Merlin 200000 Mile Shops vs Ice Cold Air Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Merlin 200000 Mile Shops vs Ice Cold Air including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
Merlin 200000 Mile Shops Franchise
Ice Cold Air Franchise
Investment $183,600 - $315,900$15,000 - $25,000
Franchise Fee $26,000 - $30,000N/A
Royalty Fee 4.9-6.9%-
Advertising Fee --
Year Founded 19751999
Year Franchised 19751999
Term Of Agreement 20 years-
Term Of Agreement 20 years-
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements

 
Merlin 200000 Mile Shops Franchise
Ice Cold Air Franchise
Experience
  • Industry experience
  • General business experience
  • Marketing skills
  • Management experience; customer service
  • -

    Financing Options

     
    Merlin 200000 Mile Shops Franchise
    Ice Cold Air Franchise
      In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
    Franchise Fees No/Yes-/-
    Start-up Costs No/Yes-/-
    Equipment No/Yes-/-
    Inventory No/Yes-/-
    Receivables No/No-/-
    Payroll No/No-/-

    Training & Support

     
    Merlin 200000 Mile Shops Franchise
    Ice Cold Air Franchise
    Training --
    Support Newsletter, Meetings, Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, Internet, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives-
    Marketing Co-op advertising, Ad slicks, Regional advertising-
    Operations 8% of all franchisees own more than one unit

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 5

    Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

    -

    Expansion Plans

     
    Merlin 200000 Mile Shops Franchise
    Ice Cold Air Franchise
    US Expansion Yes-
    Canada Expansion No-
    International Expansion No-

    Company Overviews

    About Merlin 200000 Mile Shops

    Merlin is an upscale "under the car" service opportunity which specializes in exhaust, brakes, ride control, suspension & steering, and oil/lubrication services. As a full service business format franchise, Merlin's provides a 90% turnkey state-of-the-art facility, comprehensive training, aggressive marketing programs, and ongoing support.

    About Ice Cold Air

    Ice Cold Air Franchises are Full-Service auto repair facilities and are the only auto repair franchises that require little or no investment from the Franchisee at startup.
    Ice Cold Air was built on a foundation of a family owned and operated auto repair business and continues with those same values. Our Company History dates back to 1969 when our founder opened a shop in Orlando Florida calibrating speedometers. Quickly the speedometer customers began asking for more services and the business known as Ice Cold Air was born. Specialty auto air conditioning in Florida was a great concept waiting to happen. Over the next 30 years, auto air conditioning came to represent 50% of our total annual service. Operations moved to Clearwater Florida in 1977, and more locations were added to the family. This was a turning point for the company and it was during this time that many of our fun and off-the-wall marketing campaigns were born.