Valpak franchise
2026 filing · May 7, 2026
Valpak at a glance
A direct mail advertising business selling space in Valpak's blue envelopes mailed to households in its area.
The business
- Franchisor
- Valpak Direct Marketing Systems, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $80K–$201K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $2,000
- $2,500 for a dormant franchise, plus a training fee and any territory acquisition fee
- Royalty
- none
- No royalty; franchisees pay Valpak for the production and distribution of each mailing
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- None
- No exclusive territory
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- Franchised, 2025
- 36
- As printed in the filing
From Valpak Direct Marketing Systems, LLC’s 2026 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Valpak among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Valpak | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $140,500 | Costs less than 79% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $2,000 | Lower than 99% of franchises |
How much a Valpak franchise costs
Opening one Valpak costs an estimated $80,200 to $200,800. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital. It is one of the low-cost franchises.
Source: Valpak Direct Marketing Systems, LLC, 2026 filing, page 23
Valpak franchise fee
The franchise fee is $2,000, $2,500 for a dormant franchise, plus a training fee and any territory acquisition fee. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Valpak Direct Marketing Systems, LLC, 2026 filing, page 16
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | No royalty; franchisees pay Valpak for the production and distribution of each mailing. |
|---|---|
| Software Support and Maintenance Fee | Varies based on your market size from $78 to $180 |
| Transfer | Currently $1,000 |
| Training Fee | $10,000 - $15,000 |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Valpak Direct Marketing Systems, LLC, 2026 filing, page 18
Other fees as filed, from pages 19–22. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
No figures Valpak 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: Valpak Direct Marketing Systems, LLC, 2026 filing, page 45
SBA loans to Valpak franchisees
Lenders approved 39 SBA-backed loans for Valpak franchisees from 1995 to 2026, $10.6M in all: 37 7(a) loans and 2 504 loans. Of the 34 that have ended, 24 were paid in full and 10 were charged off (29.4%). The other 5 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 Valpak compares
Of the 34 printing and sign franchises on this site, Valpak is the 11th cheapest to open.
| Figure | Valpak | Typical printing and sign brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $80K | $133K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $201K | $312K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $2K | $48K | $40K |
| Shares earnings figures | No | 23 of 34 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 34 brands in printing and sign franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 52 (−5) | – |
| 2022 | 48 (−4) | – |
| 2023 | 46 (−2) | 86 |
| 2024 | 43 (−3) | 89 |
| 2025 | 36 (−7) | 96 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
These figures don't add up as printed: the 2023 counts come to 132, but the filing shows 137. Worth asking the franchisor.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: franchise failure rates.
Over 5 years, from the start of 2021 to the end of 2025, franchised locations went from 57 to 36 (−21, −37%). The earlier years come from the brand's 2024 filing.
Source: Valpak Direct Marketing Systems, LLC, 2026 filing, page 46
2021–2022: Valpak Direct Marketing Systems, LLC, 2024 filing, page 47
Where Valpak locations are
At the end of 2025, Valpak had locations in 39 states. The most are in Florida, California and New York.
- Florida16
- California10
- New York9
- New Jersey7
- Pennsylvania7
- North Carolina5
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 3 | 13 | 16 |
| California | 1 | 9 | 10 |
| New York | 2 | 7 | 9 |
| New Jersey | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Pennsylvania | 1 | 6 | 7 |
| North Carolina | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Ohio | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| South Carolina | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Texas | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Virginia | 4 | 1 | 5 |
All 39 states
Source: Valpak Direct Marketing Systems, LLC, 2026 filing, page 47
Who owns Valpak?
Valpak franchises are sold by Valpak Direct Marketing Systems, LLC.
From Valpak Direct Marketing Systems, LLC’s 2026 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 14–16. |
|---|---|
| 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: Valpak Direct Marketing Systems, LLC, 2026 filing, litigation on pages 14–16, bankruptcy on page 16
Valpak filings
A franchisor files a new disclosure each year it sells franchises. The figures on this page come from Valpak Direct Marketing Systems, LLC’s 2026 filing, issued May 7, 2026; the earlier ones below are on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository and the Minnesota Department of Commerce and fill in older location counts.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | May 7, 2026 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
| 2024 filing | – | Minnesota | Locations, 2021–2022 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other printing and sign franchises
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