How Target is run
Target ran 1,995 stores at the end of January 2026 and owned 1,546 of them outright. It opened 18 stores in 2025. Its annual report describes no franchised stores. (Target annual report, 2025)
Who owns Target
Target is a public company; its shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol TGT. (Target annual report, 2025)
Franchises like Target
If you want to own a retail business, these franchise brands sell the closest thing to Target, largest first.
| Brand | Cost to open | Fee | Royalty | Locations | Sales a location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7-ElevenFee $0–$800K · Royalty Share of gross profit | $165K–$1.62M | $0–$800K | Share of gross profit | 8,303−502 in 3 yrs | – |
| Circle KFee $25K · Royalty 3.5–6% | $1.47M–$2.87M | $25K | 3.5–6% | 6,071+143 in 3 yrs | – |
| Ace HardwareFee $5K · Royalty None · Sales $3M a location | $604K–$2M | $5K | None | 5,144+393 in 3 yrs | $3M |
| GNCFee $20K · Royalty 6% · Sales $484K a location | $188K–$530K | $20K | 6% | 1,960−340 in 3 yrs | $484K |
| MinisoFee $50K · Royalty No royalty; 45%–65% product share | $361K–$745K | $50K | No royalty; 45%–65% product share | 351+277 in 3 yrs | – |
| Family FareFee $10K · Royalty 56% of gross profit | $30K–$1.17M | $10K | 56% of gross profit | 102+9 in 3 yrs | – |
| Just-A-BuckFee $25K · Royalty 4% | $176K–$298K | $25K | 4% | 10−4 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.
7-Eleven is the largest, with 8,303 US locations, and Family Fare costs least to open, from $30,300. Ace Hardware added the most locations, +393 over 3 years. Of the brands that publish sales, Ace Hardware reports the most per location, $3M a year. The typical retail franchise starts at $198K to open; see where the money goes.
Sources
Questions
Which of these retail franchises loses the fewest owners?
Family Fare. None of its franchised locations closed, were terminated or weren't renewed over the years its latest filing covers, against 9.9% a year at Circle K. Buy-backs by the franchisor and sales to new owners don't count as exits. Failure rates by brand