Just-A-Buck franchise
2024 filing · January 25, 2024Fewer locationsShares sales figures
Just-A-Buck at a glance
A variety store selling general merchandise at a single theme price. At the end of 2023 there were 10 Just-A-Buck locations in the US, 7 franchised and 3 company-owned.
The business
- Industry
- Retail
- Franchisor
- Just A Buck Licensing, Inc
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 1992
- 32 years of selling franchises
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $176K–$298K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $25,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 4%
- 4% of gross sales, paid weekly; an advertising contribution of up to 2% may be added
- Brand fund
- None now
- Not charged at present; up to 2% of gross sales if a fund is set up
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- Protected
- Protected territory
Where it is
- US locations, 2023
- 10
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 7
- Company-owned
- 3
- Change in 3 years
- −3
- Franchised locations, 2021–2023
- States
- 4
- Most in New York, New Jersey and Alabama
From Just A Buck Licensing, Inc’s 2024 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Just-A-Buck among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Just-A-Buck | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $237,238 | Costs less than 64% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $25,000 | Lower than 82% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 4% | Lower than 93% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 10 | Fewer than 61% of franchises |
How much a Just-A-Buck franchise costs
Opening one Just-A-Buck costs an estimated $176,275 to $298,200. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
Source: Just A Buck Licensing, Inc, 2024 filing, page 14
Just-A-Buck franchise fee
The franchise fee is $25,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Just A Buck Licensing, Inc, 2024 filing, page 9
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 4% of gross sales, paid weekly; an advertising contribution of up to 2% may be added. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | Not charged at present; up to 2% of gross sales if a fund is set up. |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Just A Buck Licensing, Inc, 2024 filing, page 10
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Just-A-Buck publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
- Average sales
- $484,076
- Median sales
- $510,693
Yearly figures for 2023, covering affiliate-owned stores in 2023. 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: Just A Buck Licensing, Inc, 2024 filing, pages 30–31
SBA loans to Just-A-Buck franchisees
Lenders approved 18 SBA 7(a) loans for Just-A-Buck franchisees from 1994 to 2007, $2.77M in all. All 18 have ended: 10 were paid in full and 8 were charged off.
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 | Just-A-Buck | Typical retail brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | −13% / −30% | −0.4% / 0% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 13% / 40% | 5.4% / 18% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical retail brand is the median of the 114 brands in retail franchises with three years of counts.
How Just-A-Buck compares
Of the 302 retail franchises on this site, Just-A-Buck is the 129th cheapest to open and the 204th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Just-A-Buck | Typical retail brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $176K | $198K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $298K | $425K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $25K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 4% | 5.7% | 6% |
| US locations | 10 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 11 (+1) | 4 | +1 | 0 |
| 2022 | 8 (−3) | 4 | 0 | −3 |
| 2023 | 7 (−1) | 3 | 0 | −1 |
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: Just A Buck Licensing, Inc, 2024 filing, page 32
Where Just-A-Buck locations are
At the end of 2023, Just-A-Buck had locations in 4 states. The most are in New York, New Jersey and Alabama.
- New York7
- New Jersey2
- Alabama1
- North Carolina1
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| New Jersey | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Alabama | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| North Carolina | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Source: Just A Buck Licensing, Inc, 2024 filing, page 33
Who owns Just-A-Buck?
Just-A-Buck franchises are sold by Just A Buck Licensing, Inc.
From Just A Buck Licensing, Inc’s 2024 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: Just A Buck Licensing, Inc, 2024 filing, litigation on page 9, bankruptcy on page 9
Just-A-Buck filings
The figures on this page come from Just A Buck Licensing, Inc’s 2024 filing, issued January 25, 2024, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 filing | January 25, 2024 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2021–2023 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
