Great Clips

What Great Clips does

Great Clips, Inc. is the world's largest hair salon brand and operates a 100% franchised business model with more than 4,400 salons across all 50 U.S. states and 4 Canadian provinces, serving approximately 1.7 million customers weekly and roughly 90 million haircuts annually. Founded in 1982 in Minneapolis, the company supports over 700 franchisees — 80% of whom are multi-unit owners averaging 5-6 salons after five years — and the network collectively employs nearly 30,000 stylists. Its primary customers are walk-in individuals and families (men, women, kids, and seniors) seeking affordable, no-appointment haircuts.

The company's technology platform is anchored by the Great Clips mobile app (20M+ downloads), the Online Check-In digital waitlist, Clip Notes (a cross-location haircut preference tracker that records style, length, and notes so any stylist can reproduce a customer's look), and ReadyNext SMS notifications that alert customers when their wait time is approximately 15 minutes. AI-powered scheduling tools analyze operational data to help franchisees forecast demand and improve stylist efficiency, with stated plans to expand AI features into consumer-facing applications through 2028. Great Clips also operates proprietary haircare product sub-brands (Solutions, Tea Tree Solutions, Latitude) sold in salons.

Revenue is generated through a one-time franchise fee of $25,000 ($20,000 franchise fee plus a $5,000 Market Development Advertising Fund contribution), a recurring 6% royalty on franchisee gross sales, MDAF marketing contributions, and the sale of proprietary haircare products. The company distributes exclusively through independently owned franchise salons with no corporate-owned locations, and supports demand generation via national sponsorships (NHL, NCAA March Madness, College Football Playoff), celebrity/athlete campaigns, the Great Deeds community program (Children's Miracle Network, Clips of Kindness, Wigs for Kids, CUT IT OUT), and local co-op marketing by franchisees.

Name

Great Clips

Legal name

Great Clips, Inc.

Website

https://greatclips.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Great Clips is the world's largest hair salon brand, operating a 100% franchised network of 4,400+ salons across all 50 U.S. states and 4 Canadian provinces, serving roughly 1.7 million walk-in customers weekly with affordable, no-appointment haircuts for men, women, kids, and seniors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hair Salon Services

NAICS

Beauty Salons (812112), Barber Shops (812111), Cosmetics, Beauty Supplies, and Perfume Retailers (456120), Hair, Nail, and Skin Care Services (81211)

SIC

Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844)

akta.pro primary industry

Classic Barbering (Cuts & Styling) (HSALABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Kids' Haircut Services (HSALAAAM), Professional/Salon Haircare (Backbar & Retail) (CRABABAK), Professional Hair Care (Shampoo, Conditioner, Treatments) (CRABALAB)

Keywords

• Hair salon services
• Franchise haircuts
• Walk-in haircare
• Salon franchise system
• Consumer haircut services

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Franchise Fees: One-time franchise fee of $20,000 plus $5,000 contribution to Market Development Advertising Fund (MDAF) for a total of $25,000 per franchise agreement. Franchise term is 10 years.
2. Royalty Fees: 6% royalty on gross sales from all franchisee salons, providing recurring revenue stream based on franchisee performance
3. Market Development Advertising Fund: $5,000 MDAF contribution per franchise agreement, used for systemwide marketing and brand development
4. Salon Product Sales: Sale of haircare products including solutions by Great Clips, Tea Tree Solutions by Great Clips, and Latitude by Great Clips product lines

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Great Clips is a 100% franchised hair salon chain that delivers walk-in haircut services for men, women, kids, and seniors through 4,400+ independently owned salons in the U.S. and Canada. Its core consumer offering is fast, affordable, no-appointment haircuts, supported by the Great Clips mobile app, Online Check-In digital waitlist, Clip Notes preference tracking, and ReadyNext SMS notifications, along with proprietary branded haircare products sold in salons.

Product overview

Great Clips is a 100% franchised hair salon chain offering walk-in haircuts for the entire family. The company's product portfolio centers on core hair services (men's, women's, kids', and seniors' haircuts) supported by technology products including Online Check-In (digital waitlist management), Clip Notes (haircut preference tracking), the Great Clips mobile app, and ReadyNext text notifications. Great Clips also offers proprietary hair care products under sub-brands Tea Tree Solutions by Great Clips and Latitude by Great Clips, along with gift cards. The technology features work together as an integrated customer experience platform—the app serves as the hub for Online Check-In, Clip Notes access, and haircut reminders, while ReadyNext enhances the in-salon wait experience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Haircut Services - Men
• Haircut Services - Women
• Haircut Services - Kids
• Haircut Services - Seniors
• Online Check-In
• Clip Notes
• Great Clips Mobile App
• ReadyNext
• Tea Tree Solutions by Great Clips
• Latitude by Great Clips
• Solutions by Great Clips
• Great Clips Gift Cards
• Great Clips Franchise Opportunity

