Published on 16 Aug 2022 Time 6 min read Last update by 28 May 2024

Jani King Franchise: Profits and Lawsuits (2024)

Jani-King International, Inc. is an American chain of cleaning service franchises. The company provides cleaning for public spaces such as offices, retail spaces, hotels, and stadiums. The Jani King Franchise claims to be “the world’s largest commercial cleaning franchise company with more than 120 support offices in 10 countries.”

In this article, we will look at Jani-King of Milwaukee who is one of the Master Franchisees of Jani-King.

Contents

Listen to this article

Apple Podcast    Spotify    Google Podcast

How is Jani-King Franchise Positioned in the Cleaning and Maintenance Industry?

There is a rising demand for cleaning and maintenance services in the U.S. as construction activities, investment in real estate, and the number of working women increased. The Cleaning and Maintenance industry offers commercial and residential services such as window cleaning, floor cleaning and care, carpet and upholstery cleaning, maid services, janitorial services, landscaping, vacuuming, snow plowing, and more.

janikingfranchise1

Jani-King competes in the Cleaning and Maintenance market against big brand companies such as JAN-PRO and Janitize. Jani-King franchisees also compete against other nearby Jani-King locations.

How Much is a Jani King Franchise?

The initial Jani-King Franchise Fee is between $16,750 to $33,000. You have to pay this upfront fee when opening a Jani King franchise.

Jani-King Franchise Cost

The estimated total investment necessary to begin the operation of a Jani-King Franchise ranges from $20,354 to $51,840. The following costs are part of the upfront costs included in the initial investment for a Jani-King. Many of these are onetime fees that are needed to launch the franchise. Review the chart below to see how much it costs to buy a Jani-King franchise in 2022.

ESTIMATED INITIAL INVESTMENT

Type of Expenditure Amount To whom Payment is to be Made
Initial Franchise Fee $ 16,750 to $ 33,000 Us
Real Estate $ -0- to $ 5,000
Supplies No Cost N/A
Equipment $ 1,849 to $ 2,500 Vendors, LEASING
Business licenses, tax registrations and permits $ 100 to $ 1,000 Vendors, Suppliers, Utilities
Business Entity, Establishment Fees $ 100 to $ 1,000 State and Local Municipalities and filing agents
Additional Funds (for initial 120 day period) $ 800 to $ 8,500 Us, Vendors, Employees
TOTAL $ 20,354 to $ 51,840

Owning a Jani-King Franchise Requires Ongoing Fees

Royalty: 10% of monthly Gross Revenue

Accounting Fee: 3.0% of monthly Gross Revenue

Advertising Fee: 1.5% of monthly Gross Revenues

Technology Licensing Fee: 2.5% of monthly Gross Revenues

Business Protection Plan (Optional): 5-8% of monthly Gross Revenue plus the cost of Administration Fee of $10/month or $20/month

Jani-King Worker’s Compensation Insurance Broker Program (Optional): 1-5%, depending on the Gross Revenue and the number of employees

In all, these add up to 14.5% of monthly Gross Revenue in mandatory fees and between 1% to 13% of monthly Gross Revenue in optional costs.


tutoring club

How much do franchise owners make?

Based on the median sales provided by Jani-King’s franchise locations, at a 50% profit margin, it will take around 1 to 3 years to recoup your investment. You may not get a 50% profit margin which would elongate getting a return on your investment.

Many factors affect the sales, costs, and expenses of your Franchised Store. Such as the Franchised Store’s size, geographic location, menu mix, and competition in the marketplace. The presence of other Cleaning and Maintenance stores; the extent of market penetration and the brand awareness that Jani-King stores have attained in your market. Also, the quality of management and service at your Franchised Store are major factors.

Is the Jani-King Franchise Profit Worth the Franchise Cost?

To assign a valuation multiple for Jani-King franchises, we leverage estimates from DealStats, a database of acquired private company transactions sourced from U.S. business brokers and SEC filings. We reviewed the larger franchise industry as well as selling price multiples for larger systems where more transaction data is available.

  • Estimated Selling Price = Net Sales * 0.58

When you go to sell a Jani-King franchise based on the median multiple of .58 and net sales of $101,290, it would sell for $58,748. This might be higher or same as your investment.

The more franchises you own, the more earning potential you have as private equity firms become interested in your business instead of individual owner-operators.

Statement of Income and Retained Earnings for the Year Ended

December 31, 2020
Revenues:
Janitorial Service Revenues $ 9,202,781
Franchise Sales $ 16,857
Total Revenues $ 9,219,638
Cost of Revenues: $ 7,216,274
Gross Profit $ 2,003,364
Selling, General, and Administrative Expenses: $ 1,373,530
Net Income from Operations $ 629,834
Other Income:
Interest Income $ 90
Gain on Sale of Fixed Assets $ 13,917
Total Other Income $ 14,007
Net Income before Other Expenses $ 643,841
Other Expenses:
Interest Expense $ 20,287
Depreciation and Amortization $ 96,472
State Taxes $ 44,930
Total Other Expenses $ 161,689
Net Income before Extraordinary Item $ 482,152
Extraordinary Item:
Forgiveness of LPP Loan $ 126,692
Net Income $ 608,844
Retained Earnings – beginning $ 934,289
Stockholder’s Distributions ( $ 264,888 )
Retained Earnings – ending $ 1,278,245

Jani-King is a very profitable business for the franchisor, with retained earnings of $1.278 million in 2020.

janikingfranchise3

Pending Litigation

All this seems very good for the company and its franchisees with the low cost and high returns. However, that is not the full picture. There is a lot of litigation pending against the franchisor. These include allegations including:

  • Violations of intentional misrepresentation, concealment, negligent misrepresentation, breach of contract, labor codes, wage orders, and more
  • The Department of Labor alleges the violation of the record keeping requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act
  • Violation of Minimum Wage Laws in multiple states

This is bad news for the company and a big red flag for any prospective franchisees. As we see below, people are no longer buying these franchises.

jani-king-franchise

How many units have opened and closed?

Outlet Type Year Outlets at the Start of the Year Outlets at the End of the Year Net Change
Franchised 2018 5,871 5,692 -179
2019 5,692 5,596 -96
2020 5,596 5,378 -218
Company-Owned 2018 19 16 -3
2019 16 16 0
2020 16 16 0
Total Outlets 2018 5,890 5,708 -182
2019 5,708 5,612 -96
2020 5,612 5,394 -218

Over the last three years, the company has been in decline. Both franchising units and company-operated stores have decreased. Franchises have closed at a rate of 164 per year over the past three years. This is an indicator that these stores may not be performing well or their franchise term is up and they are not renewing it.

The estimated total investment necessary to begin the operation of a Jani King Franchise ranges from $20,354 to $51,840

Conclusion

Jani-King offers people the opportunity to own a franchise in a very established cleaning service. While this may be the business for you, make sure also to check out other companies offered on Vetted Biz and in the Cleaning and Maintenance Industry.

Speak to a franchise specialist today.

Discover which franchise is best for you.

Speak to a franchise specialist today

Visit Franchise Profiles mentioned

See more profiles

Access to unbiased franchise data.

Easy to access franchise data for everyone from first time franchise buyers to institutional investors buying whole franchise systems to everyone in between.

Submit
Feedback