How much does a Zips Cleaners franchise cost?
Opening a Zips Cleaners franchise takes a total initial investment of $761,700 to $1,198,000, according to the brand's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document. The FDD's Item 19 reports median of $1,112,037 across 49 outlets.
ZIPS Cleaners franchises ZIPS Cleaners Businesses featuring either an on-premises physical plant or a facility where customers drop off and pick up their garments for service at a Plant Facility. Category: Business Services.
Item 7
What it costs to open a Zips Cleaners franchise
The franchisor's own estimated initial investment, as disclosed in its 2025 FDD. The total is $761,700 to $1,198,000. Each line below carries the FDD page it was read from.
Where the money goes
The largest costs are Dry Cleaning / Laundry Production Equipment and Installation ($325,000 to $425,000), Leasehold Improvements ($195,000 to $290,000), and Additional Operating Funds – 6 months ($100,000 to $200,000). Together they make up about 76% of the high-end estimate.
The initial franchise fee is $15,000 to $30,000, about 2.0% of the low-end total.
Our arithmetic from the Item 7 table below.
| Expenditure | Low | High | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Fees - Initial Franchise Fee2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 12 | $15,000 | $30,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 12 |
| New Store Marketing2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 12 | $15,000 | $25,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 12 |
| Real Property/ | $10,000 | $20,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 13 |
| Utility Deposits2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 13 | $2,000 | $6,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 13 |
| Leasehold Improvements2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 13 | $195,000 | $290,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 13 |
| Architectural and Engineering Fees2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 13 | $10,000 | $35,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 13 |
| Furnishings, Fixtures, Marketing Materials, Supplies, and Other Branded Items2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 13 | $28,000 | $35,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 13 |
| Insurance2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 13 | $3,000 | $7,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 13 |
| Signage2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 13 | $8,000 | $15,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 13 |
| Point of Sale System/ | $16,000 | $25,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 13 |
| Software2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 13 | $7,500 | $7,500 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 13 |
| Office Equipment & Supplies2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 13 | $1,200 | $4,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 13 |
| Dry Cleaning / | $325,000 | $425,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 13 |
| Initial Production Supplies2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 13 | $24,000 | $30,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 13 |
| Training2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 13 | $500 | $30,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 13 |
| Licenses and Permits and Professional Fees2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 | $1,500 | $13,500 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 |
| Additional Operating Funds – 6 months2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 | $100,000 | $200,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 |
| Total estimated initial investment2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 12-15 | $761,700 | $1,198,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 12-15 |
Source Zips Cleaners, 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 12-15, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-15.
Item 19
What Zips Cleaners franchisees actually report earning
Median
$1,112,037
Zips Cleaners' 2025 FDD, Item 19, for the January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024. Basis: ZIPS Cleaners Businesses operated by franchisees.
Sample size: 49 outlets. The FDD also reports average of $1,256,748. 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
- One Franchised Business is not included in the Plant Stores calculations because it was closed for a month due to relocation.
- Five Franchised Businesses are not included in the Plant Stores calculations because they did not provide financial detail for the entire year.
- One Franchised Business is not included in the Drop Stores calculations because it did not provide financial detail for the entire year.
This is a disclosure of what some existing outlets reported, not a projection of what a new Zips Cleaners outlet would earn. Your results will differ.
Source Zips Cleaners, 2025 FDD, Item 19, p. 44-46, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-15.
Item 20
How many Zips Cleaners outlets there are, and how many closed
Zips Cleaners ended 2024 with 70 franchised outlets and 2 company-owned outlets. In that year 4 franchised outlets opened and none left the system.
Three years at a glance
From 2022 through 2024, Zips Cleaners opened 9 franchised outlets and 3 outlets left the system. That is a net gain of 6, from 64 to 70 franchised outlets. Of the outlets that left, 3 closed for other reasons.
On average, about 1.6% of franchised outlets left the system each year, roughly 1 in 64.
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 | 66 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 70 | 2025 FDD, Item 20, p. 50 |
| 2023 | 63 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 66 | 2025 FDD, Item 20, p. 50 |
| 2022 | 64 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 63 | 2025 FDD, Item 20, p. 50 |
Source Zips Cleaners, 2025 FDD, Item 20, p. 48-50, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-15.
Compare
How Zips Cleaners compares with other Business Services franchises
Measured against the 140 Business Services franchises on this site, using each brand's own FDD.
- Cost to open. The middle of Zips Cleaners' estimated range is $979,850. It costs more to open than 96% of Business Services franchises here.
- Outlets leaving each year. 1.6% for Zips Cleaners. That is lower than 96% of the 101 Business Services franchises with at least 10 outlets.
- Three-year growth. Zips Cleaners' franchised system grew 9.4%. The typical Business Services franchise here grew 4.3%.
- Earnings disclosure. 71 of the 140 Business Services franchises here publish earnings figures in Item 19. Zips Cleaners 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 Business Services franchise side by side.
Alert me when Zips Cleaners files a new FDD
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