Units Franchising Group

Every year, millions of Americans face one of the most stressful logistical challenges of modern life: moving. Whether driven by a job relocation, a growing family, a downsizing decision, or a real estate transaction, the demand for flexible, affordable, and convenient moving and storage solutions is relentless. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that the average American moves more than 11 times over the course of their life, and industry research suggests that number climbs to 13 lifetime moves per person when accounting for intra-neighborhood relocations. That creates a structurally recurring, recession-resistant customer base that UNITS Moving and Portable Storage was purpose-built to serve. Founded in 2004 by Michael McAlhany, who continues to serve as CEO, UNITS Moving and Portable Storage was incorporated under the parent entity Units Franchising Group, Inc. and headquartered in the Charleston, South Carolina metro area, specifically Daniel Island. The company began offering franchise opportunities in 2005 and 2006, and in the roughly two decades since, has scaled to more than 70 franchise locations operating across more than 40 U.S. states, with a documented presence in more than 500 American cities. In July 2025, Units Franchising Group announced international expansion into five major global markets: France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, and Australia, cementing its transition from a domestic challenger brand to what management now describes as a growing global brand. For franchise investors evaluating the Units Franchising Group franchise opportunity, the fundamental question is whether this brand's combination of proprietary technology, a capital-intensive but high-barrier business model, and a massive total addressable market translates into a compelling long-term wealth-building vehicle. This analysis, produced independently by PeerSense, draws on publicly available financial disclosure data, FDD filings, and macroeconomic industry research to answer that question with precision.

The moving and portable storage industry that Units Franchising Group competes in is not a single-lane market. The company operates simultaneously across four distinct and massive revenue categories: the self-storage sector, the on-site portable storage sector, the self-service moving sector, and the inter-franchise long-distance moving sector. According to the company's own market analysis, those four combined verticals represent more than 42 billion dollars in estimated annual revenue in the United States alone. The traditional moving industry, measured separately by IBISWorld, generated over 18 billion dollars as far back as 2017 and has continued to expand since. The American Moving and Storage Association reports that the broader moving industry directly employs more than 186,000 workers in the United States, underscoring the sector's meaningful economic footprint. Consumer behavior trends are strongly aligned with the portable storage model: modern customers increasingly demand control, scheduling flexibility, and the ability to pack at their own pace without the pressure of professional movers standing by the hour. This preference for self-directed, convenience-first moving solutions is a structural tailwind that differentiates the portable storage format from traditional full-service movers and static self-storage facilities. The housing market is also a primary secular driver. Industry observers and Units Franchising Group leadership both point to improving housing market forecasts for 2026 as a positive catalyst for the network, since residential real estate transaction volume correlates directly with demand for moving and storage services. Franchise growth in general has outpaced the broader economy in job creation in recent years, and within franchise investment circles, moving and storage is increasingly recognized as a category that combines infrastructure-based defensibility, recurring demand cycles, and high average transaction values. For an investor evaluating the Units Franchising Group franchise, the macro tailwinds are substantial: demographic mobility, real estate activity, and consumer preference for flexible moving solutions all point in the same direction.

Understanding the full financial commitment required to open a Units Franchising Group franchise is essential before any investor proceeds to due diligence. The initial franchise fee is $55,500 for a standard territory, though the franchise fee can range from $55,500 to $222,000 depending on territory size and configuration, which reflects the variable nature of exclusive protected market areas. The total investment required to open a UNITS Moving and Portable Storage franchise ranges from $732,640 to $1,269,400 according to current estimates, with a slightly different range of $707,640 to $1,244,400 cited from the 2024 FDD filing. That wide range is explained by the capital-intensive physical infrastructure the business requires. The single largest cost driver is the container fleet: containers including freight and shipping account for $302,940 to $434,400 of the total investment, and the UNITS Moving and Portable Storage delivery system and forklift equipment adds another $225,000 to $300,000. Real estate deposits and site preparation account for an additional $50,000 to $75,000. Technology systems and initial inventory range from $7,500 to $18,000. Grand opening advertising is a fixed $10,000 investment, training runs $1,500 to $5,000, signage requires $200 to $5,000, and franchisees should budget $80,000 to $200,000 in additional working capital funds to cover operating expenses during the ramp period. Prospective franchisees must demonstrate liquid capital of at least $500,000 and a minimum net worth of $1,500,000 to qualify. The ongoing royalty structure begins at 6% of gross revenue in year one and escalates to 8% thereafter, with an advertising and national brand fund contribution of 2% plus $3,000 to $4,500 per month. This is unambiguously a premium-tier franchise investment, not a mid-market accessible concept. The capital requirements are steep by design: the physical assets, the container fleet of 100 to 300 units, and the proprietary delivery equipment create high barriers to competition and, when properly capitalized, represent a portfolio of tangible, depreciating-but-valuable hard assets on the franchisee's balance sheet.

