SBA 7(a) loan outcomes · FY2010–FY2019 cohort · Statuses as of June 30, 2026 · Last updated August 17, 2026
Batteries Plus Bulbs Franchise Failure Rate: 20.9% SBA Loan Defaults (2010–2019 Federal Data)
Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026. Figures also in the comparison table below.
About 1 in 5 Batteries Plus Bulbs SBA borrowers failed to repay — more than double the All Other Miscellaneous Store Retailers (except Tobacco Stores) average of 10.3%.
Between 2010 and 2019, 43 Batteries Plus Bulbs franchisees financed with SBA 7(a) loans. 9 defaulted — a 20.9% charge-off rate, 2.0x the All Other Miscellaneous Store Retailers (except Tobacco Stores) average of 10.3%. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration FOIA dataset, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
What is the Batteries Plus Bulbs franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
Batteries Plus Bulbs is a All Other Miscellaneous Store Retailers (except Tobacco Stores) franchise. This page reports the outcome of every SBA 7(a) loan the U.S. Small Business Administration's public FOIA file attributes to Batteries Plus Bulbs franchisees: 43 loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019, of which 9 were charged off. Loan statuses are as of June 30, 2026, and the cohort has matured, so these are settled outcomes rather than projections.
- SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY201943
- Charged off9
- Charge-off rate20.9%
- All Other Miscellaneous Store Retailers (except Tobacco Stores) franchise benchmark10.3%
- Brand vs industry2.0x
- All-franchise SBA benchmark10.2%
- Average loan size, 2010s cohort$198,526
How does Batteries Plus Bulbs compare with other All Other Miscellaneous Store Retailers (except Tobacco Stores) franchises?
The table sets Batteries Plus Bulbs's charge-off rate beside its All Other Miscellaneous Store Retailers (except Tobacco Stores) peers and the two economy-wide benchmarks. All figures use the same cohort — SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019, statuses as of June 30, 2026 — and the same denominator of resolved loans, so they are directly comparable. A cell in red is more than twice the industry benchmark.
| Measure | Batteries Plus Bulbs | All Other Miscellaneous Store Retailers (except Tobacco Stores) | All franchises | All SBA borrowers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default (charge-off) rate | 20.9% | 10.3% | 10.2% | 8.0% |
| Loans in sample | 43 | — | — | — |
| Defaults | 9 | — | — | — |
| Average loan size | $198,526 | — | — | — |
Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026.
Show the numbers behind this chart
| Fiscal year | Loans | Charged off | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2011 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2014 | 13 | 1 | 7.7% |
| FY2015 | 8 | 1 | 12.5% |
| FY2016 | 12 | 3 | 25.0% |
| FY2017 | 9 | 4 | 44.4% |
How to read this
A charge-off means a franchisee borrowed, operated, and failed severely enough that the SBA wrote off the government-guaranteed loan. Unlike franchisor marketing or Item 19 disclosures, this is an observed outcome recorded by a federal agency. One caveat cuts the other way: SBA borrowers are typically less capitalized than all-cash buyers, so these rates can overstate risk for well-funded operators.
How reliable is this number?
Batteries Plus Bulbs's figure rests on 43 resolved SBA 7(a) loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019 — a matured cohort, so the rate is a settled outcome, not a projection. With 43 resolved loans, one default moves the rate by about 2.3 percentage points. Loans approved since 2020 are excluded from the rate because most are still outstanding; they appear on this page as counts only. Every Batteries Plus Bulbs figure is recomputed from the public SBA FOIA file on each rebuild.
Based on 43 resolved loans — directional, not precise.
Frequently asked
- What is Batteries Plus Bulbs's franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
- Between 2010 and 2019, 43 Batteries Plus Bulbs franchisees financed with SBA 7(a) loans. 9 defaulted — a 20.9% charge-off rate, 2.0x the All Other Miscellaneous Store Retailers (except Tobacco Stores) average of 10.3%. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration FOIA dataset, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
- Is Batteries Plus Bulbs a safe franchise investment?
- Between 2010–2019, Batteries Plus Bulbs franchisees defaulted on SBA loans at 20.9% versus a 10.3% industry average. This data is one input for due diligence; it is not investment advice.
Cite this page
Franchise Default Rates (2026). Batteries Plus Bulbs franchise SBA 7(a) default rate, FY2010–FY2019 cohort: 20.9% (9 of 43 loans charged off). Derived from U.S. SBA FOIA data, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
https://franchisefailurerates.com/franchise/batteries-plus-bulbs/ · Data & methodology · Download the dataset (CSV)