Start a Buddy's Home Furnishings Franchise in 2025

2025 Franchise 500 Rank: #276 Ranked #230 last year

Initial investment: $376K - $798K

Units as of 2024: 335 9.1% over 3 years

Buddy's Home Furnishings Franchise

Buddy’s Home Furnishings, based in Orlando under the direction of CEO Michael Bennett, has been around since 1961 and now operates over 300 franchise and corporate locations nationwide.

In 1961, Buddy’s was founded in Tampa, Florida. Its mission has always been to help customers afford home necessities by offering affordable payment plans without the stress of credit or financing looming over their heads.

In 2009, the company decided to franchise to serve a larger audience and reach new markets nationwide.

What to know about Buddy’s Home Furnishings

Now that you’ve got a bit of history, it’s time to go over the process, costs and everything else you need to know about franchising with Buddy’s.

What are some critical facts about Buddy’s operations?

As a fast-growing company in the rent-to-own industry, Buddy’s Home Furnishings' business model has figured out how to maintain profits while keeping its services affordable. Take a look at the essential RTO services Buddy’s success prides itself on:

No credit needed: Buddy’s provides customers with essential products without a long-term commitment or a credit check.
Express delivery: Buddy’s store locator allows you to see local pricing on furnishings, appliances and electronics, as well as which items are available for express delivery — 24 hours or less.
Included service and repair: One of the most convenient aspects of Buddy’s Home Furnishings is that it will service, fix, replace or provide loaner items all for free.
Flexible payment options: Clients can customize their payment plans and schedules depending on their financial needs.

Why join the furniture industry?

The furniture industry is recession-resistant. Whether customers are minimalists or maximalists, people need furniture in their homes.

The furniture market is multi-billion dollar, with revenue in 2023 at $252.90 billion. In addition, the furniture industry's annual growth is projected at 3.98%.

Why franchise with Buddy’s Home Furnishings?

One of the most important parts of researching a company is understanding the financial commitment it takes to succeed and how much profit you can expect to see. The critical financial requirements and incentives of becoming a Buddy’s franchisee can be found on this Entrepreneur.com listing page.

What will your income be as a Buddy’s Home Furnishings franchise owner? That number varies. However, to give you a better idea of the range franchise locations make, here are some numbers:

Gross sales: Top 25% of stores see $1,473,401 average gross sales.
Cash flow per store: $421,834.

What to expect when becoming an owner of a Buddy’s Home Furnishings franchise

Buddy’s has been a franchisor for years, and it knows the ropes of how to onboard its franchisees to make them successful.

If becoming a franchise owner seems jarring, remember it may cost just as much, if not more, to start your own small business. Also, Buddy’s offers its franchisees financing that covers the following:

Franchise fee.
Startup costs.
Equipment.
Inventory.
Accounts receivable.
Payroll costs.

Buddy’s Home Furnishings cares about the path of its new franchisees, so it provides 42 hours of classroom training and 60 hours of on-the-job training. Team members are assigned to help you with the following:

Site selection.
Lease negotiations.
Cyber training with proprietary software systems.
Safety and security procedures and protocol.
The grand opening.
Long-term assistance: Toll-free call center, online support, field operations and consultants for one-on-one help.
Marketing and promotions: Regional and national advertising, website development, email marketing and SEO.
Loyalty programs.
Mobile apps.

The franchising process with Buddy's Home Furnishings

If you like what you’ve read so far and think Buddy’s could be the right fit for you, then the next thing to do is continue your research and reach out to the company directly.

During the process, expect to meet with corporate leaders, review the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), secure financials, receive training and sign a franchise agreement.

If you are unfamiliar with an FDD, it is the contract between you and the franchisor. This will be a legally binding contract with all essential information, including:

Description of the company and its history.
Any previous or current litigations.
Bankruptcy history.
Patents, copyrights and proprietary information.
Financial statements and receipts.
All investment costs and fees.
Details and products and services.

Next steps with Buddy's Home Furnishings

If owning a Buddy’s franchise sounds like the right franchise opportunity for you, then it's time to get going.

