GNC Franchise Failure Rate
SBA 7(a) loan default data, FY2010–FY2019 · Updated 2026
GNC franchisees defaulted on 6.5% of SBA 7(a) loans between FY2010 and FY2019 — 3 of 46 loans were charged off — according to U.S. Small Business Administration data. That is lower than the Food (Health) Supplement Stores industry average of 13.0%.
- 6.5%SBA default rate3 of 46 loans
- 46loans resolvedapproved FY2010–FY2019
- 13.0%Food (Health) Supplement Stores averageall SBA loans in the industry
- 1st lowestindustry rankof 3 Food (Health) Supplement Stores brands
| SBA default rate | 6.5% |
|---|---|
| Loans approved | 46 |
| Loans charged off | 3 |
| Date range | FY2010–FY2019 |
| Industry | Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
| Industry average | 13.0% |
| 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 15 GNC SBA borrowers failed to repay — well below the Food (Health) Supplement Stores average of 13.0%.
What is the GNC franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
GNC is a Food (Health) Supplement 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 GNC franchisees: 46 loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019, of which 3 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–FY201946
- Charged off3
- Charge-off rate6.5%
- Food (Health) Supplement Stores franchise benchmark13.0%
- Brand vs industry0.5x
- All-franchise SBA benchmark10.2%
- Average loan size, 2010s cohort$214,624
How does GNC compare with other Food (Health) Supplement Stores franchises?
The table sets GNC's charge-off rate beside its Food (Health) Supplement 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 | GNC | Food (Health) Supplement Stores | All franchises | All SBA borrowers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default (charge-off) rate | 6.5% | 13.0% | 10.2% | 8.0% |
| Loans in sample | 46 | — | — | — |
| Defaults | 3 | — | — | — |
| Average loan size | $214,624 | — | — | — |
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 | 2 | 1 | 50.0% |
| FY2011 | 6 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2012 | 5 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2013 | 7 | 2 | 28.6% |
| FY2014 | 7 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2015 | 10 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2016 | 3 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2017 | 5 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2018 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
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?
GNC's figure rests on 46 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 46 resolved loans, one default moves the rate by about 2.2 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 GNC figure is recomputed from the public SBA FOIA file on each rebuild.
Based on 46 resolved loans — directional, not precise.
Is GNC in financial trouble? What the SBA data shows
GNC's SBA 7(a) default rate was 6.5% for loans approved FY2010–FY2019 (3 of 46 loans charged off) — the lowest of 3 Food (Health) Supplement Stores brands tracked here. A default rate close to the Food (Health) Supplement Stores average of 13.0% is, on its own, neither a warning sign nor a reassurance.
Frequently asked
- What is GNC's franchise failure rate?
- GNC franchisees defaulted on 6.5% of SBA 7(a) loans between FY2010 and FY2019 — 3 of 46 loans were charged off — according to U.S. Small Business Administration data. That is lower than the Food (Health) Supplement Stores industry average of 13.0%.
- How does GNC compare to other Food (Health) Supplement Stores franchises?
- GNC's 6.5% SBA default rate is lower than the Food (Health) Supplement Stores industry average of 13.0%. See every Food (Health) Supplement Stores franchise ranked on the Food (Health) Supplement Stores industry page. Food (Health) Supplement 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). GNC franchise SBA 7(a) default rate, FY2010–FY2019 cohort: 6.5% (3 of 46 loans charged off). Derived from U.S. SBA FOIA data, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
https://franchisefailurerates.com/franchise/gnc/ · Data & methodology · Download the dataset (CSV)