Cartridge World Franchise Failure Rate
SBA 7(a) loan default data, FY2010–FY2019 · Updated 2026
Cartridge World franchisees defaulted on 14.7% of SBA 7(a) loans between FY2010 and FY2019 — 5 of 34 loans were charged off — according to U.S. Small Business Administration data. That is higher than the Office Supplies and Stationery Stores industry average of 9.5%.
- 14.7%SBA default rate5 of 34 loans
- 34loans resolvedapproved FY2010–FY2019
- 9.5%Office Supplies and Stationery Stores averageall SBA loans in the industry
- 10.2%all-franchise average7.8% non-franchised
| SBA default rate | 14.7% |
|---|---|
| Loans approved | 34 |
| Loans charged off | 5 |
| Date range | FY2010–FY2019 |
| Industry | Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
| Industry average | 9.5% |
| Data source | U.S. SBA 7(a) FOIA loan data |
Most SBA default figures published online use loans approved since 2020 — loans that have had six years or less to fail — so those rates are floors, not outcomes. Every rate on this site is computed from the matured FY2010–FY2019 cohort: loans that have been paid in full or charged off, so the result is settled. Loans approved since 2020 are shown as counts so early charge-offs are visible without being mistaken for a rate.
Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026. Figures also in the comparison table below.
About 1 in 7 Cartridge World SBA borrowers failed to repay — well above the Office Supplies and Stationery Stores average of 9.5%.
What is the Cartridge World franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
Cartridge World is a Office Supplies and Stationery 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 Cartridge World franchisees: 34 loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019, of which 5 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–FY201934
- Charged off5
- Charge-off rate14.7%
- Office Supplies and Stationery Stores franchise benchmark9.5%
- Brand vs industry1.6x
- All-franchise SBA benchmark10.2%
- Average loan size, 2010s cohort$131,468
- New SBA loans since 20205
- Early charge-offs since 20200
How does Cartridge World compare with other Office Supplies and Stationery Stores franchises?
The table sets Cartridge World's charge-off rate beside its Office Supplies and Stationery 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.
| Measure | Cartridge World | Office Supplies and Stationery Stores | All franchises | All SBA borrowers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default (charge-off) rate | 14.7% | 9.5% | 10.2% | 8.0% |
| Loans in sample | 34 | — | — | — |
| Defaults | 5 | — | — | — |
| Average loan size | $131,468 | — | — | — |
What has Cartridge World SBA lending looked like since 2020?
Since 2020, Cartridge World franchisees have taken 5 new SBA 7(a) loans. None have charged off to date, though most remain outstanding and unresolved.
Loans approved since 2020, by fiscal year — counts only: 0 have charged off to date and most are still outstanding, so no rate is drawn.
Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026.
Show the numbers behind this chart
| Fiscal year | Loans | Charged off | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2010 | 8 | 1 | 12.5% |
| FY2011 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2012 | 6 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2013 | 2 | 1 | 50.0% |
| FY2014 | 5 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2015 | 8 | 2 | 25.0% |
| FY2016 | 3 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2018 | 1 | 1 | 100.0% |
| FY2021 | 1 | — | outstanding |
| FY2022 | 1 | — | outstanding |
| FY2023 | 2 | — | outstanding |
| FY2024 | 1 | — | outstanding |
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?
Cartridge World's figure rests on 34 resolved SBA 7(a) loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019. That cohort has matured, so the rate is a settled outcome, not a projection. With 34 resolved loans, one default moves the rate by about 2.9 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 Cartridge World figure is recomputed from the public SBA FOIA file on each rebuild.
Based on 34 resolved loans — directional, not precise.
Is Cartridge World in financial trouble? What the SBA data shows
Cartridge World's SBA 7(a) default rate was 14.7% for loans approved FY2010–FY2019 (5 of 34 loans charged off) — the only Office Supplies and Stationery Stores brand tracked here. A default rate this far above the Office Supplies and Stationery Stores average of 9.5% is a signal worth investigating further before investing.
Frequently asked
- What is Cartridge World's franchise failure rate?
- Cartridge World franchisees defaulted on 14.7% of SBA 7(a) loans between FY2010 and FY2019 — 5 of 34 loans were charged off — according to U.S. Small Business Administration data. That is higher than the Office Supplies and Stationery Stores industry average of 9.5%.
- How does Cartridge World compare to other Office Supplies and Stationery Stores franchises?
- Cartridge World's 14.7% SBA default rate is higher than the Office Supplies and Stationery Stores industry average of 9.5%. See every Office Supplies and Stationery Stores franchise ranked on the Office Supplies and Stationery Stores industry page. Office Supplies and Stationery Stores franchises →
- What does 'SBA default rate' mean?
- An SBA default rate is the share of SBA 7(a) loans, approved FY2010–FY2019 and since resolved (paid in full or charged off), that were charged off — written off after the borrower failed to repay. It is not a measure of unit closures.
Source
Source: U.S. Small Business Administration, 7(a) loan program charge-off data, FY2010–FY2019. Franchise data is matched on the SBA's franchise code / brand name. "Failure rate" here means the share of approved loans (resolved: paid in full or charged off) that were charged off; it is not a measure of unit closures. Last updated September 30, 2026.
Every brand in one table, with percentiles and breakdowns by year, industry and loan size: franchise SBA default rates, all 415 brands.
Cite this page
Franchise Default Rates (2026). Cartridge World franchise SBA 7(a) default rate, FY2010–FY2019 cohort: 14.7% (5 of 34 loans charged off). Derived from U.S. SBA FOIA data, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
https://franchisefailurerates.com/franchise/cartridge-world/ · Data & methodology · Download the dataset (CSV)