Cork & Candles franchise
2025 filing · September 16, 2025GrowingShares sales figures
Cork & Candles at a glance
A scent bar where guests make their own custom-scented candles in guided sessions. At the end of 2025 there were 4 Cork & Candles locations in the US, 1 franchised and 3 company-owned, so most are run by the company itself.
The business
- Franchisor
- Cork and Candles Franchising LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $284K–$378K
- A single scent bar
- Franchise fee
- $49,500
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 7%
- 7% of weekly gross revenue, plus 2% to the brand fund and local marketing of the greater of $750 or 1% of gross revenue a month
- Brand fund
- 2%
- 2% of gross revenue, paid weekly
- Agreement length
- 10 years
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 4
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 1
- Company-owned
- 3
- Change in 3 years
- +1
- Franchised locations, 2023–2025
- States
- 1
- Most in Pennsylvania
From Cork and Candles Franchising LLC’s 2025 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Cork & Candles among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Cork & Candles | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $330,752 | Costs less than 53% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $49,500 | Higher than 64% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 7% | Higher than 70% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 4 | Fewer than 74% of franchises |
How much a Cork & Candles franchise costs
Opening a single scent bar costs an estimated $283,807 to $377,696. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
Source: Cork and Candles Franchising LLC, 2025 filing, page 1
Cork & Candles franchise fee
The franchise fee is $49,500. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Cork and Candles Franchising LLC, 2025 filing, page 9
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 7% of weekly gross revenue, plus 2% to the brand fund and local marketing of the greater of $750 or 1% of gross revenue a month. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 2% of gross revenue, paid weekly. |
| Computer Systems | $4,602 |
| Required Minimum Expenditure for Local Marketing and Advertising | $750 or 1% of Gross Revenue, whichever is greater |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Cork and Candles Franchising LLC, 2025 filing, page 10
Other fees as filed, from pages 10–16. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Cork & Candles publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: Cork and Candles Franchising LLC, 2025 filing, page 42
How Cork & Candles compares
Of the 168 entertainment franchises on this site, Cork & Candles is the 84th cheapest to open and the 98th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Cork & Candles | Typical entertainment brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $284K | $286K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $378K | $598K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $50K | $45K | $40K |
| Royalty | 7% | 6% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 2% | 1.3% | 2% |
| US locations | 4 | 8 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 113 of 168 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 168 brands in entertainment franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 0 (0) | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 (0) | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 1 (+1) | 3 | +1 | 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.
Source: Cork and Candles Franchising LLC, 2025 filing, page 47
Where Cork & Candles locations are
At the end of 2025, Cork & Candles had locations in 1 state. The most are in Pennsylvania.
- Pennsylvania4
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 1 | 3 | 4 |
Source: Cork and Candles Franchising LLC, 2025 filing, page 48
Who owns Cork & Candles?
Cork & Candles franchises are sold by Cork and Candles Franchising LLC.
From Cork and Candles Franchising LLC’s 2025 filing.
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: Cork and Candles Franchising LLC, 2025 filing, litigation on page 9, bankruptcy on page 9
Cork & Candles filings
The figures on this page come from Cork and Candles Franchising LLC’s 2025 filing, issued September 16, 2025, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 filing | September 16, 2025 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
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Cork & Candles is also on these lists: retail franchises.