Fitness
Pure Barre Franchise
A boutique fitness franchise offering barre-based group exercise classes combining ballet, Pilates, and strength-training movements, franchised as standalone studios.
Disclosed in the FDD's litigation section (Item 3)
This franchise's FDD discloses several pending or recent legal matters: an arbitration filed July 2024 by a terminated franchisee seeking $299,999 and alleging fraud and breach of contract (Pure Barre has filed a counterclaim; a hearing is scheduled for February 2027); a separate arbitration alleging false Item 19 financial performance representations; and a class action naming Pure Barre alongside several sibling Xponential Fitness brands that has reached a $2.15 million settlement, still pending court approval. These are allegations and a proposed settlement, not proven findings against this specific brand -- California DFPI itself shows no action on file. Item 3 litigation disclosures like this are a standard, federally required part of every FDD; read the full disclosure in the current FDD before drawing conclusions.
Every franchisor has to file a document called an FDD before they can legally sell you a franchise. Buried in it are the two things a sales rep won't volunteer: what you'll actually spend to open, and whether existing locations are opening or closing. That's what's below, pulled straight from Pure Barre's own filing.
What it costs to open
From the filing's investment breakdown -- not a "starting at" number a sales rep quoted you.
Franchise fee
$60,000
Total to open
$445,299–$736,465
Ongoing royalty
7% of gross sales
What you'd actually spend, over time
The upfront cost is only part of it. Plug in what you expect a location to bring in, and see the real total once royalties over a few years are added on top.
Defaulted to a rough fitness industry average, not a figure from Pure Barre's own FDD -- change it to your own estimate.
Total cost of ownership over 5 years
$690,299 – $981,465
Startup investment
$445,299–$736,465
Royalty per year (7%)
$49,000
Total royalty, 5yr
$245,000
When would you break even?
Revenue alone doesn't tell you this -- it depends on what's left after rent, labor, and everything else. Pure Barre's FDD doesn't disclose a reliable profit figure (most franchisors don't), so this starts from a typical fitness profit margin (~15%) and applies it to the revenue you entered above -- adjust the percentage to your own realistic estimate.
Defaulted to a general fitness industry benchmark, not a figure from Pure Barre's own filing -- this is a starting point to adjust, not a promise about what franchisees actually make.
At that profit, you'd break even in about
4.2–7.0 years
Weigh that payback period against what you already know: Pure Barre is currently losing locations. A long payback period on a shrinking brand is a very different bet than the same payback period on a growing one.
Is Pure Barre actually growing?
Franchisors have to report, every year, how many locations opened, closed, or changed hands. Most franchise sites never show you this. Here it is:
Locations opened vs. closed, by year
ShrinkingFrom Item 20 of Pure Barre's FDD, the section franchisors use to disclose real openings and closings.
| Year | Franchised units, start | Franchised units, end | Net change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 611 | 615 | +4 |
| 2024 | 615 | 617 | +2 |
| 2025 | 617 | 617 | +0 |
Most recent year (2025): gained 0 franchised units, ending the year at 617 total.
Where this came from: California DFPI Registration Renewal, App ID APP00005042, filed 4/17/2026, effective 6/1/2026. FDD issuance date April 17, 2026. You can pull the same filing yourself from the California DFPI's public franchise search. Filed 2026-04-17. None of this is investment advice -- get the franchisor's current FDD and talk to a real attorney or accountant before you sign anything.
If you see a different unit count elsewhere: franchisors only have to refile their FDD annually, so the numbers here can run 6–18 months behind a franchisor's own real-time marketing claims -- which often aren't independently verified, and sometimes count signed-but-not-yet-open locations. A gap isn't necessarily an error on either side; it's two different snapshots in time from two different sources.