Christian Brothers Automotive Franchise Costs: Estimated Initial Investment (Item 7, 2023 FDD)

1.  Initial Franchise Fee:  $135,000 ($121,500 with IFA VetFran Program Discount)

• You must pay Christian Brothers Automotive an initial franchise fee of $135,000. This initial franchise fee is paid in two installments.

• The first installment is the Down Payment in the amount of $85,000 ($13,500 of this installment is non-refundable) and is due at the earlier of your signing the Franchise Agreement or your signing the Acknowledgement and Receipt Agreement.

• The second installment is in the amount of $50,000 and is due upon receiving your Certificate of Occupancy, which is generally assumed to be approximately ten weeks prior to store opening. If you are allowed to finance the second installment, it will be paid to Christian Brothers Automotive upon the closing of your startup loan, which is typically upon receiving your Certificate of Occupancy as this coincides with initial working capital needs.

2.  Real Estate and Improvements:  $0 at startup, but monthly thereafter

• Either Christian Brothers Automotive or an entity affiliated with it or contracted by it will purchase real property and construct the building the franchise will operate from, or Christian Brothers Automotive will lease the land and building for the franchise from an unaffiliated party.

• You will lease or sublease the building and property from Christian Brothers Automotive or an affiliate for a period of 15 years, for rent of approximately $18,500 to $27,500 per month for base rents. This amount will vary due to the cost of constructing the improvements and the underlying financing costs.

• On a case by case basis, Christian Brothers Automotive may, in its sole discretion, decide to sell a site and building to a franchisee or to an unrelated third party.

• Any such sale to a franchisee will be contingent upon and result in an amendment to the Franchise Agreement revising the terms that Christian Brothers Automotive deems appropriate; provided that such amendment shall not change the percentage of the Split Profits that you will receive or the length of the term of your Franchise Agreement.

• Any such sale to a third party will result in Christian Brothers Automotive leasing the site and building from such third party and continuing to sub-lease it to you.

• Christian Brothers Automotive may also, in its sole discretion and on a case-by-case basis, decide to contract for an unaffiliated third party to acquire land and construct the building for a franchise, which Christian Brothers Automotive then leases from that unaffiliated party.

• Christian Brothers Automotive does not currently anticipate requiring a security deposit at startup and generally attempts to provide up to a six-month rent-free period. Consequently, it does not expect your initial funds to include rent. This is subject to change and will vary depending on the financial terms negotiated on each construction project.

• When the monthly lease payments do begin, they will be between approximately $18,500 to $27,500 per month for base rents.

• In addition to the base rent, you will be required to pay other fees and expenses related to the real property such as property taxes, assessments, common area maintenance fees, and property owners’ association fees.

• Christian Brothers Automotive will charge development, construction management, and legal fees of up to 5% of project costs for each project. These fees will be included in the cost of construction of the improvements.

3.  Equipment, Furniture, and Software:  $255,000 to $280,000

• Prior to opening, you must purchase certain equipment, furniture, and software from Christian Brothers Automotive that will be used to operate the franchise. This will include the equipment listed in Christian Brothers Automotive’s Confidential Operations Manual and the software, at a current total cost of approximately $255,000 to $280,000.

4.  Shuttle Vehicle:  $30,000 to $50,000

• You must purchase a Christian Brothers Automotive-approved shuttle vehicle. This may either be a Chevrolet Traverse 2-wheel drive or AWD (2019 and up), Dodge Durango 2-wheel drive or AWD (2019 and up), Honda Odyssey (2019 and up), Honda Pilot (2023 and up), Honda Accord (2023 and up), Toyota Sienna (2021 and up), Toyota Highlander (2020 and up), or Toyota Camry (2019 and up).

• Subject to the model year requirements specified in the preceding sentence, no pre-owned shuttle vehicle may be more than 4 years old at the time of purchase and must be the latest design/body style available.

