Gymboree Play & Music franchise
2026 filing · April 15, 2026Fewer locationsShares sales figures
Gymboree Play & Music at a glance
A children's center offering play, music and art classes for babies, toddlers and young children. At the end of 2025 there were 35 Gymboree Play & Music locations in the US, all franchised.
The business
- Franchisor
- GPPI, Inc
- The company that sells the franchises
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $169K–$409K
- A standard center
- Franchise fee
- $45,000
- $35,000 for a Metro Play center, $20,000 for a mobile center
- Royalty
- 6%
- 6% of gross receipts, paid monthly, plus up to 5% to the brand fund (currently 3.25%) and at least $4,000 a year on local advertising
- Brand fund
- 3.25%
- 3.25% of gross receipts, paid with the royalty; it can rise to 5%
- Renewal fee
- See terms
- 10% of our then-current initial franchise fee
- Agreement length
- 10 years
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 35
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 35
- Company-owned
- 0
- Change in 3 years
- −6
- Franchised locations, 2023–2025
- States
- 12
- Most in California, New Jersey and New York
Support and records
From GPPI, Inc’s 2026 filing; revenue and net income from its audited financial statements, page 73; 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
Gymboree Play & Music among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Gymboree Play & Music | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $289,200 | Costs less than 58% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $45,000 | Higher than 55% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 6% | Higher than 35% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 35 | More than 59% of franchises |
| Sales per locationYearly, as the brand reports it | $246,860 | Lower than 92% of brands that share sales figures |
| Sales against cost to openYearly sales over the cost midpoint | 0.9× | Lower than 86% of brands that share sales figures |
How much a Gymboree Play & Music franchise costs
Opening a standard center costs an estimated $169,300 to $409,100. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are construction, architectural fees, related expenses ($0 to $150,000) and additional funds for first 3 months ($30,000 to $60,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee (1st Center) | $45,000 | ||
| Lease Rental and Deposits (3 months’ rent) | $12,000 | $45,000 | |
| Broker Commissions, Key Money for Real Estate | $0 | $2,000 | |
| Construction, Architectural Fees, Related Expenses | $0 | $150,000 | |
| Equipment | $55,000 | $58,700 | |
| Décor and Signage | $4,400 | $9,000 | |
| Opening Inventory | $12,100 | $13,000 | |
| Pre-opening Salaries and Training (travel and living expenses) | $250 | $4,000 | |
| Office Equipment and Supplies | $5,500 | $10,000 | |
| Insurance | $3,300 | $6,100 | |
| Utility Deposits | $250 | $500 | |
| Professional Fees | $1,000 | $5,000 | |
| Music Rights | $500 | $800 | |
| Additional Funds for First 3 Months | $30,000 | $60,000 | |
| Total | $169,300 | $409,100 | |
Source: GPPI, Inc, 2026 filing, page 21
Gymboree Play & Music franchise fee
The franchise fee is $45,000, $35,000 for a Metro Play center, $20,000 for a mobile center. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: GPPI, Inc, 2026 filing, page 16
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 6% of gross receipts, paid monthly, plus up to 5% to the brand fund (currently 3.25%) and at least $4,000 a year on local advertising. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 3.25% of gross receipts, paid with the royalty; it can rise to 5%. |
| Renewal Fee | 10% of our then-current initial franchise fee |
| Local Marketing Expenditures | Not less than $4,000 per calendar year per Center |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: GPPI, Inc, 2026 filing, page 18
Other fees as filed, from pages 18–20. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Gymboree Play & Music publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
- Average sales
- $246,860
- Median sales
- $222,052
Yearly figures for 2025, covering full-scale Play & Music centers in 2025 (34 locations). The average is about 0.9 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: GPPI, Inc, 2026 filing, pages 54–55
SBA loans to Gymboree Play & Music franchisees
Lenders approved 96 SBA-backed loans for Gymboree Play & Music franchisees from 1991 to 2025, $14M in all: 95 7(a) loans and 1 504 loan. Of the 93 that have ended, 75 were paid in full and 18 were charged off (19.4%). 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
Growth and closures
Share of franchised locations, 2025 / 2023–2025. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | Gymboree Play & Music | Typical entertainment brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | −2.8% / −15% | +2.9% / +33% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 5.6% / 20% | 3.2% / 11% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical entertainment brand is the median of the 41 brands in entertainment franchises with three years of counts.
How Gymboree Play & Music compares
Of the 168 entertainment franchises on this site, Gymboree Play & Music is the 58th cheapest to open and the 33rd largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Gymboree Play & Music | Typical entertainment brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $169K | $286K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $409K | $598K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $45K | $45K | $40K |
| Royalty | 6% | 6% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 3.3% | 1.3% | 2% |
| Sales per location | $247K | $756K | $794K |
| US locations | 35 | 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 | 40 (−1) | 0 | +1 | −2 |
| 2024 | 36 (−4) | 0 | 0 | −4 |
| 2025 | 35 (−1) | 0 | +1 | −2 |
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: GPPI, Inc, 2026 filing, page 59
Where Gymboree Play & Music locations are
At the end of 2025, Gymboree Play & Music had franchised locations in 13 states and territories. The most are in California, New Jersey and New York.
- California11
- New Jersey8
- New York3
- Texas3
- Nevada2
- Arizona1
| State | Franchised |
|---|---|
| California | 11 |
| New Jersey | 8 |
| New York | 3 |
| Texas | 3 |
| Nevada | 2 |
| Arizona | 1 |
| District of Columbia | 1 |
| Florida | 1 |
| Georgia | 1 |
| Indiana | 1 |
Source: GPPI, Inc, 2026 filing, page 60
Who owns Gymboree Play & Music?
Gymboree Play & Music franchises are sold by GPPI, Inc.
From GPPI, 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 15. |
|---|---|
| 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: GPPI, Inc, 2026 filing, litigation on page 15, bankruptcy on page 16
Gymboree Play & Music filings
The figures on this page come from GPPI, Inc’s 2026 filing, issued April 15, 2026, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | April 15, 2026 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other entertainment franchises
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Gymboree Play & Music is also on these lists: education franchises.