Sport Clips Haircuts, the nearly 1,800-unit men's and boys' grooming franchise, is once again focused on net-positive growth, leveraging stronger infrastructure, new technology investments, improved support systems, and fresh real estate opportunities created in the wake of the pandemic.
For Sport Clips, the story is about emerging even stronger from an unprecedented challenge.
"We're in a place now where we are ready to really accelerate our franchise expansion, focusing on net positive growth with our store counts after slowing down for the past few years following the pandemic," said Brent Greenwood, vice president of franchise development.
Few franchise sectors felt the impact of COVID-19 more directly than haircare. Unlike many businesses that could pivot to delivery, e-commerce or remote work, haircut providers faced a simple reality: they could not legally operate.
Despite those challenges, Sport Clips worked closely with franchisees throughout the crisis, helping operators navigate closures, staffing issues and an uncertain economic environment.
"We were proud of what we did during that time," Greenwood said. "We were able to keep a majority of our stores open and helped our team leaders navigate that very difficult time. Many team leaders used PPP loan money and entered into new leases, for example. Some of those leases are coming up for renewal now, and the terms are no longer favorable for stores that haven’t gotten back to their pre-pandemic levels. Strategic closures are opening back up some prime markets for new development in the right sites."
Even so, the overall impact on the Sport Clips system remained limited. "It was a very small percentage of our system that closed during COVID," Greenwood said. "It was really a testament to what the leadership team did and how quickly we've gotten back to normal revenue expectations."
While some competitors have struggled to regain their footing, Sport Clips has used the industry's reset to strengthen its position.
"There are now holes in the market due to competitors closing," Greenwood said. "What we have been able to do, in contrast to our direct competition, is keep closures at a minimum and take advantage of gaps as well. It opens up a lot of opportunities from a real estate standpoint in areas we never had access to before. It reset the real estate market in our industry. The strongest players end up capitalizing on these opportunities, and that is where we are today. We have an optimization plan that gives us a runway for growth over the next 15 to 20 years.”
Perhaps the biggest difference between Sport Clips today and Sport Clips five years ago is the amount of infrastructure supporting franchisees. Rather than simply focusing on expansion, leadership spent the past several years investing heavily in operational support designed to improve franchisee performance.
One example is the brand's field support model.
"We now have a field coach for every 20 stores and are doing more in-person training than ever before," Greenwood said. "We've ramped up the support piece, which will further improve unit economics."
Those investments build upon a franchise model already designed for scalability. Sport Clips operates through a manager-driven structure, allowing franchisees to focus on leadership, culture and growth rather than cutting hair themselves. The average franchisee owns roughly nine locations, and many operators continue expanding far beyond that.
"Our model is designed to allow investors to keep their full-time careers as they grow," Greenwood said. "It's about leading managers, building culture and driving performance."
Unlike many franchise systems that rely heavily on third-party platforms, Sport Clips maintains ownership of its technology ecosystem and continues to invest in improving the guest experience.
"We own our mobile app and have a tech team of about 50 people as part of our support team," Greenwood said. "They are working to improve the overall customer experience through the app. That really puts us above the competition right now."
This shift back to growth comes at a perfect time, as many entrepreneurs are currently rethinking their career and investment paths. Sport Clips is built on steady, recurring demand, making it a very appealing, stable choice for prospective franchisees. Plus, according to industry forecasts, the global male grooming market is expected to exceed $110 billion by 2030.
"This is a recession-resistant business," Greenwood has said. "I'm not going to say pandemic-proof, but it certainly is resilient, and it is also resistant to AI as well. If you combine that pre-pandemic consumer interest with the industry's strong track record of being recession- and AI-resistant, it's the perfect combination. Especially for those who have concerns about how AI might impact their current careers and are looking for an alternative."
For many entrepreneurs, the appeal extends beyond the category itself. Sport Clips remains one of the largest privately-owned franchise systems in the country.
"We are also a privately-owned company," Greenwood said. "Private equity is really taking over franchising right now, so the opportunity to join a privately-owned company is becoming rare and will not be around forever. We have no interest in taking PE dollars."
Today, Sport Clips finds itself in a unique position. The brand has emerged from one of the most difficult periods in its history. It has strengthened its support infrastructure, expanded its technology capabilities, preserved its culture and identified new pathways for growth. Most importantly, it is once again focused on expanding its footprint.
"The strongest players end up capitalizing on these opportunities," Greenwood said.
For entrepreneurs seeking a scalable franchise backed by recurring revenue, a manager-driven operating model and a category that remains resistant to both economic downturns and technological disruption, Sport Clips believes the opportunity is clear.
"We've been successful for more than 30 years," Greenwood said. "But we still have a lot of runway left."
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://sportclipsfranchise.com/.
