Buying a Cold Stone Creamery franchise: SBA acquisition loan data
Since FY2018, SBA lenders have approved 39 7(a) loans to buy an existing Cold Stone Creamery (classified mostly as Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars), totaling $14.8M. The median loan was $285,000, 56% lower than the $645,250 median for all SBA-financed acquisitions. 10 of these loans were approved in the last two fiscal years.
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What this tells a buyer
- Price range to expect. Loan size tracks purchase price. Half of Cold Stone Creamery resale loans landed between $164,200 and $521,100.
- Lender experience exists. The Huntington National Bank alone has financed 8 Cold Stone Creamery resales.
- Guaranty. The SBA guaranteed 78% of the dollars lent here.
- What the file leaves out. The SBA file does not record franchisor transfer terms or fees.
Financing a Cold Stone Creamery resale
The median SBA 7(a) loan for a Cold Stone Creamery resale was $285,000 across 39 loans (FY2018 to FY2026). The Huntington National Bank, Citizens Bank and OakStar Bank have financed the most Cold Stone Creamery resales. Too few of these loans are old enough to measure a charge-off rate; the average for all SBA acquisition loans is 3.5%.
Cold Stone Creamery acquisition loans by year
| Fiscal year | Loans | Total approved | Median loan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2018 | 2 | $332K | $166,150 | |
| FY2019 | 3 | $612K | $150,000 | |
| FY2020 | 6 | $1.3M | $159,050 | |
| FY2021 | 6 | $3.2M | $377,500 | |
| FY2022 | 5 | $846K | $165,000 | |
| FY2023 | 3 | $1.6M | $537,200 | |
| FY2024 | 4 | $1.9M | $419,000 | |
| FY2025 | 7 | $3.8M | $458,000 | |
| FY2026 | 3 | $1.1M | $300,000 |
How often do these acquisition loans fail?
Fewer than 20 Cold Stone Creamery acquisition loans are old enough to measure losses reliably, so no charge-off rate is shown. The benchmark across all SBA acquisition loans in the FY2018 to FY2021 cohort is 3.5% by count. Non-acquisition 7(a) loans (every other stated purpose) approved FY2018 to FY2021 charged off at 6.2%.
"Charged off" is the SBA's final loss action on a defaulted loan after collection efforts. It lags default by a year or more, which is why only older cohorts are measured. It is not the same as a delinquency rate, and loans still outstanding can still fail. See charge-off in the glossary.
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Lenders financing Cold Stone Creamery resales
| # | Lender | Loans | Share | Dollars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Huntington National Bank | 8 | 20.5% | $2.7M | |
| 2 | Citizens Bank | 3 | 7.7% | $1.2M | |
| 3 | OakStar Bank | 2 | 5.1% | $1M | |
| 4 | The Bancorp Bank National Association | 2 | 5.1% | $755K | |
| 5 | Zions Bancorporation, National Association | 2 | 5.1% | $413K | |
| 6 | KEMBA Financial CU | 2 | 5.1% | $130K | |
| 7 | Beacon Bank and Trust | 1 | 2.6% | $1.3M | |
| 8 | Pathward National Association | 1 | 2.6% | $835K | |
| 9 | JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | 1 | 2.6% | $788K | |
| 10 | SouthState Bank, National Association | 1 | 2.6% | $745K |
States where Cold Stone Creamery units are bought
| # | State | Loans | Share | Dollars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio | 7 | 17.9% | $958K | |
| 2 | California | 6 | 15.4% | $1.5M | |
| 3 | Colorado | 5 | 12.8% | $2.1M | |
| 4 | Montana | 3 | 7.7% | $1M | |
| 5 | Texas | 2 | 5.1% | $1.5M | |
| 6 | North Carolina | 2 | 5.1% | $768K | |
| 7 | Washington | 2 | 5.1% | $765K | |
| 8 | Arizona | 1 | 2.6% | $1.3M | |
| 9 | Florida | 1 | 2.6% | $745K | |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | 1 | 2.6% | $630K |
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How lenders classify Cold Stone Creamery
Lenders code each loan to a NAICS industry. For Cold Stone Creamery the codes used were:
| # | Industry | Loans | Share | Dollars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars | 18 | 46.2% | $6.5M | |
| 2 | Limited-Service Restaurants | 10 | 25.6% | $4.4M | |
| 3 | All Other Specialty Food Retailers | 9 | 23.1% | $3.3M | |
| 4 | Confectionery and Nut Retailers | 1 | 2.6% | $345K |
Questions buyers ask
How much do buyers borrow to buy a Cold Stone Creamery franchise?
The median SBA 7(a) loan for a Cold Stone Creamery resale was $285,000 across 39 loans (FY2018 to FY2026). The middle half of loans ran from $164,200 to $521,100. The loan excludes the buyer's equity and any seller note and may include working capital, so the price is usually higher than the loan.
Which banks finance Cold Stone Creamery acquisitions?
The Huntington National Bank has made the most SBA acquisition loans for Cold Stone Creamery (8, 21% of the total). Citizens Bank, OakStar Bank, The Bancorp Bank National Association follow.
What interest rate and term do Cold Stone Creamery acquisition loans carry?
The average initial rate at approval was 7.80% (a blend of fixed and variable loans across several rate environments, so treat it as context, not a quote). The median term was 10 years.
Is a Cold Stone Creamery resale riskier than other SBA-financed acquisitions?
Too few Cold Stone Creamery acquisition loans are old enough to measure. The benchmark for all SBA acquisition loans is 3.5% charged off in the FY2018 to FY2021 cohort.
Where are Cold Stone Creamery units being bought with SBA loans?
Ohio (7), California (6), Colorado (5), Montana (3), Texas (2). State counts follow where the brand has units and where SBA lending is most active generally; see the state pages for the overall picture.
That draft favors the seller. We review it for the buyer, line by line.
Submit Transaction DetailsAlex Lubyansky leads every engagement.
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Related
- All Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars acquisitions
- Ohio acquisitions
- California acquisitions
- Colorado acquisitions
- The Huntington National Bank
- Citizens Bank
- OakStar Bank
- All franchise brands
Brand name as recorded by lenders in the SBA file: "Cold Stone Creamery" (franchise code S0400). Figures are aggregates of public SBA data and are not provided or endorsed by the franchisor.