Daily operations within the Units Franchising Group franchise model center on coordinating container deliveries, managing warehouse inventory, handling customer reservations, and executing inter-franchise long-distance moves through the company's inter-location transport network. One of the most commercially significant operational advantages of the UNITS model is that it can be run with a notably small team. Management has described the business as operable with very few employees, which contrasts sharply with labor-intensive food and retail franchises that require large hourly workforces. The brand supports both owner-operator structures and semi-absentee ownership models, where a franchisee maintains other professional or business obligations while trained personnel manage day-to-day facility operations. This flexibility makes the Units Franchising Group franchise attractive to corporate professionals and existing business owners who want to build a scalable asset base without fully exiting their current careers. Technology plays an outsized role in operational efficiency. Units Franchising Group has developed StoreSmart, a proprietary software platform exclusive to the UNITS network that integrates reservation management, guided quoting and booking, delivery scheduling optimization, AI-driven real-time reporting, customer management, warehouse management, tenant communication, and inventory control into a single system. An integrated employee driver application and Smart Sign feature facilitate efficient customer communications and on-site transactions. The company's ROBO-UNIT delivery system is a proprietary robotic delivery mechanism that allows containers to be placed with precision in tight or otherwise challenging spaces while maintaining a level position throughout loading and unloading, which minimizes shifting of customer belongings and serves as a material service differentiator versus competitors. The UNITS BIZ HUB is a third proprietary platform designed to track, manage, and convert leads with higher closing ratios. Training is provided for all incoming franchisees, with costs budgeted at $1,500 to $5,000. Each franchisee receives an exclusively protected territory with a guaranteed minimum of 100,000 possible clients, and the inter-franchise network allows containers to move between locations to support long-distance moves, creating an additional revenue stream that single-location storage businesses cannot access.

Item 19 financial performance data is disclosed in the UNITS Moving and Portable Storage Franchise Disclosure Document, and the company's Director of Operations, Joe Manuszak, confirmed in an October 2025 interview that the FDD contains actual franchise performance numbers showing how experienced franchisees have grown over time. While Manuszak declined to publicly quote average unit volume citing regulatory guidance, he affirmed that the Item 19 data is available to all prospective franchisees reviewing the disclosure document. Based on data cited from the 2024 FDD by franchise research platform Franzy, the average gross revenue for a UNITS franchise location is approximately $762,508. That revenue figure should be evaluated in the context of the business's structural characteristics: the high capital entry point, the hard-asset container fleet, the low labor headcount, and the royalty structure starting at 6% and settling at 8%. At average gross revenue of $762,508, an 8% royalty obligation represents approximately $61,000 per year in royalties, and the 2% advertising contribution plus the monthly brand fund fees adds roughly $36,000 to $54,000 in additional recurring fees annually. Gross revenue also needs to be compared against container fleet costs, insurance, real estate, driver wages, and fuel to arrive at operator-level net earnings, which are not publicly broken down in available research. The business model is designed for scale, with management explicitly encouraging franchisees to grow container counts and territory presence over time. Higher container utilization rates and inter-franchise move revenue streams are cited as the key levers that separate top-performing locations from average ones. The improving housing market forecast for 2026 is expected to increase container utilization rates across the network, which would drive revenue growth across the system without requiring proportional increases in fixed overhead. Investors should request the current FDD and review the complete Item 19 performance data, including multi-year revenue trajectories for mature franchisees, before making any capital commitment.

