How lululemon is run
lululemon had 811 company-operated stores in early 2026. (lululemon annual report, fiscal 2025)
Outside the US
Partners ran 45 lululemon stores under license and supply arrangements, in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, Turkey, Belgium, Bahrain and Denmark. In 2024 lululemon bought its Mexico stores back from the licensee that ran them. (lululemon annual report, fiscal 2025)
Franchises like lululemon
If you want to own a athletic apparel business, these franchise brands sell the closest thing to lululemon, largest first.
| Brand | Cost to open | Fee | Royalty | Locations | Sales a location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plato's ClosetFee $25K · Royalty 5% · Sales $1.31M a location | $356K–$468K | $25K | 5% | 526+26 in 3 yrs | $1.31M |
| Fleet FeetFee $45K · Royalty 4% · Sales $1.69M a location | $352K–$652K | $45K | 4% | 283+29 in 3 yrs | $1.69M |
| Destination AthleteFee $20K–$50K · Royalty 5%–9% | $28K–$94K | $20K–$50K | 5%–9% | 280+77 in 3 yrs | – |
| Pro Image SportsFee $30K · Royalty 5% · Sales $733K a location | $154K–$621K | $30K | 5% | 154+10 in 3 yrs | $733K |
| Clothes MentorFee $25K · Royalty 4% · Sales $780K a location | $305K–$429K | $25K | 4% | 113−12 in 3 yrs | $780K |
| Apricot Lane BoutiqueFee $40K · Royalty 5.5% of gross revenue | $150K–$342K | $40K | 5.5% of gross revenue | 85−23 in 3 yrs | – |
Locations are US locations, franchised and company-owned, at the end of the latest year filed. Sales are yearly, before costs, where the brand publishes them.
Plato's Closet is the largest, with 526 US locations, and Destination Athlete costs least to open, from $28,300. Destination Athlete added the most locations, +77 over 3 years. Of the brands that publish sales, Fleet Feet reports the most per location, $1.69M a year. The typical retail franchise starts at $198K to open; see where the money goes.
Sources
Questions
Which of these athletic apparel franchises loses the fewest owners?
Destination Athlete. None of its franchised locations closed, were terminated or weren't renewed over the years its latest filing covers, against 21.1% a year at Apricot Lane Boutique. Buy-backs by the franchisor and sales to new owners don't count as exits. Failure rates by brand