Remember to weigh the pros and cons, picture yourself as the owner of your franchise, continue researching franchise information and reach out to Buddy's Home Furnishings to get free info and start the process.

Are you looking for more content to learn all about franchising? Explore the Entrepreneur Franchise Center here.

Company Overview

About Buddy's Home Furnishings

Industry	Retail
Related Categories	Furniture & Appliances, Miscellaneous Retail Businesses
Founded	1961
Parent Company	Franchise Group Inc.
Leadership	Michael Bennett, CEO
Corporate Address	8529 Southpark Cir., #150 Orlando, FL 32819
Social	Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok

Business Overview

Franchising Since	2009 (16 years)
# of employees at HQ	100
Where seeking	This company is offering new franchises in the following US states: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming
# of Units	335 (as of 2024)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a Buddy's Home Furnishings franchise.

Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees

Here's what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.

Initial Franchise Fee Definition: The initial fee paid to a franchisor to join their system What you need to know: Found in Item 5 of the FDD, this may be a flat fee, or may vary based on territory size, experience, or other factors.The franchise fee is an up-front (one-time) cost that a new franchisee pays to the franchisor. This fee is usually due at the signing of the franchise agreement and covers the right to use the franchisor's trademarks, name, and related business systems.	$39,900
Initial Investment Definition: The total amount necessary to begin operation of the franchise What you need to know: The initial investment includes the franchise fee, along with other startup expenses such as real estate, equipment, supplies, business licenses, and working capital. This is outlined in a chart in Item 7 of the FDD, showing a range of possible costs from low to high.	$375,650 - $797,540
Net Worth Requirement Definition: The minimum net worth you must have in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company What you need to know: Net worth is the value of a person's assets minus liabilities. Assets include cash, stocks, retirement accounts, and real estate. Liabilities include items like mortgages, car payments, and credit card debt.	$750,000
Cash Requirement Definition: The minimum liquid capital you must have available in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company.	$200,000
Veteran Incentives Definition: A discount or other incentive offered to military veterans who buy a franchise with this company.	20% off franchise fee
Royalty Fee Definition: A ongoing fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis. What you need to know: Most franchisors require franchisees to pay an ongoing royalty fee, which is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD. This fee is typically a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales, but may also be a flat weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	to 6%
Ad Royalty Fee Definition: An going fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis to support advertising or marketing efforts. What you need to know: This may also be called advertising fee, marketing fee, brand fund fee, and more, but the basic purpose is the same-- to support promotion of the brand systemwide. As with the royalty fee, it is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD, and can be a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales or a weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	2%
Term of Agreement Definition: The length of time your franchise agreement will last. What you need to know: Franchise terms are typically anywhere from 5 to 20 years in length, but are sometimes instead dependent on factors such as the term of your lease. Once your term is up, you may have the option to renew your agreement, typically for a smaller fee than the original franchise fee.	10 years
Is franchise term renewable?	Yes

Financing Options

Some franchisors offer in-house financing, while others have relationships with third-party financing sources to which they refer qualified franchisees.

Third Party Financing	Buddy's Home Furnishings has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: franchise fee, startup costs, equipment, inventory, accounts receivable, payroll

Training & Support Offered

Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.

On-The-Job Training	60 hours
Classroom Training	42 hours
Ongoing Support	Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings & Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security & Safety Procedures Lease Negotiation Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Support	Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social Media SEO Website Development Email Marketing Loyalty Program/App

Operations

Additional details about running this franchise.

Is absentee ownership allowed?	Yes
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit? Definition: The business can be run from your home and/or a vehicle, and it is not necessary to have a retail facility, office space, or warehouse.	No
Can this franchise be run part time? Definition: This business can be run by the owner on a part-time basis (less than 40 hours per week) and/or as a side business; it is not necessary for the business to be open/run full-time.	Yes
Are exclusive territories available? Definition: An exclusive territory is a fixed area in which you are given the right to operate and in which no other units of the same franchise may be opened. What you need to know: Territory size may be based on factors such as radius, population size, zip codes, and more. Details can be found in Item 12 of the FDD.	Yes