Sterling Optical franchise
2022 filing · September 15, 2022Fewer locations
Sterling Optical at a glance
A retail optical store selling eyeglasses and contact lenses, usually with an eye doctor on site. At the end of 2021 there were 115 Sterling Optical locations in the US, 95 franchised and 20 company-owned.
The business
- Industry
- Retail
- Franchisor
- Emerging Vision, Inc
- The company that sells the franchises
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $176K–$839K
- A newly built store
- Franchise fee
- $30,000
- For a newly built store; $20,000 to buy an existing store and $10,000 to convert one
- Royalty
- 8%
- 8% of gross revenues, paid weekly, plus 6% to the advertising fund
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- Protected
- Protected territory
Where it is
- US locations, 2021
- 115
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 95
- Company-owned
- 20
- Change in 1 years
- −7
- Franchised locations, 2019–2021
- States
- 15
- Most in California, New York and Maryland
From Emerging Vision, Inc’s 2022 filing; revenue and net income from its audited financial statements, page 297; 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
Sterling Optical among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Sterling Optical | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $507,270 | Costs more than 64% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $30,000 | Lower than 72% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 8% | Higher than 85% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 115 | More than 78% of franchises |
How much a Sterling Optical franchise costs
Opening a newly built store costs an estimated $175,790 to $838,750. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
Source: Emerging Vision, Inc, 2022 filing, page 31
Sterling Optical franchise fee
The franchise fee is $30,000, for a newly built store; $20,000 to buy an existing store and $10,000 to convert one. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Emerging Vision, Inc, 2022 filing, page 20
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 8% of gross revenues, paid weekly, plus 6% to the advertising fund. |
|---|
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Emerging Vision, Inc, 2022 filing, page 26
Sales and earnings
No figures Sterling Optical 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: Emerging Vision, Inc, 2022 filing, page 80
SBA loans to Sterling Optical franchisees
Lenders approved 20 SBA 7(a) loans for Sterling Optical franchisees from 1999 to 2026, $6.74M in all. Of the 12 that have ended, 9 were paid in full and 3 were charged off. The other 8 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
How Sterling Optical compares
Of the 302 retail franchises on this site, Sterling Optical is the 127th cheapest to open and the 84th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Sterling Optical | Typical retail brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $176K | $198K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $839K | $425K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $30K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 8% | 5.7% | 6% |
| US locations | 115 | 38 | 21 |
| Closed or left per year | 4.2% | 5.2% | – |
| Change in franchised locations, 1 yrs | −6.9% | 0% | – |
| Shares earnings figures | No | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 100 (−2) | 23 | – | – |
| 2020 | 96 (−4) | 19 | – | – |
| 2021 | 95 (−1) | 20 | +3 | −4 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating. Company-owned counts include Optica stores; totals include two stores in the US Virgin Islands.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: franchise failure rates.
Source: Emerging Vision, Inc, 2022 filing, page 81
Where Sterling Optical locations are
At the end of 2021, Sterling Optical had locations in 16 states and territories. The most are in California, New York and Maryland.
- California44
- New York29
- Maryland5
- Nevada5
- New Jersey5
- Pennsylvania5
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 41 | 3 | 44 |
| New York | 27 | 2 | 29 |
| Maryland | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Nevada | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| New Jersey | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Pennsylvania | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Georgia | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| North Dakota | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Florida | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Wisconsin | 3 | 0 | 3 |
Source: Emerging Vision, Inc, 2022 filing, page 83
Who owns Sterling Optical?
Sterling Optical franchises are sold by Emerging Vision, Inc.
From Emerging Vision, Inc’s 2022 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 19. |
|---|---|
| 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: Emerging Vision, Inc, 2022 filing, litigation on page 19, bankruptcy on page 19
Sterling Optical filings
The figures on this page come from Emerging Vision, Inc’s 2022 filing, issued September 15, 2022, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 filing | September 15, 2022 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2019–2021 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