5.  Shuttle Vehicle Wrap:  $1,750 to $3,400

• The approved shuttle vehicle must be wrapped with a Christian Brothers Automotive-approved graphic wrap by the approved vendor. The cost of the wrap can be financed with the purchase or lease of the shuttle vehicle.

6.  Inventory:  $11,000 to $12,000

7.  Security Deposits:  $5,000

• You must pay security deposits to the local utility companies. You must call them to determine the amounts and methods of payment.

8.  Signs:  $0

• You must display and maintain a sign for your franchise. Christian Brothers Automotive will select the sign, the location for the sign, and the company to build and install the sign.

• The cost of this sign is included in your project cost or a construction loan. All costs and expenses related to maintaining, repairing, and/or replacing the sign will be your obligation on an ongoing basis throughout the term of your lease.

9.  Insurance and Business License:  $5,000 to $45,000

• Christian Brothers Automotive estimates that you will spend between $5,000 and $45,000 per year on insurance premiums and licenses.

• Normally, these premiums can be financed on a monthly payment plan that will reduce the initial cash outlay to approximately $5,000, depending on your providers and your credit worthiness.

10.  Marketing/Advertising:  $20,000 to $30,000 incurred during your first year in business

• Christian Brothers Automotive requires that if you market/advertise in any local medium, that it be done according to the Marketing section within the Confidential Operations Manual and in conjunction with and approved by the company’s Marketing Department.

• Starting with your first year in operation, you should budget between $20,000 to $30,000 per year for marketing/advertising.

11.  New Store Opening Marketing/Advertising:  $15,000 to $20,000

• In addition to the estimates in No. 10 above, Christian Brothers Automotive estimates you will spend between $15,000 to $20,000 for marketing/advertising from about 90 days prior to store opening until about 60 days after store opening. Christian Brothers may require you to spend up to $20,000 on such marketing/advertising.

12.  Pre-Opening Training Travel/Salary:  $7,500 to $10,000

• You will spend about $7,500 to $10,000 for pre-opening traveling for training, including general travel expenses such as flight, rental car, hotel and food costs for a period of approximately 30 to 45 days.

• If you elect to take a salary from your business during this period, Christian Brothers Automotive will approve up to $9,230.77 of your salary (eight weeks’ worth) as an Approved Expense.

13.  Other Payments:  $5,000 to $15,000

• You will need to make estimated payments of $5,000 to $15,000 at or near startup for miscellaneous expenses which include items such as:  financing/administrative or application fees, legal or professional fees, extra office supplies, and extra inventory or supplies that are unique to your location which may consist of some of the items described in Note 5 above.

• If you elect to utilize Christian Brothers Automotive’s in-house loan administration services, a $2,500 loan administration fee will be payable to Christian Brothers Automotive upon the closing and funding of your startup loan, which generally occurs upon receiving your Certificate of Occupancy.

• If you elect to obtain and facilitate your own startup financing, you will be charged a $4,000 loan administration fee due to the increased administrative burden. These amounts are included in the above range of estimated payments.

14.  Additional Funds During Initial 3 Months:  $30,000 to $40,000

• Christian Brothers Automotive estimates that you will spend between $30,000 and $40,000 over the first three months of the operation of the franchise on items such as general office supplies, employees, vendors, and utilities. These expenditures are often categorized as expenditures made from working capital.

• These amounts are estimates. They will, to a considerable degree, represent discretionary expenses that you may or may not choose to incur.

15.  Total:  $520,250 to $645,400

• Christian Brothers Automotive estimates that your total estimated initial investment will be between $520,250 and $645,400. These figures are estimates only, and Christian Brothers Automotive does not warrant, represent, or guarantee that you will not incur additional expenses as you start your business.

• Christian Brothers Automotive relied on the experience of its management to compile these estimates.

• Christian Brothers Automotive does not offer direct or indirect financing to you for any items in connection with your initial investment.