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• NHL (National Hockey League)flagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 14 April 2026Great Clips is the Official Hair Salon of the NHL, NHLPA, and NHL Alumni Association. The partnership includes the Great Clips Power Play Sweepstakes during Stanley Cup Playoffs, Trade Bonus Card program for traded players, and extensive advertising across ESPN, TNT/TBS, Rogers Sportsnet, and NHL Network.
• NCAAflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerGreat Clips is a sponsor of NCAA March Madness, featuring the Great Clips $12.99 haircut coupon campaign with legendary announcer Ian Eagle and breakout college basketball stars. Marketing runs across television and digital platforms during tournament coverage.
• College Football PlayoffcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGreat Clips is an official sponsor of the College Football Playoff National Championship, featuring promotional campaigns with analysts and quarterbacks like Jesse Palmer and Kirk Cousins offering nationwide haircut coupons.
• Feld Entertainment / Monster JamminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGreat Clips partnered with Feld Entertainment to sponsor the Mohawk Warrior Monster Jam truck, renamed the Great Clips Mohawk Warrior for select markets. Partnership designed to reach young demographics through the Monster Jam community and touring events.
• Children's Miracle Network HospitalscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreat Clips salons participate in annual Miracle Balloon fundraising campaigns, having raised over $11 million for children's hospitals across the U.S. and Canada. Each October, participating salons sell balloons to benefit local CMN hospitals.
• Professional Beauty Association (CUT IT OUT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreat Clips participates in CUT IT OUT, a program created by the Professional Beauty Association that provides training to salon professionals to help recognize warning signs of domestic violence and safely refer clients to resources.
• Wigs for KidscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreat Clips supports Wigs for Kids by providing free haircuts to donors at participating salons. The nonprofit creates hair pieces for children experiencing hair loss from medical conditions.
• Operation: Healing HeroesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreat Clips is a founding sponsor of Operation: Healing Heroes, a documentary series on Discovery Channel featuring veterans sharing their stories while enjoying fishing trips to help with PTSD recovery.
• Children's MinnesotaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGreat Clips was a sponsor of the 34th annual Star Gala benefiting Children's Minnesota's mental health program, which provides care from outpatient psychology to inpatient treatment for children and families.
• Shaquille O'NealminorGTM or Marketing PartnerShaq-A-Claus charitable holiday initiative where Shaquille O'Neal distributes toys and essentials to schoolchildren, with Great Clips as a corporate partner for the Atlanta event.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hair Cuttery: Largest family-owned hair salon chain in the U.S. with walk-in services; directly comparable in service model and customer demographic.
• Fantastic Sams: Full-service walk-in hair salon franchise offering cuts, color, and styling; competes with Great Clips in the franchised value-segment of hair services.
• Sports Clips: Sports-themed men's and boys' hair salon franchise with walk-in appointments and a similar unit-level economics model; directly competes with Great Clips in the franchise haircut segment.
• Cost Cutters: Value-priced walk-in hair salon franchise owned by Regis Corporation; competes directly with Great Clips in the affordable haircut segment.
• Roosters Men's Grooming Center: Men's barbering and grooming franchise with walk-in services; overlaps with Great Clips' men's haircut segment and similar franchise-driven model.
• Supercuts: Walk-in hair salon franchise offering affordable haircuts nationwide; operates a similar value-priced, walk-in model that directly overlaps with Great Clips' core offering.

Broad incumbents

• Ulta Beauty: Large specialty beauty retailer offering haircare products and in-store salon services; broad incumbent whose retail product assortment overlaps with Great Clips' in-salon product sales.
• Regis Corporation: Public franchisor and operator of Supercuts, Cost Cutters, and other salon brands; broad incumbent competing across multiple price points with similar franchise-led economics.

Emerging players

• Madison Reed: Tech-enabled hair color brand operating a growing brick-and-mortar salon footprint; emerging player disrupting the salon category with a digitally native, direct-to-consumer model.
• Snip-its: Kids-focused hair salon franchise targeting the same family demographic Great Clips serves; competes specifically in the children's haircut segment where Great Clips has a major offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/greatclips
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/GreatClipsFranchise
• Facebookfacebook.com/GreatClips
• Instagraminstagram.com/greatclips
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/greatclips

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Great Clips