor reports as terminated, not renewed, bought back, or closed for other reasons.
| Year | Start | Opened | Terminated | Non-renewed | Reacquired | Ceased, other | End | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 49 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 47 | 2025 FDD, Item 20, p. 39 |
| 2023 | 56 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 49 | 2025 FDD, Item 20, p. 39 |
| 2022 | 49 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 56 | 2025 FDD, Item 20, p. 39 |
Source Flip Flop Shops, 2025 FDD, Item 20, p. 37-40, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-15.
Compare
How Flip Flop Shops compares with other Retail franchises
Measured against the 39 Retail franchises on this site, using each brand's own FDD.
- Cost to open. The middle of Flip Flop Shops' estimated range is $265,950. It costs less to open than 68% of Retail franchises here.
- Outlets leaving each year. 23% for Flip Flop Shops. That is higher than 100% of the 37 Retail franchises with at least 10 outlets.
- Three-year growth. Flip Flop Shops' franchised system shrank 4.1%. The typical Retail franchise here shrank 0.5%.
- Earnings disclosure. 25 of the 39 Retail franchises here publish earnings figures in Item 19. Flip Flop Shops 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 Retail franchise side by side.
Alert me when Flip Flop Shops files a new FDD
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