Tuffy franchise
2026 filing · April 30, 2026GrowingShares sales figures
Tuffy at a glance
An auto repair shop servicing exhaust, brakes, steering and suspension, alignment, air conditioning, engine diagnostics, batteries and tires. At the end of 2025 there were 133 Tuffy locations in the US, 111 franchised and 22 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Gimex Properties Corp., Inc
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Toledo, Ohio
- Typical size
- 3,500–6,000 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $228K–$939K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $30,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 5%
- 2.5% of gross sales for the first 180 days, then 5%, paid weekly
- Brand fund
- 0.5%
- 0.5% of gross sales, paid weekly
- Territory
- Limited
- Limited protection
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 133
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 111
- Company-owned
- 22
- Change in 3 years
- +8
- Franchised locations, 2023–2025
- States
- 14
- Most in Michigan, Florida and Ohio
From Gimex Properties Corp., Inc’s 2026 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Tuffy among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Tuffy | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $583,100 | Costs more than 69% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $30,000 | Lower than 72% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 5% | Lower than 69% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 133 | More than 81% of franchises |
| Sales per locationYearly, as the brand reports it | $1,366,987 | Higher than 75% of brands that share sales figures |
| Sales against cost to openYearly sales over the cost midpoint | 2.3× | Higher than 70% of brands that share sales figures |
How much a Tuffy franchise costs
Opening one Tuffy costs an estimated $227,700 to $938,500. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are leasehold improvements ($0 to $300,000) and equipment and furniture ($145,000 to $200,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $30,000 | ||
| Signs | $10,000 | $45,000 | |
| Equipment and Furniture | $145,000 | $200,000 | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $0 | $300,000 | |
| Lease Deposit and First Month’s Rent | $10,700 | $35,000 | |
| Initial Inventory | $3,000 | $10,000 | |
| Initial Advertising Fee | $5,000 | $15,000 | |
| Travel and Living Expenses While Training | $1,000 | $3,500 | |
| Miscellaneous Pre-Opening Expenses | $13,000 | $150,000 | |
| Additional Funds – 3 months | $10,000 | $150,000 | |
| Total | $227,700 | $938,500 | |
Source: Gimex Properties Corp., Inc, 2026 filing, page 17
Tuffy franchise fee
The franchise fee is $30,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Gimex Properties Corp., Inc, 2026 filing, page 13
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 2.5% of gross sales for the first 180 days, then 5%, paid weekly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 0.5% of gross sales, paid weekly. |
| Local Advertising | 4.5% of gross sales |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Gimex Properties Corp., Inc, 2026 filing, page 14
Other fees as filed, from page 14. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Tuffy publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
- Average sales
- $1,366,987
- Median sales
- $1,214,487
Yearly figures for 2025, covering franchised service centers in 2025 (88 locations). The average is about 2.3 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: Gimex Properties Corp., Inc, 2026 filing, pages 44–45
SBA loans to Tuffy franchisees
Lenders approved 66 SBA-backed loans for Tuffy franchisees from 1992 to 2026, $36M in all: 62 7(a) loans and 4 504 loans. Of the 47 that have ended, 37 were paid in full and 10 were charged off (21.3%). The other 19 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 | Tuffy | Typical tire brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | +9.9% / +7.8% | −3.1% / −11% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 0% / 1.9% | 7.1% / 13% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 12% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical tire brand is the median of the 5 brands in tire franchises with three years of counts.
How Tuffy compares
Of the 9 tire franchises on this site, Tuffy is the 4th cheapest to open and the 5th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Tuffy | Typical tire brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $228K | $357K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $939K | $1.55M | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $30K | $18K | $40K |
| Royalty | 5% | – | 6% |
| Brand fund | 0.5% | – | 2% |
| Sales per location | $1.37M | – | $794K |
| US locations | 133 | 145 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 3 of 9 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 9 brands in tire franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 100 (−3) | 58 | +9 | −12 |
| 2024 | 101 (+1) | 28 | +3 | −2 |
| 2025 | 111 (+10) | 22 | +10 | 0 |
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: auto repair franchise costs and franchise failure rates.
Source: Gimex Properties Corp., Inc, 2026 filing, page 47
Where Tuffy locations are
At the end of 2025, Tuffy had locations in 14 states. The most are in Michigan, Florida and Ohio.
- Michigan37
- Florida29
- Ohio24
- Illinois16
- North Carolina7
- Indiana4
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 20 | 17 | 37 |
| Florida | 26 | 3 | 29 |
| Ohio | 22 | 2 | 24 |
| Illinois | 16 | 0 | 16 |
| North Carolina | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Indiana | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Wisconsin | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Alabama | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Nebraska | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| South Carolina | 2 | 0 | 2 |
All 14 states
| Virginia | 2 |
|---|---|
| North Dakota | 1 |
| Oklahoma | 1 |
| Tennessee | 1 |
Source: Gimex Properties Corp., Inc, 2026 filing, page 48
Who owns Tuffy?
Tuffy franchises are sold by Gimex Properties Corp., Inc. Its ultimate parent is Metis HoldCo, Inc.
From Gimex Properties Corp., 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: Gimex Properties Corp., Inc, 2026 filing, litigation on page 13, bankruptcy on page 13
Tuffy filings
The figures on this page come from Gimex Properties Corp., Inc’s 2026 filing, issued April 30, 2026, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | April 30, 2026 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other tire franchises
All tire franchises
Tuffy is also on these lists: auto repair franchises.