Franchise Facts Report → compare → Culligan International Company vs Pop-A-Lock
Culligan International Company vs Pop-A-Lock
Two home services franchises, compared on the numbers their own Franchise Disclosure Documents put on record — investment, fees, Item 19 earnings, outlet churn, and litigation. Not marketing copy.
| Culligan International Company | Pop-A-Lock | |
|---|---|---|
| Total initial investment FDD Item 7 | $130,000 – $815,601 | $117,565 – $190,610 |
| Initial franchise fee FDD Item 5 | $40,601 | $23,000 |
| Royalty FDD Item 6 | 2% | 7% |
| Item 19 earnings disclosed FDD Item 19 | Not disclosed | Yes |
| Avg unit revenue (headline) FDD Item 19 | — | $50,874 |
| Franchised outlets FDD Item 20 | 438 | 309 |
| Net outlet change (latest yr) FDD Item 20 | -20 | -63 |
| Closure rate FDD Item 20 | 0.7% | — |
| Franchisee lawsuits FDD Item 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Risk level our read | Medium | Medium |
| FDD year registration | 2026 | 2026 |
Are Culligan International Company and Pop-A-Lock the same company?
No — Culligan International Company and Pop-A-Lock are franchised by separate companies. Culligan International Company's franchisor is Culligan International Company; Pop-A-Lock's is SYSTEMFORWARD AMERICA, LLC. Each registers and files its own Franchise Disclosure Document, and you would be signing with a different entity depending on which you chose. Note that a registry filing names the franchisor, not necessarily its ultimate parent — two brands owned by the same parent company can still have separate franchisors.
Cost to open
Pop-A-Lock is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $117,565 – $190,610, against $130,000 – $815,601 for Culligan International Company.
How much does each make? (Item 19)
Only Pop-A-Lock disclosed earnings: it makes an Item 19 financial performance representation (headline average unit revenue $50,874), while Culligan International Company's most recent FDD makes none. That asymmetry is itself a data point: one franchisor puts its unit economics on paper, the other doesn't.
Closures & failure rate
Culligan International Company reports 438 franchised outlets, net change -20 in the latest reported year, a 0.7% closure rate (FDD Item 20). Pop-A-Lock reports 309 franchised outlets, net change -63 in the latest reported year (FDD Item 20). Outlet churn — closures, terminations, non-renewals — is the closest thing an FDD has to a failure rate; the full report puts both brands' churn against home services medians.
Litigation
Culligan International Company discloses no franchisee-initiated proceedings in FDD Item 3. Pop-A-Lock discloses 1 franchisee-vs-franchisor proceeding in FDD Item 3.
This page is the headline numbers. The Deep report compares up to three brands on the complete FDD record — every fee line, the actual Item 19 figures and what they represent, each lawsuit, and churn benchmarked against home services peers.
Only looking at one of them?
Culligan International Company vs Pop-A-Lock — frequently asked
Are Culligan International Company and Pop-A-Lock the same company?
No — Culligan International Company and Pop-A-Lock are franchised by separate companies. Culligan International Company's franchisor is Culligan International Company; Pop-A-Lock's is SYSTEMFORWARD AMERICA, LLC. Each registers and files its own Franchise Disclosure Document, and you would be signing with a different entity depending on which you chose. Note that a registry filing names the franchisor, not necessarily its ultimate parent — two brands owned by the same parent company can still have separate franchisors.
What is the difference between Culligan International Company and Pop-A-Lock?
Culligan International Company and Pop-A-Lock are home services franchises from different franchisors (Culligan International Company and SYSTEMFORWARD AMERICA, LLC). Pop-A-Lock is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $117,565 – $190,610, against $130,000 – $815,601 for Culligan International Company. Only Pop-A-Lock disclosed earnings: it makes an Item 19 financial performance representation (headline average unit revenue $50,874), while Culligan International Company's most recent FDD makes none. That asymmetry is itself a data point: one franchisor puts its unit economics on paper, the other doesn't.
Is Culligan International Company more profitable than Pop-A-Lock?
Only Pop-A-Lock disclosed earnings: it makes an Item 19 financial performance representation (headline average unit revenue $50,874), while Culligan International Company's most recent FDD makes none. That asymmetry is itself a data point: one franchisor puts its unit economics on paper, the other doesn't.
Which is cheaper to open — Culligan International Company or Pop-A-Lock?
Pop-A-Lock is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $117,565 – $190,610, against $130,000 – $815,601 for Culligan International Company.
Is Culligan International Company or Pop-A-Lock growing faster?
Culligan International Company reports 438 franchised outlets, net change -20 in the latest reported year, a 0.7% closure rate (FDD Item 20). Pop-A-Lock reports 309 franchised outlets, net change -63 in the latest reported year (FDD Item 20).
Go deeper on each brand
Home services rankings
Figures are as disclosed in each brand's most recent registered FDD (Culligan International Company 2026, Pop-A-Lock 2026). “—” means the FDD does not disclose it or the table did not parse cleanly — never an estimate.