Units Franchising Group has demonstrated a consistent upward growth trajectory over the past several years, scaling from 26 total units at an earlier stage to more than 70 franchise locations across more than 40 states as of August 2025. The brand has earned sustained recognition from credible industry rankings: it has appeared on the Inc. 5000 list, Franchise Times Top 400, and Entrepreneur Magazine's Franchise 500 for five consecutive years. Newsweek ranked UNITS at number two in its category, and on February 25, 2026, Units Franchising Group received the industry's highest international recognition when it was honored at the 2026 Global Franchise Awards for continued growth, operational strength, commitment to empowering entrepreneurs, innovation, and meaningful industry impact. That award is significant because it places Units Franchising Group alongside globally recognized franchise brands and validates the company's investment in its systems and franchisee support infrastructure. Domestically, the company launched a Small Market Expansion Initiative in August 2025, explicitly targeting markets with populations under 500,000 residents. This initiative is strategically important because it opens an entirely new tier of expansion geography for the brand, strengthening its nationwide long-distance moving network and enabling faster, more personalized service delivery in underserved secondary and tertiary markets. Internationally, the announced expansion into France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, and Australia as of July 2025 signals ambitions that go far beyond the domestic portable storage market. The competitive moat for Units Franchising Group is built on three durable foundations: proprietary technology in the form of StoreSmart, ROBO-UNIT, and BIZ HUB platforms; a growing inter-franchise long-distance network that creates revenue opportunities unavailable to independent storage operators; and a high capital entry barrier that limits competitive entry in any given protected territory. Michael McAlhany's continued tenure as both founder and CEO provides strategic continuity in a growth phase that is simultaneously scaling domestically and reaching into global markets.

The ideal candidate for the Units Franchising Group franchise is a well-capitalized entrepreneur who brings a background in corporate management, sales, and operations. Units Franchising Group explicitly targets driven individuals who are committed to building a large, scalable business rather than purchasing a passive income stream that requires no active involvement. The company draws a deliberate contrast with passive franchise models, emphasizing that franchisees are expected to roll up their sleeves, engage with local community leaders, participate in local events, and actively build brand presence in their market rather than waiting for brand recognition to drive traffic organically. Multi-unit operators and investors with real estate or logistics backgrounds are natural fits given the container fleet management, warehouse operations, and delivery coordination components of the model. The business is explicitly described as suitable for semi-absentee ownership structures, making it accessible to professionals who want to build a tangible asset portfolio while maintaining other income sources. Each franchisee is guaranteed an exclusively protected territory with a minimum of 100,000 potential clients, and available territories span both large metro markets and the underserved small markets now being prioritized under the August 2025 Small Market Expansion Initiative. The timeline from franchise signing to operational launch involves site selection, equipment procurement including the container fleet and ROBO-UNIT delivery system, and completion of the training program, with the total pre-opening investment budget of $80,000 to $200,000 in additional funds providing a working capital cushion for the ramp period. Transfer and resale considerations are notable given the tangible hard-asset nature of the business: a mature UNITS franchise with an established container fleet, recurring customer base, and established route infrastructure represents a categorically different resale proposition compared to a service or food franchise where goodwill is the primary asset.

For investors conducting serious due diligence on moving and storage franchise opportunities, Units Franchising Group presents a data-supported investment thesis grounded in structural market demand, proprietary technology differentiation, a growing inter-franchise long-distance network, and a brand that has earned consistent recognition from Entrepreneur Magazine, Franchise Times, Inc. 5000, Newsweek, and most recently the 2026 Global Franchise Awards. The combination of a $42 billion combined addressable market across the four industry verticals in which UNITS competes, average gross revenue of approximately $762,508 per location per the 2024 FDD, and a high-barrier entry structure that protects franchisee territories from easy competitive replication makes the Units Franchising Group franchise opportunity one that warrants careful, thorough evaluation. The investment is not designed for undercapitalized buyers: the $500,000 liquid capital requirement, $1,500,000 net worth threshold, and total investment range of $732,640 to $1,269,400 are real filters that define the candidate pool and, simultaneously, signal the quality of operators within the system. The company's simultaneous domestic and international expansion, its small market initiative, and its ongoing technology investment in platforms like StoreSmart and ROBO-UNIT all suggest a franchisor that is actively investing in franchisee success infrastructure rather than simply collecting royalties. PeerSense provides exclusive due diligence data including SBA lending history, FPI score, location maps with Google ratings, FDD financial data, and side-by-side comparison tools to help investors evaluate the Units Franchising Group franchise against every relevant competitor in the moving and storage category. Explore the complete Units Franchising Group franchise profile on PeerSense to access the full suite of independent franchise intelligence data.