City Publications franchise
2026 filing · March 31, 2026Fewer locations
City Publications at a glance
A direct mail advertising business mailing card decks and booklets to affluent homeowners. At the end of 2025 there were 35 City Publications locations in the US, all franchised.
The business
- Franchisor
- City Publications Franchise Group, Inc
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Atlanta, Georgia
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $46K–$270K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $40K–$250K
- Set by territory; the standard fee is $89,000
- Royalty
- 3%–6%
- 6% of gross sales for card deck and booklet mailings and 3% for single-card mailings and digital advertising
- Brand fund
- None now
- No brand fund
- Agreement length
- 5 years
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 35
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 35
- Company-owned
- 0
- Change in 1 years
- −2
- Franchised locations, 2023–2025
From City Publications Franchise Group, Inc’s 2026 filing; revenue and net income from its audited financial statements, page 103; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Franchisor revenue is the company that sells the franchises (royalties, fees and anything else it earns), not what a location makes.
Where it ranks
City Publications among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | City Publications | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $158,100 | Costs less than 76% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $40,000 | Lower than 46% of franchises |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 35 | More than 59% of franchises |
How much a City Publications franchise costs
Opening one City Publications costs an estimated $46,300 to $269,900. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital. It is one of the franchises under $50K.
Source: City Publications Franchise Group, Inc, 2026 filing, page 1
City Publications franchise fee
The franchise fee is $40,000 to $250,000, set by territory; the standard fee is $89,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: City Publications Franchise Group, Inc, 2026 filing, page 10
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 6% of gross sales for card deck and booklet mailings and 3% for single-card mailings and digital advertising. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | No brand fund |
| Transfer Fee | $25,000 |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: City Publications Franchise Group, Inc, 2026 filing, pages 10 and 12
Other fees as filed, from page 11. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
No figures City Publications does not share sales or profit figures for its locations. Talking to current and former franchise owners is the usual way to learn what a location earns.
Source: City Publications Franchise Group, Inc, 2026 filing, page 33
SBA loans to City Publications franchisees
Lenders approved 10 SBA 7(a) loans for City Publications franchisees from 2014 to 2024, $2.07M in all. Of the 7 that have ended, 5 were paid in full and 2 were charged off. The other 3 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
How City Publications compares
Of the 34 printing and sign franchises on this site, City Publications is the 5th cheapest to open and the 22nd largest by number of locations.
| Figure | City Publications | Typical printing and sign brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $46K | $133K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $270K | $312K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $40K | $48K | $40K |
| US locations | 35 | 98 | 21 |
| Closed or left per year | 11.1% | 5.2% | – |
| Change in franchised locations, 1 yrs | −5.4% | −3.8% | – |
| Shares earnings figures | No | 23 of 34 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 34 brands in printing and sign franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 39 (−4) | 0 | – | – |
| 2022 | 37 (−2) | 0 | – | – |
| 2023 | 36 (−1) | 0 | – | – |
| 2024 | 40 (+4) | 0 | +8 | −4 |
| 2025 | 35 (−5) | 0 | – | – |
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 2021 to the end of 2025, franchised locations went from 43 to 35 (−8, −19%). The earlier years come from the brand's 2024 filing.
Source: City Publications Franchise Group, Inc, 2026 filing, page 34
2021–2022: City Publications Franchise Group, Inc, 2024 filing, page 32
Who owns City Publications?
City Publications franchises are sold by City Publications Franchise Group, Inc.
From City Publications Franchise Group, Inc’s 2026 filing.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | Yes. The filing describes past or pending cases involving the franchisor, its affiliates or its executives on page 9. |
|---|---|
| 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: City Publications Franchise Group, Inc, 2026 filing, litigation on page 9, bankruptcy on page 10
City Publications filings
A franchisor files a new disclosure each year it sells franchises. The figures on this page come from City Publications Franchise Group, Inc’s 2026 filing, issued March 31, 2026; the earlier ones below are on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository and the Minnesota Department of Commerce and fill in older location counts.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | March 31, 2026 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
| 2024 filing | – | Minnesota | Locations, 2021–2022 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other printing and sign franchises
All printing and sign franchises
City Publications is also on these lists: business services franchises.