SmartStyle franchise
2025 filing · October 17, 2025Fewer locations
SmartStyle at a glance
A family hair salon located inside Walmart stores, offering cuts, color and styling. At the end of its 2025 fiscal year there were 911 SmartStyle locations in the US, all franchised.
The business
- Industry
- Salon
- Franchisor
- THE BARBERS, HAIRSTYLING FOR MEN & WOMEN, INC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Typical size
- 650–1,000 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $184K–$336K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $39,500
- Single-salon development fee, which covers the franchise rights.
- Royalty
- 4–6%
- 4% of gross sales for the first 52 weeks, then 6%, paid weekly
- Brand fund
- Yes
- 2% to 2.5% of gross sales, paid weekly
- Territory
- None
- No exclusive territory
- Franchisor financing
- Leases the premises
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 911
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 911
- Company-owned
- 0
- Change in 3 years
- −562
- Franchised locations, 2023–2025
- States
- 48
- Most in Texas, Florida and Pennsylvania
From THE BARBERS, HAIRSTYLING FOR MEN & WOMEN, INC’s 2025 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
SmartStyle among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | SmartStyle | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $260,390 | Costs less than 61% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $39,500 | Lower than 57% of franchises |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 911 | More than 97% of franchises |
How much a SmartStyle franchise costs
Opening one SmartStyle costs an estimated $184,440 to $336,340. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are leasehold improvements ($60,000 to $120,000) and furniture, fixtures, equipment and supplies ($30,000 to $50,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee/Development Fee | $39,500 | ||
| Leasehold Improvements | $60,000 | $120,000 | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, Equipment and Supplies | $30,000 | $50,000 | |
| Construction Management Services Fee | $5,500 | $7,500 | |
| Construction and Design Plan Review | $500 | $1,000 | |
| Post Build Review | $1,500 | $3,000 | |
| Professional Fees | $6,000 | $12,000 | |
| Computer Software (Point of Sale System) | $2,040 | ||
| Computer Hardware/Installation and Onsite Training | $400 | $2,000 | |
| Opening Inventory | $10,000 | $15,000 | |
| Travel and Living Expenses during Orientation Training | $0 | $5,500 | |
| First and Last Month’s Rent and Security Deposit | $3,000 | $16,800 | |
| Grand Opening(8) Advertising | $5,000 | ||
| Signs | $6,000 | $12,000 | |
| Additional Funds – 3-6 Months | $15,000 | $45,000 | |
| Total | $184,440 | $336,340 | |
Source: THE BARBERS, HAIRSTYLING FOR MEN & WOMEN, INC, 2025 filing, page 26
SmartStyle franchise fee
The franchise fee is $39,500, Single-salon development fee, which covers the franchise rights.. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: THE BARBERS, HAIRSTYLING FOR MEN & WOMEN, INC, 2025 filing, page 21
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 4% of gross sales for the first 52 weeks, then 6%, paid weekly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 2% to 2.5% of gross sales, paid weekly. |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: THE BARBERS, HAIRSTYLING FOR MEN & WOMEN, INC, 2025 filing, page 23
Sales and earnings
No figures SmartStyle does not share sales or profit figures for its locations. Talking to current and former franchise owners is the usual way to learn what a location earns.
Source: THE BARBERS, HAIRSTYLING FOR MEN & WOMEN, INC, 2025 filing, page 61
SBA loans to SmartStyle franchisees
Lenders approved 67 SBA 7(a) loans for SmartStyle franchisees from 2017 to 2022, $38.5M in all. Of the 46 that have ended, 44 were paid in full and 2 were charged off (4.3%). The other 21 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 | SmartStyle | Typical salon brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | −15% / −38% | +4.6% / +15% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 16% / 38% | 2.7% / 7.2% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical salon brand is the median of the 42 brands in salon franchises with three years of counts.
How SmartStyle compares
Of the 101 salon franchises on this site, SmartStyle is the 24th cheapest to open and the 5th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | SmartStyle | Typical salon brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $184K | $303K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $336K | $531K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $40K | $45K | $40K |
| US locations | 911 | 26 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | No | 75 of 101 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 101 brands in salon franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1,473 (−27) | 1 | – | – |
| 2023 | 1,234 (−239) | 1 | 0 | −239 |
| 2024 | 1,077 (−157) | 1 | 0 | −157 |
| 2025 | 911 (−166) | 0 | +5 | −171 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating. The outlet years below are the franchisor's fiscal years ending June 30.
SmartStyle had the 2nd-largest net loss of US locations from 2023 to 2025; see the fastest-growing franchises for the full picture.
More in the guides: franchise failure rates.
Over 4 years, from the start of 2022 to the end of 2025, franchised locations went from 1,500 to 911 (−589, −39%). The earlier years come from the brand's 2024 filing.
Source: THE BARBERS, HAIRSTYLING FOR MEN & WOMEN, INC, 2025 filing, page 61
2022: THE BARBERS, HAIRSTYLING FOR MEN & WOMEN, INC, 2024 filing, page 63
Where SmartStyle locations are
At the end of 2025, SmartStyle had franchised locations in 49 states and territories. The most are in Texas, Florida and Pennsylvania.
- Texas114
- Florida91
- Pennsylvania60
- Oklahoma37
- Tennessee36
- Ohio35
| State | Franchised |
|---|---|
| Texas | 114 |
| Florida | 91 |
| Pennsylvania | 60 |
| Oklahoma | 37 |
| Tennessee | 36 |
| Ohio | 35 |
| Arizona | 31 |
| Arkansas | 29 |
| New York | 28 |
| Indiana | 26 |
All 49 states
Source: THE BARBERS, HAIRSTYLING FOR MEN & WOMEN, INC, 2025 filing, page 63
Who owns SmartStyle?
SmartStyle franchises are sold by THE BARBERS, HAIRSTYLING FOR MEN & WOMEN, INC.
From THE BARBERS, HAIRSTYLING FOR MEN & WOMEN, INC’s 2025 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 pages 17–20. |
|---|---|
| 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: THE BARBERS, HAIRSTYLING FOR MEN & WOMEN, INC, 2025 filing, litigation on pages 17–20, bankruptcy on page 20
SmartStyle filings
A franchisor files a new disclosure each year it sells franchises. The figures on this page come from THE BARBERS, HAIRSTYLING FOR MEN & WOMEN, INC’s 2025 filing, issued October 17, 2025; the earlier ones below are on record with the Minnesota Department of Commerce and fill in older location counts.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 filing | October 17, 2025 | Minnesota | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
| 2024 filing | – | Minnesota | Locations, 2022 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
