CKO Kickboxing franchise

2023 filing · June 20, 2023Fewer locations

CKO Kickboxing at a glance

A kickboxing gym offering instructor-led heavy-bag kickboxing classes, including a 10-week program. At the end of 2022 there were 65 CKO Kickboxing locations in the US, all franchised.

The business

Industry: Gym; Also listed in sports and fitness
Franchisor: Club KO Franchise LLC; The company that sells the franchises
Who runs it: Manager; A trained manager can run it day to day
Franchising since: 2008; 15 years of selling franchises

What you pay

Cost to open: $125K–$252K; A CKO Kickboxing facility
Franchise fee: $35,000; Of which $12,500 covers initial training; extra facilities under a development agreement are $24,500 each
Royalty: 7%; 7% of gross revenues, collected as each sale is made. A 1% marketing fund and up to 2% for a cooperative may be added later
Brand fund: None now; 1% of gross revenue, not charged at present
Agreement length: 10 years
Territory: Protected; Protected territory
Franchisor financing: None offered
SBA Franchise Directory: Listed; SBA-backed loans are possible

Where it is

US locations, 2022: 65; Franchised and company-owned
Franchised: 65
Company-owned: 0
Change in 3 years: −20; Franchised locations, 2020–2022
States: 11; Most in New Jersey, New York and Florida

Support and records

Shares sales figures: No; Ask current owners what a location makes
SBA loans approved: 40; 2014–2026
Lawsuits disclosed: None
Bankruptcy disclosed: None
Latest filing: Jun 20, 2023; 2023 filing

From Club KO Franchise LLC’s 2023 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.

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Where it ranks

CKO Kickboxing among all franchises with the same figure.

Figure	CKO Kickboxing	Among all franchises
Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate	$188,437	Costs less than 71% of franchises
Franchise feePaid once, when you sign	$35,000	Lower than 61% of franchises
RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor	7%	Higher than 70% of brands with a set rate
US locationsFranchised and company-owned	65	More than 69% of franchises

How much a CKO Kickboxing franchise costs

Opening a CKO Kickboxing facility costs an estimated $125,012 to $251,862. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.

The biggest costs are equipment ($25,000 to $50,000) and real property (3 months) ($16,000 to $40,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:

What it pays for	Low	High
Checking/POS System	$179
Website Fee	$75
Initial Franchise Fee	$35,000
Equipment	$25,000	$50,000
Furniture & Fixtures	$1,500	$5,000
Sound Proofing	$3,500	$14,000
Real Property (3 months)	$16,000	$40,000
Leasehold Improvements; Construction Costs	$7,000	$15,000
Signage	$2,000	$5,000
Opening Inventory and supplies	$3,000	$5,000
Pre-Sale and Grand Opening Advertising	$6,500	$15,000
Travel and Initial Training	$2,500	$3,000
Insurance (3 month)	$900	$1,500
Utilities	$300	$2,000
Security Deposits	$1,800	$12,000
Blue Prints, Business Licenses and Permits	$1,000	$3,000
POS/Check-in System (3 months)	$537
Computer System	$2,000	$3,000
Website Fee – 3 months	$225
Professional Fees	$1,000	$3,000
Third Party Training Expense	$100
Sound System	$700	$4,000
Music Licensing	$500	$1,000
Surety Bond, if required by your state	$750	$2,500
Automated External Defibrillator (AED), if required by your state	$1,200	$2,000
Additional Funds (12) (3 months)	$12,000	$30,000
Total	$125,012	$251,862

Source: Club KO Franchise LLC, 2023 filing, page 14

CKO Kickboxing franchise fee

The franchise fee is $35,000, of which $12,500 covers initial training; extra facilities under a development agreement are $24,500 each. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.

Source: Club KO Franchise LLC, 2023 filing, page 10

Royalty and ongoing fees

Royalty	7% of gross revenues, collected as each sale is made. A 1% marketing fund and up to 2% for a cooperative may be added later.
Brand or marketing fund	1% of gross revenue, not charged at present.
Transfer (Franchise Agreement)	$10,000
Additional Training	$500 per day plus transportation and lodging
Local Advertising	5% of gross revenues, if market warrants

The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.

Source: Club KO Franchise LLC, 2023 filing, page 11

Other fees as filed, from page 12. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.

Sales and earnings

No figures CKO Kickboxing 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: Club KO Franchise LLC, 2023 filing, page 40

SBA loans to CKO Kickboxing franchisees

Lenders approved 40 SBA-backed loans for CKO Kickboxing franchisees from 2014 to 2026, $5.56M in all: 39 7(a) loans and 1 504 loan. Of the 26 that have ended, 20 were paid in full and 6 were charged off (23.1%). The other 14 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, 2022 / 2020–2022. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.

Measure	CKO Kickboxing	Typical gym brand	Typical franchise
GrowthNet change in franchised locations	+3.2% / −24%	+3.2% / +36%	+1.2% / +10%
ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating	6.3% / 38%	5.3% / 26%	3.9% / 16%
Bought backLocations the franchisor took back	0% / 0%	0% / 0%	0% / 0%

Typical gym brand is the median of the 37 brands in gym franchises with three years of counts.

How CKO Kickboxing compares

Of the 92 gym franchises on this site, CKO Kickboxing is the 9th cheapest to open and the 22nd largest by number of locations.

Figure	CKO Kickboxing	Typical gym brand	Typical franchise
Cost to open, low end	$125K	$342K	$222K
Cost to open, high end	$252K	$653K	$477K
Franchise fee	$35K	$50K	$40K
Royalty	7%	6.5%	6%
US locations	65	17	21
Shares earnings figures	No	53 of 92	2,147 of 3,352

Typical is the median across the 92 brands in gym franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.

Locations opened and closed

12 opened

32 closed or left

Franchised locations, last 3 years

2020

0 opened19 closed or left

66 (−19)

2021

6 opened9 closed or left

63 (−3)

2022

6 opened4 closed or left

65 (+2)

Year	Franchised	Opened	Closed
2020	66 (−19)	0	−19
2021	63 (−3)	+6	−9
2022	65 (+2)	+6	−4

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: fitness franchise costs and franchise failure rates.

Source: Club KO Franchise LLC, 2023 filing, page 41

Source filing (2023, PDF)

Where CKO Kickboxing locations are

At the end of 2022, CKO Kickboxing had franchised locations in 11 states. The most are in New Jersey, New York and Florida.

New Jersey27
New York12
Florida7
California5
Pennsylvania4
Texas3

State	Franchised
New Jersey	27
New York	12
Florida	7
California	5
Pennsylvania	4
Texas	3
New Hampshire	2
Michigan	1
Nebraska	1
Nevada	1

All 11 states

South Carolina	1

Source: Club KO Franchise LLC, 2023 filing, page 42

Who owns CKO Kickboxing?

CKO Kickboxing franchises are sold by Club KO Franchise LLC. Its filing names no parent company.

From Club KO Franchise LLC’s 2023 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: Club KO Franchise LLC, 2023 filing, litigation on page 10, bankruptcy on page 10

Source filing (2023, PDF)