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What are all the fees a Buff City Soap franchisee must pay as outlined in Items 5, 6, and 7?

Buff_City_Soap Franchise · 2025 FDD

Answer from 2025 FDD Document

ailable after you open the Franchised Business. We may charge up to $2,500 tuition for training a replacement manager for your BCS Makery at our initial manager training, and tuition up to $1,500 per event per person for training at regional meetings. In addition, if you fail to demonstrate competency of pre-training materials and are required by us to repeat training, you will pay tuition up to $5,000 for such training. These fees are due in advance of the start of training and payable via ACH.

    1. Transfer Fee. You or the transferee must pay a non-refundable Transfer Fee equal to 25% of our then current initial franchise fee for a single BCS Makery, plus an Initial Training Fee of $5,000 if you transfer the Franchise Agreement or Franchised Business to a transferee that is not an existing Buff City Soap franchisee, or in the event of an ownership change involving control of 50% or more of your equity interests. We will not charge a fee for any transfer of your equity interests among any of your existing owners (provided such transfer of equity interests does not result in a change of control) or an initial transfer from an individual to an entity controlled by that individual. See Item 17.
    1. Audit Fee. We may audit your accounts, books and records at our expense. You must pay any underpaid fees plus interest when we invoice you. If you understate Net Sales by more than 2%, then you must reimburse us for the cost of conducting the audit including, without limitation travel, lodging, meals, wages, expenses and reasonable accounting and legal fees we incur. We may also, in our sole discretion, require
  • that you engage an independent certified public accounting firm reasonably acceptable to us to audit your financial statements for the next two years (or such time as we deem appropriate if instances of underreporting continue).

What This Means (2025 FDD)

According to the 2025 FDD, Buff City Soap franchisees face several fees. Should a franchisee need to train a replacement manager, Buff City Soap may charge up to $2,500 for initial manager training and up to $1,500 per person per event for regional meetings. If a franchisee fails to demonstrate competency in pre-training materials and needs to repeat training, Buff City Soap may charge tuition up to $5,000 for the additional training. These fees are payable via ACH before training starts.

If a franchisee transfers their franchise to someone who is not an existing Buff City Soap franchisee, they must pay a transfer fee. This fee is 25% of the current initial franchise fee, plus a $5,000 initial training fee. However, there is no fee for transferring equity interests among existing owners if it doesn't change control, or for an initial transfer from an individual to an entity they control.

Buff City Soap may audit a franchisee's books, and while they initially cover the audit costs, the franchisee must pay any underpaid fees plus interest if an understatement is discovered. If the understatement of Net Sales exceeds 2%, the franchisee must reimburse Buff City Soap for the audit costs, including travel, lodging, wages, and accounting/legal fees. In such cases, Buff City Soap may also require the franchisee to hire an independent CPA to audit their financial statements for up to two years.

Disclaimer: This information is extracted from the 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document and is provided for research purposes only. It does not constitute legal or financial advice. Consult with a franchise attorney before making any investment decisions.