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FRANCHISE RESALES

Buy a Coffee News Franchise

Coffee News is a weekly print publication distributed free in restaurants, coffee shops, and other waiting areas. Founded in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1988, the brand built its model around family-friendly content — trivia, jokes, horoscopes, and local events — alongside advertising space sold to local small businesses. The publication began franchising in 1995 and now operates through publishers across the US, Canada, and several international markets.

Each franchisee operates as a local publisher within an exclusive territory, typically covering a population of around 40,000–50,000 residents. Revenue comes from selling advertising space to local businesses — restaurants, real estate agents, healthcare providers, and service companies — seeking consistent, affordable exposure in their communities. The franchisor provides core editorial content and US printing services; franchisees focus on advertising sales, distribution, and maintaining relationships with advertisers and venue partners.

The model is home-based with no commercial lease or inventory requirement. Publishers who grow beyond a single territory typically manage multiple franchises, each producing weekly editions independently.

Latest Resales

  • There are currently no Coffee News resales available
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Why buy a Coffee News Franchise?

Coffee News has been placing its weekly edition in restaurants and waiting rooms across North America since 1988, giving it a level of name recognition in the community advertising niche that newer print concepts cannot match. The model’s appeal is structural: no storefront, no employees, no inventory, with content and printing managed centrally by the franchisor. The captive-audience setting of a restaurant or café gives local advertisers consistent weekly exposure that scrollable digital channels cannot replicate.

The system is built for expansion. Publishers typically grow from one territory to several, with each edition adding revenue without a proportionate rise in overhead. This scalability, combined with the low entry cost of the initial franchise, is a key reason owners choose to buy a Coffee News franchise as an entry into local media ownership.

Coffee News Franchise Costs & Information

Based on 2024 data reported in the 2025 FDD

  • Brand Profile

    • Year Founded

      1988

    • Franchising Since

      1995

    • New Startup Cost

      $9,900 – $145,850

    • Avg. Resale Price

      Contact us for details

  • Franchise Fees

    • Initial franchise Fee

      $9,900

      for new territories

    • Transfer Fee

      $2,900

    • Royalty Fee

      $80

      per week

    • Marketing Fee

      Not Disclosed

  • Unit Performance

    • Total Units *

      168

    • New Units Opened *

      9

    • Units Transferred *

      15

    • Avg. Unit revenue *

      Not Disclosed

    * Based on 2024 data reported in the 2025 FDD

Coffee News – Additional  Information

  1. Training & Support

    Coffee News franchisees receive initial training through Coffee News College, a multi-day in-person program covering ad design, distribution, printing, sales, networking, promotions, billing, and social media marketing (18 hours classroom, 8 hours on-the-job). A mentoring program provides start-up guidance, with ongoing individual mentoring available throughout the franchise. An online resource center gives publishers access to the operations manual, training materials, and conference schedules. Resale buyers should confirm what Coffee News College access and onboarding support are available to incoming owners when ownership transfers.

  2. Ideal Owner

    The ideal Coffee News owner is sales-oriented, comfortable with direct outreach and regular follow-up with local small business clients. No publishing background is required; the franchisor provides all editorial content, layout, and printing. Success depends on the owner's ability to build and maintain a local advertiser base — calling on restaurants, service businesses, healthcare practices, and retailers and nurturing those relationships over time. Participation in networking groups — Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, BNI — is part of the regular workflow. The model suits a full-time, hands-on operator who brings consistent sales discipline.

  3. Recognition & Awards

    Coffee News has been recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine as the No. 1 weekly publication in the advertising services category since 2002. The brand operates internationally, with editions across the US, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Portugal, and South Africa. For resale buyers, brand-level recognition matters most at the territory level: local advertiser loyalty, reader familiarity, and the tenure of the existing publication in its community are the most meaningful signals when evaluating a specific unit.

  4. Industry / Market

    Small businesses in the US seek affordable local advertising to build community name recognition, supporting demand for targeted print media. Publications placed in captive-audience settings — restaurants, cafés, and waiting rooms — hold a distinct niche that digital advertising cannot replicate, offering weekly exposure to a relaxed, engaged audience. For resale buyers, the density of suitable distribution venues and the depth of the existing advertiser base in the territory are the most direct indicators of local unit opportunity.

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