Is the Development Fee uniform for Goldfish Swim School?
Goldfish_Swim_School Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
potentially available properties.
If you sign an Area Development Agreement, you must develop an agreed-upon number of Swim Schools within the Development Territory within a certain period of time (the "Development Schedule") and simultaneously execute the Franchise Agreement for your first Swim School. You must pay an Initial Franchise Fee for the Area Development Agreement based upon the number of Swim Schools that you develop in the Development Territory (the "Development Fee"). The Development Fee is equal to the Initial Franchise Fee for the first Swim School ($50,000) plus $20.000 [one-half of the reduced Initial Franchise Fee ($40,000)] for each additional Swim School developed under th
Source: Item 5 — INITIAL FEES (FDD pages 16–17)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to the 2025 Goldfish Swim School FDD, the Development Fee is not uniform. The Development Fee is based on the number of swim schools the developer agrees to open within a specific territory under an Area Development Agreement. The fee is calculated as the Initial Franchise Fee of $50,000 for the first swim school, plus $20,000 for each additional swim school to be developed. This $20,000 represents one-half of the reduced Initial Franchise Fee of $40,000 for subsequent locations.
This means a developer pays a different total Development Fee depending on how many Goldfish Swim School locations they commit to opening. For example, if a developer commits to opening three swim schools, the Development Fee would be $50,000 for the first school plus $20,000 for each of the two additional schools, totaling $90,000.
It's important to note that the Development Fee is non-refundable. The developer receives a credit of $20,000 against the Initial Franchise Fee due for each swim school developed under the Development Schedule, representing the portion of the Development Fee already paid. The remaining portion of the initial franchise fee for each subsequent Swim School is paid when the developer signs each subsequent Franchise Agreement.