No matter how you look at it, people love animals. Whether that is through pet ownership or the love of wildlife, our affection for animals is creating big business.
Globally, the pet care market has grown to $261 billion in 2022, up $16 billion from last year. Growing at rate of 6.1%, that number is expected to explode to $350 billion by 2027.
Another leading business trend is the growing popularity of franchising. Expected to climb to pre-pandemic numbers and beyond, franchising is booming as entrepreneurs find this the perfect model to satisfy their dreams of business ownership with the support of a franchisor providing somewhat of a safety net when it comes to risk.
When you combine animals with franchising, you have some interesting business opportunities to consider.
The Dog Stop Franchise
One such franchise on the pet care side of the industry is the Dog Stop franchise. Based on information from their website, they are an all-inclusive facility for dogs with services including:
- Grooming: from baths to nail trims.
- Dog daycare: including exercise and playtime
- Dog Boarding: year round
- Dog Training: group or individual classes
- Retail: wide assortment of food
The Dog Stop franchise model has been around for 9 years, since 2013 and have 21 locations in the U.S.
Their fees are as follows:
Initial Franchise Fee: $49,500
Initial Investment: $195,300 – $738,150
Net Worth Requirement: $450,000 – $10,000,000
Cash Requirement: $200,000 – $2,000,000
Royalty Fee: 6%
Ad Royalty Fee: 2%
Term of Agreement: 10 years
*Information from Entrepreneur
In determining if this is a smart investment, keep in mind that while animals are big business, the pet industry, especially dogs, is highly competitive. There are very large corporate brands, like Petco and Petsmart providing many of the same services as the Dog Stop franchise. It can be challenging to compete with large brands unless you are a niche concept.
Comparison with Wild Birds Unlimited
A niche franchise is exactly what we are at Wild Birds Unlimited. We are an outdoor wildlife franchise meeting the high growing consumer wildlife hobbyist demand.
Our franchise owners not only provide supplies like birdfeed, birdhouses and binoculars, but they serve as a resource in their community regarding the growing popularity of the wild bird feeding and watching hobby. 81-million people feed birds and watch wildlife in their own backyards every year. Those consumers spend about $7.6 billion annually on bird feed and wildlife watching.
In comparison to the Dog Stop franchise, Wild Birds Unlimited has been doing this a long time and has enjoyed great success. We have earned a highly respected reputation as a trusted resource in the wild bird feeding industry. We have been in business for 40 years and have more than 350 stores throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Here’s the number break-down to help you compare. You’ll see across the board we are a more affordable franchise.
Initial Franchise Fee: $40,000
Initial Investment $197,919 – $325,763
Net Worth Requirement $300,000
Cash Requirement $40,000 – $50,000
Royalty Fee 4%
Ad Royalty Fee 1%
Term of Agreement 10 years
*Information from Entrepreneur
At Wild Birds Unlimited we believe in financial transparency. It’s important for prospective franchisees to see our numbers to help with the decision-making process, determining if there’s sufficient potential for profit at your comfort level. Last year, we saw $784,782 as the average gross sales in 2021 for stores open a full year. That number was $1,064,706 for 2021 average gross sales for top half of stores open for full year.
We believe in preparing our franchise owners with comprehensive training.
At Wild Birds Unlimited we require 40 hours of on-the-job training as well as 40 hours of classroom training. This not only prepares our franchisees to operate their business, but to provide the highest quality customer service possible.
Comparatively, the Dog Stop franchise conducts 35 hours of on-the-job training with 24 classroom hours.
At Wild Birds Unlimited, our training includes business planning, site selection, lease negotiation tactics, classroom and in-store training, and store design and layout. And we continually support our franchisees with information about marketing, merchandising and purchasing, store operations, nature and hobby education, and established financial and information systems.
Because of our top-notch training, we are recognized as an award winning franchise not only by industry experts, but by our franchisees who appreciate that they can pursue their passion of helping members of their community by providing top quality goods and services in the bird feeding industry—while making a good living. Our franchise model helps franchisees enjoy business ownership knowing they have the support of franchise experts at their fingertips.
If you are energetic and passionate about bird feeding and nature and committed to following our business model, it may be time to join our flock and come fly with us. Get started by filling out a form for more information, or get started on your application to be part of a lucrative and satisfying franchise.