Learning Express franchise
2026 filing · March 23, 2026Fewer locationsShares sales figures
Learning Express at a glance
A specialty toy and gift store. At the end of 2025 there were 79 Learning Express locations in the US, all franchised.
The business
- Industry
- Retail
- Franchisor
- Learning Express, Inc
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 1990
- 36 years of selling franchises
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $203K–$386K
- A standard store
- Franchise fee
- $40,000
- An independent store converting to the brand pays $20,000
- Royalty
- 5%
- The greater of 5% of gross receipts or $1,500 a month, paid monthly. An advertising fee of 1% may be charged later
- Brand fund
- None now
- 1% of gross receipts, not charged at present
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- Protected
- Protected territory
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 79
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 79
- Company-owned
- 0
- Change in 3 years
- −10
- Franchised locations, 2023–2025
- States
- 22
- Most in Texas, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania
From Learning Express, Inc’s 2026 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Learning Express among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Learning Express | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $294,266 | Costs less than 57% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $40,000 | Lower than 46% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 5% | Lower than 69% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 79 | More than 72% of franchises |
| Sales per locationYearly, as the brand reports it | $891,318 | Higher than 56% of brands that share sales figures |
| Sales against cost to openYearly sales over the cost midpoint | 3.0× | Higher than 79% of brands that share sales figures |
How much a Learning Express franchise costs
Opening a standard store costs an estimated $202,516 to $386,016. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
Source: Learning Express, Inc, 2026 filing, page 15
Learning Express franchise fee
The franchise fee is $40,000, an independent store converting to the brand pays $20,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Learning Express, Inc, 2026 filing, page 11
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | The greater of 5% of gross receipts or $1,500 a month, paid monthly. An advertising fee of 1% may be charged later. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 1% of gross receipts, not charged at present. |
| Transfer FeeB) | $20,000 |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Learning Express, Inc, 2026 filing, page 12
Other fees as filed, from page 12. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Learning Express publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
- Average sales
- $891,318
- Median sales
- $863,009
Yearly figures for 2025, covering franchised stores open a full year or more (77 locations). The average is about 3 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: Learning Express, Inc, 2026 filing, pages 35–36
SBA loans to Learning Express franchisees
Lenders approved 77 SBA 7(a) loans for Learning Express franchisees from 1991 to 2023, $14.6M in all. Of the 73 that have ended, 57 were paid in full and 16 were charged off (21.9%). The other 4 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 | Learning Express | Typical retail brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | −8.1% / −11% | −0.4% / 0% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 9.3% / 21% | 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 Learning Express compares
Of the 302 retail franchises on this site, Learning Express is the 156th cheapest to open and the 109th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Learning Express | Typical retail brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $203K | $198K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $386K | $425K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $40K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 5% | 5.7% | 6% |
| Sales per location | $891K | $724K | $794K |
| US locations | 79 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 88 (−1) | 0 | +5 | −6 |
| 2024 | 86 (−2) | 0 | +3 | −5 |
| 2025 | 79 (−7) | 0 | +1 | −8 |
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: Learning Express, Inc, 2026 filing, page 37
Where Learning Express locations are
At the end of 2025, Learning Express had franchised locations in 22 states. The most are in Texas, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.
- Texas11
- Massachusetts9
- Pennsylvania8
- Ohio7
- New Jersey6
- Florida5
| State | Franchised |
|---|---|
| Texas | 11 |
| Massachusetts | 9 |
| Pennsylvania | 8 |
| Ohio | 7 |
| New Jersey | 6 |
| Florida | 5 |
| Illinois | 5 |
| Georgia | 4 |
| North Carolina | 4 |
| Louisiana | 3 |
All 22 states
| New York | 3 |
|---|---|
| Alabama | 2 |
| California | 2 |
| Nebraska | 2 |
| Tennessee | 2 |
| Kentucky | 1 |
| Nevada | 1 |
| Oklahoma | 1 |
| Oregon | 1 |
| South Carolina | 1 |
| Washington | 1 |
| Wisconsin | 1 |
Source: Learning Express, Inc, 2026 filing, page 38
Who owns Learning Express?
Learning Express franchises are sold by Learning Express, Inc. Its filing names no parent company.
From Learning Express, Inc’s 2026 filing, page 9.
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: Learning Express, Inc, 2026 filing, litigation on page 11, bankruptcy on page 11
Learning Express filings
The figures on this page come from Learning Express, Inc’s 2026 filing, issued March 23, 2026, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | March 23, 2026 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
