Walmart Inc. reported total revenues of $713.2 billion for fiscal 2026 and operates 4,611 stores across the United States. That scale draws a steady stream of searches from entrepreneurs asking how to open a Walmart. The answer set out in the company’s own filings is short: Walmart does not sell franchises in the United States. This article covers the model, the cost context and the retail brands that do franchise.
Walmart’s US business trades under the Walmart and Walmart Neighborhood Market banners, alongside walmart.com and its app, with 601 Sam’s Club warehouses in 44 states and Puerto Rico. The assortment runs from groceries to clothing, shoes and accessories, home, garden and tools, and electronics covering TVs, laptops, tablets, printers and cell phones, under the “Save Money. Live Better.” tagline. Roughly 1.6 million associates work in the US.
Is Walmart a Franchise?
No. Walmart does not offer franchise opportunities in the United States and publishes no franchise offer for the US market. Walmart Inc. is publicly traded, and its US stores are company-operated units staffed by employees. Under the FTC Franchise Rule, 16 CFR Part 436, a franchise exists only where three elements are present together: a trademark license, significant control over or assistance with the operator’s method of operation, and a required payment of $500 or more within six months of opening.
The only franchise in the company’s history sits at the start of it. Walmart’s fiscal 2026 Form 10-K records that “the businesses conducted by our founders began in 1945 when Sam M. Walton opened a franchise Ben Franklin variety store in Newport, Arkansas.” The discount stores that followed from 1962 were company-owned.
Who Can Open a Walmart Location?
Nobody outside the company. Walmart’s filings describe a vertically integrated retailer, not a licensor of its brand: US growth comes from opening, remodeling and converting company-operated units. Internationally, its 5,743 stores across 18 countries are held largely through wholly-owned and majority-owned subsidiaries.
For an individual, the routes in are employment as an associate, a supplier relationship, or a Marketplace seller account. None involves operating a store for one’s own account.
Leased Space Inside a Walmart: A Different Model
Walmart does lease space to third parties. Its leasing site advertises “in-store spaces available for lease across the US”, which is how quick-service restaurants, salons and phone repair counters end up inside a Supercenter. Several of those tenants are franchisees of other brands, which is where the confusion begins.
- Lease, not license : the tenant rents square footage and trades under its own brand.
- No Walmart mark : no trademark license, and no Walmart franchise fee.
- Allocated store by store : space is offered commercially, not as a national opportunity.
- The tenant’s own network : a franchised restaurant inside a Walmart is a franchise of that restaurant brand.
Good to know
Sam’s Club sells memberships, not franchises. Club membership costs $50 a year and Plus $110, and member perks like Scan and Go, free shipping and delivery and savings at Sam’s Club fuel stations sit on the consumer side. Walmart+ members save 10 cents per gallon at more than 13,000 stations, including Exxon, Mobil and Murphy gas stations. A paid membership creates no ownership stake.
How Much Does it Cost to Open a Walmart-Style Retail Store?
There is no Walmart franchise fee to quote: there is no offer. Nor is there a published average start-up cost for a US franchise: no federal agency maintains that series, and the only citable figure for a brand is Item 7 of its current Franchise Disclosure Document. The ranges below are the brands’ own.
- Retail services, store-in-store : $114,146 to $311,375 (The UPS Store)
- Retail services, traditional storefront : $222,368 to $606,081 (The UPS Store)
- Specialty retail store : $536,520 to $1,965,005 (Pet Supplies Plus)
- Convenience store, site conversion : $268,500 to $3,029,500 (Circle K)
- Convenience store, new construction : $1,383,500 to $4,846,500 (Circle K)
- Hardware, home and garden, cooperative model : from $350,000 to more than $2 million (Ace Hardware)
Where these numbers come from
Each figure above is the brand’s own and is subject to change. Item 7 of a Franchise Disclosure Document states an estimated initial investment as a low-to-high range, line by line, including additional funds for the opening period. That document is disclosure, not approval: no federal agency vets the concept behind it.
Alternatives to a Walmart Franchise
Walmart sits in general merchandise, groceries and convenience retail. Several brands in and around those categories do accept candidates, and one of the largest is not a franchisor at all.
- 7-Eleven : convenience retail. Franchises single stores and converts company-operated locations; investment varies by store and sits in its Franchise Disclosure Document.
- Circle K : convenience retail and fuel. On the brand’s stated figures, a single-store agreement calls for a net worth of $1 million including $100,000 in liquid assets.
- Ace Hardware : home, garden and tools. A retailers cooperative the brand calls “owned by its retailers,” with no royalty fees and a minimum investment of $350,000 to more than $2 million. A member is a shareholder, not a franchisee.
- Pet Supplies Plus : specialty retail. An initial franchise fee of $49,900 per unit, royalty of 2% of monthly sales for 12 months, then 3%.
- The UPS Store : retail services. Four formats, including a store-in-store version inside another retailer’s footprint.
Opening an independent store outside any network is the other route, with no franchise fee and no brand license. Walmart’s 4,611 stores and 601 clubs are, on the company’s own account, operated by Walmart itself.
Frequently asked questions about opening a Walmart
No. Walmart publishes no franchise offer for the United States, and its fiscal 2026 annual report describes a company-operated base of 4,611 US stores. The only third-party arrangement inside a Walmart is a commercial lease of in-store space.
There is no figure, because there is no offer and no Franchise Disclosure Document. Any amount circulating online corresponds to no published document. For brands that do franchise, the range appears in Item 7 of their current disclosure document.
No. Sam’s Club is a membership warehouse division of Walmart Inc., with 601 clubs in 44 states and Puerto Rico. Membership at $50 or $110 a year is a consumer subscription, not an operating right.
This content is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, financial, or professional advice. Laws and regulations vary by state and individual circumstances and may change over time. Readers should consult a qualified attorney, tax professional, or other licensed professional regarding their specific situation. Nothing herein creates an attorney-client relationship.
