Quick Verdict · who it fits
Pop-A-Lock fits first-time franchise buyers looking for a mid-scale automotive concept.
The numbers a buyer needs first — straight from the filing.
Initial investment (Item 7)
$118K - $191K
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$50K
Royalty (Item 6)
7% + 1% ad
Item 19 median rev
$4.64M top 30% of Franchisees that own 5 or more franchise outlets
System size (Item 20)
309 +1
Agreement term
10 yrs
Years in business
23+ yrs
Company-owned units
7
Item 3 litigation
1 suit
Model Pop-A-Lock's costs in the investment calculator → Prefilled from this filing — startup cost, cash flow and break-even.
Buyer qualifications
✓Exclusive territory•Owner-operator required✓No bankruptcy disclosed•1 Item 3 case
Data extracted from the 2026 FDD filed with state regulators. Fees and terms may have changed since filing — request the current FDD from the franchisor before deciding. Not legal, financial, or investment advice. Full disclaimer.
Drag to your projected annual sales. Royalty 7% + ad fund 1% on gross sales.
PROJECTED ANNUAL SALES$4,640,000
$100k$8.4M
Royalty (7%)
—
Ad fund (1%)
—
Total / year
—
▪ Of-sales fees only · excludes rent, labor, COGS, and one-time costs · for illustration
Free AI summary — the first read on the filing.
380
Total units open
373 franchised, 7 company-owned as of December 31, 2024
0
Units opened last year
11
Units closed last year
-11
Net unit growth
What our analysis flagged across the 2026 filing.
4
Risks to review
3
Strengths identified
5
Questions to ask
How Pop-A-Lock ranks against 61 Automotive peers we've analyzed.
Initial investment
34th pct · of 61 peers
Franchise fee
77th pct · of 61 peers
System size
78th pct · of 61 peers
Automotive industry averages
Avg investment
$314K - $1.4M
Avg franchise fee
$34K
Avg system size
193
Franchises analyzed
61
Closest concepts by category and investment.
| Brand | Item 19 | Fee | Investment | Royalty | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop-A-Lock | Disclosed | $50K | $118K - $191K | 7% | 309 |
| Systemforward America, Llc a Louisiana Limited Liability Company (pop-a-Lock)Similar price | None | $23K | $118K - $191K | 7% | 380 |
| Jiffy LubeBiggest system | None | $18K | — | 4% | 2,083 |
| Valvoline Instant Oil ChangeTop-rated in category | Disclosed | $30K | $192K - $3.5M | 6% | 1,071 |
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Free explainers to go deeper before you sign.
Brand Analysis
Mavis never acquired Big O Tires. It bought NTB and Tire Kingdom from TBC in 2023 and closed on Midas in June 2025. Big O is still a wholly-owned TBC subsidiary, and its FDD issued June 30, 2025 reports a $2,824,712.79 average across 457 stores.
Brand Analysis
Byrider franchise costs run $947,000 to $1,577,500 per the 2026 FDD, and most of that money never touches the building. It funds the loans you make to your own customers. Here's the full breakdown, including real Item 19 earnings by quartile.
Brand Analysis
Big O Tires runs 461 franchised stores and zero company-owned, charges a 3.5% to 5.0% royalty matrix, and does disclose Item 19: an average of $2,824,712.79 across 457 stores. It is a TBC brand, not a Mavis one. Here is what the FDD supports.
Pop-A-Lock requires a $50,000 initial franchise fee and a total initial investment range of $117,565–$190,610, per the most recent FDD on file.
Pop-A-Lock is franchised by SYSTEMFORWARD AMERICA, LLC, the franchisor entity of record on its Franchise Disclosure Document. Item 1 of the FDD discloses the franchisor's corporate history, parents, and predecessors.
Yes. Pop-A-Lock discloses Item 19 financial performance representations with reported revenue around $4,637,356. See the financials sub-page for the full distribution.
Franchisees pay a royalty of 7% and an advertising fund contribution of 1% on gross sales as defined in Item 6 of the FDD.
As of their 2026 FDD, Pop-A-Lock has 309 total locations, with 1 new locations opened in the most recent reporting year. This information comes from Item 20 of the FDD.
Yes. Pop-A-Lock grants franchisees an exclusive territory under Item 12 of the FDD. Note that exclusive territories often carve out online sales, alternative distribution channels, and non-traditional venues — review the full Item 12 language before signing.
Per the FDD, Pop-A-Lock discloses an initial agreement term of 10 years, a transfer fee of $8,000. Review Items 10 and 17 for the full renewal and termination provisions.
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