Sport Clips
SPONSORED
After navigating one of the most disruptive periods in the history of the haircare industry, Sport Clips Haircuts is entering a new chapter.
Sport Clips Haircuts, the nearly 1,800-unit men's and boys' grooming franchise, is once again focused on net-positive growth, leveraging stronger infrastructure, new technology investments, improved support systems, and fresh real estate opportunities created in the wake of the pandemic.
For Sport Clips, the story is about emerging even stronger from an unprecedented challenge.
"We're in a place now where we are ready to really accelerate our franchise expansion, focusing on net positive growth with our store counts after slowing down for the past few years following the pandemic," said Brent Greenwood, vice president of franchise development.
Few franchise sectors felt the impact of COVID-19 more directly than haircare. Unlike many businesses that could pivot to delivery, e-commerce or remote work, haircut providers faced a simple reality: they could not legally operate.
Despite those challenges, Sport Clips worked closely with franchisees throughout the crisis, helping operators navigate closures, staffing issues and an uncertain economic environment.
"We were proud of what we did during that time," Greenwood said. "We were able to keep a majority of our stores open and helped our team leaders navigate that very difficult time. Many team leaders used PPP loan money and entered into new leases, for example. Some of those leases are coming up for renewal now, and the terms are no longer favorable for stores that haven’t gotten back to their pre-pandemic levels. Strategic closures are opening back up some prime markets for new development in the right sites."
Even so, the overall impact on the Sport Clips system remained limited. "It was a very small percentage of our system that closed during COVID," Greenwood said. "It was really a testament to what the leadership team did and how quickly we've gotten back to normal revenue expectations."
While some competitors have struggled to regain their footing, Sport Clips has used the industry's reset to strengthen its position.
"There are now holes in the market due to competitors closing," Greenwood said. "What we have been able to do, in contrast to our direct competition, is keep closures at a minimum and take advantage of gaps as well. It opens up a lot of opportunities from a real estate standpoint in areas we never had access to before. It reset the real estate market in our industry. The strongest players end up capitalizing on these opportunities, and that is where we are today. We have an optimization plan that gives us a runway for growth over the next 15 to 20 years.”
Perhaps the biggest difference between Sport Clips today and Sport Clips five years ago is the amount of infrastructure supporting franchisees. Rather than simply focusing on expansion, leadership spent the past several years investing heavily in operational support designed to improve franchisee performance.
One example is the brand's field support model.
"We now have a field coach for every 20 stores and are doing more in-person training than ever before," Greenwood said. "We've ramped up the support piece, which will further improve unit economics."
Those investments build upon a franchise model already designed for scalability. Sport Clips operates through a manager-driven structure, allowing franchisees to focus on leadership, culture and growth rather than cutting hair themselves. The average franchisee owns roughly nine locations, and many operators continue expanding far beyond that.
"Our model is designed to allow investors to keep their full-time careers as they grow," Greenwood said. "It's about leading managers, building culture and driving performance."
Unlike many franchise systems that rely heavily on third-party platforms, Sport Clips maintains ownership of its technology ecosystem and continues to invest in improving the guest experience.
"We own our mobile app and have a tech team of about 50 people as part of our support team," Greenwood said. "They are working to improve the overall customer experience through the app. That really puts us above the competition right now."
This shift back to growth comes at a perfect time, as many entrepreneurs are currently rethinking their career and investment paths. Sport Clips is built on steady, recurring demand, making it a very appealing, stable choice for prospective franchisees. Plus, according to industry forecasts, the global male grooming market is expected to exceed $110 billion by 2030.
"This is a recession-resistant business," Greenwood has said. "I'm not going to say pandemic-proof, but it certainly is resilient, and it is also resistant to AI as well. If you combine that pre-pandemic consumer interest with the industry's strong track record of being recession- and AI-resistant, it's the perfect combination. Especially for those who have concerns about how AI might impact their current careers and are looking for an alternative."
For many entrepreneurs, the appeal extends beyond the category itself. Sport Clips remains one of the largest privately-owned franchise systems in the country.
"We are also a privately-owned company," Greenwood said. "Private equity is really taking over franchising right now, so the opportunity to join a privately-owned company is becoming rare and will not be around forever. We have no interest in taking PE dollars."
Today, Sport Clips finds itself in a unique position. The brand has emerged from one of the most difficult periods in its history. It has strengthened its support infrastructure, expanded its technology capabilities, preserved its culture and identified new pathways for growth. Most importantly, it is once again focused on expanding its footprint.
"The strongest players end up capitalizing on these opportunities," Greenwood said.
For entrepreneurs seeking a scalable franchise backed by recurring revenue, a manager-driven operating model and a category that remains resistant to both economic downturns and technological disruption, Sport Clips believes the opportunity is clear.
"We've been successful for more than 30 years," Greenwood said. "But we still have a lot of runway left."
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://sportclipsfranchise.com/.
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