Bella Bridesmaids franchise
2024 filing · May 1, 2024Fewer locationsShares sales figures
Bella Bridesmaids at a glance
A bridesmaid dress boutique selling designer bridesmaid and wedding party dresses by appointment. At the end of 2023 there were 45 Bella Bridesmaids locations in the US, 41 franchised and 4 company-owned.
The business
- Industry
- Retail
- Franchisor
- Bella Bridesmaids Franchise Group, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Current franchisor selling since
- 2012
- 12 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Chicago, Illinois
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $103K–$262K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $50,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 4%
- The greater of 4% of gross monthly revenue or $600 a month
- Brand fund
- Yes
- Set by the previous year's sales, starting at $1,000 a year for sales up to $300,000
- Renewal fee
- See terms
- Our then current renewal fee, which is currently $6,000
- Agreement length
- 5 years
- Territory
- Limited
- Limited protection
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2023
- 45
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 41
- Company-owned
- 4
- Change in 3 years
- −16
- Franchised locations, 2021–2023
- States
- 26
- Most in Louisiana, California and Florida
From Bella Bridesmaids Franchise Group, LLC’s 2024 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Bella Bridesmaids among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Bella Bridesmaids | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $182,450 | Costs less than 72% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $50,000 | Higher than 70% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 4% | Lower than 93% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 45 | More than 63% of franchises |
| Sales per locationYearly, as the brand reports it | $363,289 | Lower than 84% of brands that share sales figures |
| Sales against cost to openYearly sales over the cost midpoint | 2.0× | Higher than 63% of brands that share sales figures |
How much a Bella Bridesmaids franchise costs
Opening one Bella Bridesmaids costs an estimated $102,900 to $262,000. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are initial franchise fee ($50,000) and leasehold improvements and construction ($2,000 to $50,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $50,000 | ||
| Security Deposit | $10,000 | ||
| Initial Lease Payments | $1,800 | $30,000 | |
| Initial Inventory and Supplies | $10,000 | $30,000 | |
| Equipment and Fixtures | $2,000 | $10,000 | |
| Leasehold Improvements and Construction | $2,000 | $50,000 | |
| Utility Deposits, Business Permits | $100 | $500 | |
| Costs to Attend Training | $1,300 | $3,500 | |
| Insurance | $1,500 | $5,000 | |
| Exterior Signs | $200 | $10,000 | |
| Computer System | $1,000 | $5,000 | |
| Professional Fees | $1,000 | $8,000 | |
| Opening Advertising & Promotional Costs | $2,000 | $10,000 | |
| Additional Funds (first three months) | $20,000 | $40,000 | |
| Total | $102,900 | $262,000 | |
Source: Bella Bridesmaids Franchise Group, LLC, 2024 filing, page 18
Bella Bridesmaids franchise fee
The franchise fee is $50,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Bella Bridesmaids Franchise Group, LLC, 2024 filing, page 9
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | The greater of 4% of gross monthly revenue or $600 a month. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | Set by the previous year's sales, starting at $1,000 a year for sales up to $300,000. |
| Renewal Fee | Our then current renewal fee, which is currently $6,000 |
| Local Advertising | A minimum of 1% of annual Gross Revenues |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Bella Bridesmaids Franchise Group, LLC, 2024 filing, pages 10 and 11
Other fees as filed, from pages 11–12. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Bella Bridesmaids publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
- Average revenue
- $363,289
- Median revenue
- $290,315
Yearly figures for 2023, covering franchised stores open all of 2023 (41 locations). The average is about 2 times the midpoint of the cost to open.
Sales are what a location takes in before rent, payroll, royalties and other costs, not what its owner keeps.
Source: Bella Bridesmaids Franchise Group, LLC, 2024 filing, page 43
SBA loans to Bella Bridesmaids franchisees
Lenders approved 10 SBA 7(a) loans for Bella Bridesmaids franchisees from 2018 to 2024, $1.58M in all. Of the 5 that have ended, 4 were paid in full and 1 was charged off. The other 5 haven’t ended yet.
A charged-off loan is one written off as uncollectible. See SBA franchise loans for how 7(a) and 504 loans work.
Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 loan data, as of September 30, 2026
Growth and closures
Share of franchised locations, 2023 / 2021–2023. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | Bella Bridesmaids | Typical retail brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | −25% / −28% | −0.4% / 0% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 22% / 23% | 5.4% / 18% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 3.6% / 5.3% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical retail brand is the median of the 114 brands in retail franchises with three years of counts.
How Bella Bridesmaids compares
Of the 302 retail franchises on this site, Bella Bridesmaids is the 57th cheapest to open and the 132nd largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Bella Bridesmaids | Typical retail brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $103K | $198K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $262K | $425K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $50K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 4% | 5.7% | 6% |
| Sales per location | $363K | $724K | $794K |
| US locations | 45 | 38 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 187 of 302 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 302 brands in retail franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 57 (+4) | 1 | – | – |
| 2020 | 57 (0) | 1 | – | – |
| 2021 | 57 (0) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 55 (−2) | 2 | 0 | −2 |
| 2023 | 41 (−14) | 4 | 0 | −14 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: franchise failure rates.
Over 5 years, from the start of 2019 to the end of 2023, franchised locations went from 53 to 41 (−12, −23%). The earlier years come from the brand's 2022 filing.
Source: Bella Bridesmaids Franchise Group, LLC, 2024 filing, page 44
2019–2020: Bella Bridesmaids Franchise Group, LLC, 2022 filing, page 43
Where Bella Bridesmaids locations are
At the end of 2023, Bella Bridesmaids had locations in 27 states and territories. The most are in Louisiana, California and Florida.
- Louisiana4
- California3
- Florida3
- South Carolina3
- Tennessee3
- Alabama2
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| California | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Florida | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| South Carolina | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Tennessee | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Alabama | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Connecticut | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Illinois | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| New Jersey | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| New York | 1 | 1 | 2 |
All 27 states
| North Carolina | 2 |
|---|---|
| Texas | 2 |
| Arizona | 1 |
| Colorado | 1 |
| District of Columbia | 1 |
| Georgia | 1 |
| Indiana | 1 |
| Kansas | 1 |
| Maryland | 1 |
| Massachusetts | 1 |
| Michigan | 1 |
| Missouri | 1 |
| Nevada | 1 |
| Ohio | 1 |
| Oklahoma | 1 |
| Pennsylvania | 1 |
| Wisconsin | 1 |
Source: Bella Bridesmaids Franchise Group, LLC, 2024 filing, page 45
Who owns Bella Bridesmaids?
Bella Bridesmaids franchises are sold by Bella Bridesmaids Franchise Group, LLC. Its filing names no parent company.
From Bella Bridesmaids Franchise Group, LLC’s 2024 filing, page 7.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | None. The filing says no litigation has to be disclosed. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: Bella Bridesmaids Franchise Group, LLC, 2024 filing, litigation on page 9, bankruptcy on page 9
Bella Bridesmaids filings
A franchisor files a new disclosure each year it sells franchises. The figures on this page come from Bella Bridesmaids Franchise Group, LLC’s 2024 filing, issued May 1, 2024; the earlier ones below are on record with the Minnesota Department of Commerce and the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository and fill in older location counts.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 filing | May 1, 2024 | Minnesota | Costs, fees and locations, 2021–2023 |
| 2022 filing | May 11, 2022 | NASAA depository | Locations, 2019–2020 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
